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As I sat in a leaders conference listening to the various speakers espouse and bemoan the declining influence of the Church in modern society and that something urgent needed to happen, I asked myself, "Why?" Ironically I was also struck by the stark contrast of what I had heard on talk-back radio that same week as caller after caller bemoaned the Church's growing influence in modern society!
The conference speakers were drawn from the arenas of church, business and politics. They each urged us to work toward gaining greater influence in society, especially in the political arena. As I sat and listened, I asked myself the following questions-
Why should the church increase its influence?
What would the church do with such influence anyway?
How could the church realistically gain such influence?
WHY SHOULD THE CHURCH INFLUENCE?
Why should the Church increase its influence in society when throughout history whenever it has done so it has led to defaming the name and cause of Christ through its abuse of power? Doesn't this at least prove that the Church cannot influence society since it has lost the moral credibility to do so? For those who claim that this type of abuse of power happened hundreds of years ago and bears no relevance today, they have obviously not a read a newspaper lately. Daily the Church is shamed with reports of abuse of women and children. And for some in the Middle East the abuses carried out by the Church hundreds of years ago against Arabs and Jews are still keenly felt wounds giving rise to ethnic and religious hostilities which puzzle many Postmodern Western Christians.
How dare the Church pursue greater influence in society when it has proved time and time again that it is not worthy of such a trust!
Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them!
Yet, whenever the Church has diminished its influence within society and especially the political arena, it is ultimately the Church itself which is diminished!
The clearest example of this is England during the late 1700s. Despite the Revivals of Wesley and Whitefield, which gave rise to the movement within the Church known as "Evangelicalism", the Church showed little concern for the major social or political issues facing its society. The result was that although the Church underwent further reformation through this period it did not truly penetrate the soul of its society. Not until William Wilberforce and others got involved in the arenas of politics and social reform with the intention of honouring Christ did the Church begin make major inroads into the soul of its society. Infact the growth of the Church through this period was exponential, while the statistics for the Wesley/Whitefield revival are fairly static in comparison.
Essentially what Wilberforce did for the Church's use of influence was to give it a sound theological basis. Rather than the pseudo-Christian ecclesiastical autocracies which had preceded Wilberforce where Kings and Popes had exercised governmental power "in the Name of God" yet committed gross atrocities and reveled in lewd excess, Wilberforce regarded the Church's influence as being exclusively for the honour of God. His aim was to have God honoured in every aspect of legislation and government. He lived what he preached which often contrasted the lives of the then present day clergy.
What Wilberforce achieved was a clear understanding of what was right and what was wrong for a society. This led to a clear understanding among the population of what sin was, and why they needed to be forgiven of it. The effect of Wilberforce's speeches, writings, and lobbying was the formation of some 70 different philanthropic societies, the eradication of the slave trade (then later, slavery- 3 days before Wilberforce's death), the sending of missionaries throughout the Empire, the filling of churches across England, the establishment of schools and universities for black Africans, and the funding of orphanages. All stemming from Wilberforce's political influence for the honour of Christ.
This is not the only example of how Christians have used influence wisely. Other outstanding examples include Dietrich Bonhoeffer's influence thoughout Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 40s. He paid the ultimate price for daring to proclaim that Government and society was headed in the wrong direction, and challenged them to return to Christ.
Why should the Church seek to influence society? Because the Church is the pillar and mainstay of the truth (1Tim. 3:15). Christ called the Church "salt" and "light" (Matthew 5). In the parables of the Kingdom He paints a picture of the Church influencing society like yeast infiltrating a lump of dough. His prayer in John 17 was that the Church would influence the whole world so that they would know what being a believer really meant. In Psalm 22:27 it predicts that the whole world will one day come to God- including entire nations! Time and time again the Psalms prophesy a divine longing for entire nations to glorify God. Its hard to imagine how the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 could be carried out without the Church bearing an increased weight of influence within societies.
The reason the Church needs to carry influence among society is because societies function best when they honour Christ, and it is the Church which provides the prophetic light which reveals how to do this. Societies which honour Christ are societies where there are clear moral boundaries which protect people, but especially the vulnerable. They are societies which value justice and fair play, hard work, community cooperation, righteous celebration, respect for others (their relationships, property, time and talents). They are societies which are inspirational to live in (they have a thriving arts community), innovative (a thriving business community), industrious (a thriving labour force - low unemployment), and interesting (a thriving educational sector). They are societies which look beyond themselves and welcome in strangers and foreigners (Exodus 22:21).They are societies which govern themselves by the highest moral standard and mete out punitive measures which humanely correspond to crimes committed thus establishing deterrents and validations for its laws.
WHAT WOULD THE CHURCH DO WITH SUCH INFLUENCE ANYWAY?
While it might be argued that the Church's primary role is a spiritual one, it is not true that it is the sole one. Christ taught that we should care for the sick, elderly, infirmed, imprisoned, and dying. He also demonstrated that same teaching. The Church should influence society toward honouring God in each of these areas. Without compromising on this, we must not neglect our primary role but should endeavour to incorporate the spiritual and the temporal roles holistically.
The Scriptures teach the imperative of winning the lost. This is ultimately what our influence is about. It is not achieved by might or compulsion, but by influence and persuasion.
Secondly, we want to influence the hearts and minds of citizens within our societies. This demands that we inspire songs, art, literature, and film which honours God. It requires a greater depth of Christian engagement in the arenas of academia and thinking. What has passed off for rational higher education is at times extremely biased and highly irrational. The philosophy of evolution as an explanation for the origin of life is not the science it attempts to pass itself as! And too few young minds can detect the difference between philosophy and science. Christian thinkers are needed in greater numbers to counter the equally religious arguments of atheistic thinkers.
Thirdly, we need to win the respect of Government and Legislators so that our Laws honour God. When the backdrop of our society is a clear set of just and moral laws it provides the landscape for the Gospel's message about forgiveness of sins to make sense. It also provides basis for a just, fair, and compassionate society.
1. To see everyone honour God through choosing to follow Christ.
2. To win the hearts and minds of society members so that God is honoured.
3. To win the respect of Legislators so that laws honour God.
HOW COULD THE CHURCH REALISTICALLY
GAIN SUCH INFLUENCE?
For the Church to gain the level of influence I am proposing it requires the following take place-
1. Local churches need to be valued and strengthened.
They should be increasingly characterised by (a) mutual love; (b) extravagant generosity; (c) inspirational worship; (d) activation of resident spiritual gifts; (e) authentic, godly, and trustworthy leadership.
2. Credibility and respect needs to be won in our communities regarding our treatment of money, women and especially children.
One of the global obstacles and credibility-cancers for the Church is how we have abused money, women and children. When a member of the professional Christian ministry is exposed as an immoral philanderer and the Church reacts by trying to cover it up or diminish its seriousness, it loses credibility among a society. The rise of the "deregulated" church has made Church Discipline a greater challenge to the Christian community. But despite this, we need to do all we can to regain credibility for how we conduct ourselves in regard to these matters.
Local churches should consider how they are perceived in regard to the treatment of children. Child-safe practices need to be immediately adopted by each local church. Where cases of sexual abuse are discovered, the perpetrators should endure the full affects of the Law. When a minister commits adultery or fornication they cause almost irreparable damage to the whole Church and should therefore be dealt with justly which at the very least includes a ban from professional ministry for an extended period of time.
Churches are increasingly offering communities excellent childcare facilities and services and this should be greatly encouraged.
3. The creative use of media to present the Gospel and how it benefits society.
For too long the Church has been slow to engage our society via the use of modern forms of media. In an age when it so available and economical it is almost inexcusable to ignore the various forms of media available to us to spread our message.
We should also influence our media and arts communities so that a balanced presentation of Christ, His Word, His Cause, and His Church are made known. We are not appealing for censorship to vet out any discrediting news about the Church, but merely the opportunity to reply and answer any false accusations leveled at the Church in the media.
4. Develop a high level of Biblical literacy within our society.
The stories of the Bible are the stories of redemption. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that it was more important to first know what God has said than to know what God is saying. The reason for this is that the message of redemption is found in the existing message of the Bible. I actually rejoice whenever I hear a comedian make a joke out of a Bible story! Unwittingly they are actually educating the public about the contents of Scripture.
But it actually isn't the responsibility of comedians to eradicate Biblical illiteracy within our society! Biblical illiteracy is now reaching crisis point in the Church. This must be urgently addressed. When the "God is dead" movement began in the early part of the twentieth century it caused Liberals to dialogue with other religions rather than debate them. But at the other extreme it caused Evangelicals to proclaim the Gospel rather than persuade people about the Gospel. Both positions have contributed to the alarming rise in Biblical illiteracy today. Some of the most profound (and faulty) theological pronouncements in recent times have been delivered not by Professional Theologians, but by atheistic members of special interest groups who have twisted Scriptures to confound a Biblically illiterate public regarding matters of morality and decency. This needs to be urgently addressed.
A church of great influence will happen. Its inevitable. I am not advocating a Church run state. I am advocating that the Church be the prophetic voice to the State. But it can only happen and be sustained as we prize intense prayer, scrutiny, accountability, daring, cooperation, and engagement. Please join the growing global prayer movement of believers who are seeking to have the Church fulfil the Great Commission of our Lord and become the influence He wants us to be.
I have written a fuller explanation of the book of Revelation in my eBook- THE MOST EMBARRASSING BOOK IN THE BIBLE (click here to read a preview). The application from the Book of Revelation is that despite what appears to be an impotent Church struggling to serve an apparently impotent Christ, the Church is in reality made up of overcomers who lay down their lives gladly to promote Christ and His Gospel. In so doing, the Kingdom of Christ is extended, prayers are offered and heard, miracles are graced, and the believer can die with infinite hope that their Lord will keep them for eternity and clothe them with a new body which can not be subject to pain, injury, sorrow, or sin. With this knowledge we can endure momentary hardship during the brevity of this life on earth. We can be assured that our greatest delights and deepest moments of fulfilment are yet to come in the life to come.
John 5:25 ¶ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
The clearest example of this is England during the late 1700s. Despite the Revivals of Wesley and Whitefield, which gave rise to the movement within the Church known as "Evangelicalism", the Church showed little concern for the major social or political issues facing its society. The result was that although the Church underwent further reformation through this period it did not truly penetrate the soul of its society. Not until William Wilberforce and others got involved in the arenas of politics and social reform with the intention of honouring Christ did the Church begin make major inroads into the soul of its society. Infact the growth of the Church through this period was exponential, while the statistics for the Wesley/Whitefield revival are fairly static in comparison.
Essentially what Wilberforce did for the Church's use of influence was to give it a sound theological basis. Rather than the pseudo-Christian ecclesiastical autocracies which had preceded Wilberforce where Kings and Popes had exercised governmental power "in the Name of God" yet committed gross atrocities and reveled in lewd excess, Wilberforce regarded the Church's influence as being exclusively for the honour of God. His aim was to have God honoured in every aspect of legislation and government. He lived what he preached which often contrasted the lives of the then present day clergy. 
