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Christian leaders are becoming more outspoken about Australia’s need to return to God. Their example reminds us that this is a calling for every believer.

Many are concerned about the trajectory of Australian politics, but it may be more accurate to say that Australian culture is where the problem lies.

Increasingly today, Australian society is calling God’s good things ‘evil’ and is considering evil to be ‘good’, and this is being reflected in our legislation. Like the prophet Isaiah warned,

“Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.”
— Isaiah 59:14

More than ever before, our nation needs spiritual re-invigoration (see 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Proverbs 14:34). And perhaps we are beginning to see the public manifestation of such a renewal.

For decades, Christians like Sen. Eric Abetz, Rev. Fred Nile, George Christensen and others have stood alone in our legislatures, unashamedly advancing policies that align with biblical truth and God’s nature. Sadly, even today many Christians have not heard of these leaders or their work.

Recently, however, as Christians have become increasingly engaged in Australian culture, a fresh wave of courageous Christian leaders has entered the fray.

This trend is perhaps best represented by the phenomenal growth of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) led by managing director, Martyn Iles. Under Iles, the ACL has grown to include a membership of over 200,000 Australian Christians. Iles’s popular ‘The Truth of It’ videos have reached tens of thousands of viewers internationally.

But beyond the work of the ACL, scores of other uncompromising Christian leaders are emerging or becoming more prominent in various fields: commentary, academia, media and the legislature. Among these are Stephen Chavura, John Anderson, Amanda Stoker, Kurt Mahlburg, Kirralie Smith, Damian Wyld, Lyle Shelton — the list goes on and on. Christians in many areas of society are doing incredible work.

A task for every believer

However, public Christian witness is not just a responsibility for full-time Christian missionaries. Every faithful believer has a role to play in helping to positively represent our faith in Australia today.

So, how can Christians contribute to Australian society going forward?

Christians can and should live out Christ’s call to be ‘salt and light’ in the world (Matthew 5:13) through their support of just and righteous laws. Among other things, this can entail support for legislation protecting religious education and chaplains in schools; the unborn, elderly, disabled and vulnerable; freedom for the practice of religion; as well as natural, biblical views on family and gender.

All Christians have a responsibility to stand up for and live out the Bible’s truth in the culture in which we find ourselves. Jesus Himself said that His fundamental purpose for coming into the world was to reveal and testify to the truth. (John 18:37)

Evidently, truth is of vital importance to Jesus, and we should not be satisfied to leave the public square void of it.

Christian leaders and all followers of Jesus contributing to public conversations have the opportunity to not only stand up for truth, but to live it out. This opportunity to show the world the tangible hope and joy that we have in Jesus Christ is of crucial value.

This opportunity is massive. With faith increasingly sidelined in the political and public sphere, every faithful light shines so much brighter. Our faith, honesty, integrity and love can proclaim the life-altering, culture-changing, countercultural power of the Christian Gospel.

Every loving, beautiful, consistent Christian life lived in public testifies to the truth of the biblical story. This is what it means to be the light of the world.

The role of the church

People are disillusioned with the self-centredness and dishonesty of many of today’s politicians and cultural leaders. In contrast, let us live out the abundant life that Jesus Christ has given us (John 10:10). Let our words and actions stand in stark contrast to the despair and hopelessness around us. Let our hope and certainty through troubled times expose the world’s naïve faith in politics as the only answer.

Christians don’t need to agree on everything to be able to work together — but neither do they need to neglect significant doctrinal discussions. Denominations can disagree vehemently and yet combine like regiments in an army — each with its distinctive character and various loyalties and rivalries — to fight a common enemy. What unites us, strengthens us and focuses us is our love for Christ and the truth of His Word.

Political and social involvement do not negate our responsibility to spread the Gospel. On the contrary, this is yet another way to bring glory and honour to our heavenly Father, and another avenue by which we can share the good news through what we say and do. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Public Christian leaders have a huge mission field in Australian society; they have a vital role in helping to flavour, preserve, enlighten and transform the culture around us. (Matthew 5:13-16)

So does every believer who takes seriously Jesus’ command to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. (Mark 16:15)

One resource I have found helpful in taking Jesus’ command seriously is Kurt Mahlburg’s book Cross and Culture: Can Jesus Save the West? It is currently on sale for $24.95 with free shipping. You can learn more about Kurt’s book here.

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This article originally appeared at The Good Sauce.
Photo by William Carlson on Unsplash.