Albert Rdn

My wife was formerly promiscuous. I was a virgin. She was then radically born-again. Committed to church, evangelized constantly, Puritan books in her bedroom, prayer journals, grief over past sexual sin, etc. We got to know each other well for over a year, dated for four months, engaged for two and a half, and didn't sin sexually with one another. Our first kiss with each other was at the altar on our wedding day (reaction pic attached!). We've been married for over five years now, and she's been the most wonderful and godly wife, mother to our three children, and homemaker you could imagine. She's more pure than most virgins, as biblical purity has less to with past sins (though they certainly matter) and more to do with one's current posture of the heart and daily decisions to honor the Lord (Matt. 5:8). We're far too quick to forget the story of the woman labeled as a known "sinner" (likely a prostitute) in Luke 7:36-50 who was washing Jesus' feet with her tears while kissing them too. The Pharisees were shocked that Jesus let a public sinner do this. Jesus responded with a parable about debts being forgiven and ended with this powerful conclusion: "Her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little" (Luke 7:47). Everyone seems to highlight the benefits of virginity, and it certainly is a blessing. But we forget to highlight the benefits of being forgiven much as well. My wife knows the depths of Jesus' forgiveness more than most people, enabling her to more easily live out a life of passionate love for her Savior. A woman or man's past sexual sin matters. But what matters far more when it comes to deciding who to marry is if the person is truly born again, if their repentance is real, if they truly have a heart for Christ, if they truly follow Jesus and obey his commands. "God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world ​— ​what is viewed as nothing ​— ​to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence. It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us ​— ​our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, — in order that, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" (1 Cor. 1:27-31) "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17)

Many are disappointed by comments like this one by Piper. But this is nothing new. Recent years have simply highlighted the true values of many evangelical influencers. And the cost of their influence has been catastrophic. For decades, they were assumed to be generally conservative. While they sent mixed signals, largely steering away from politics, a few conservative-leaning positions and stands on “Biblical orthodoxy” were enough for most to conclude these influencers fell solidly on the right side of the political spectrum. There were also comments like this one, but broader discourse was so saturated with similar comments that it was easy to minimize them. These influencers, as major public leaders, were simply cautious and culturally sensitive. In such a case, we’d expect that as the “permission structure” opened up, these influencers would more openly shift to the right—proclaiming things they truly believed but held back on so as not to distract from their core “Gospel” message. Instead, we’ve seen the opposite. Even as many inside and outside the church throw off leftist taboos and become open to a wider array of ideas, many presumed conservatives have (like Moore) revealed themselves to be thoroughly on the left. Many others like Piper showed natural inclinations that align with the center-left norms of the 1990s and 2000s. The damage is impossible to assess. As the left pushed decades of cultural revolution, the church could have firmly resisted and advanced a substantive alternative. Instead, we had a church shaped by pastor-influencers who embraced many of the left’s premises, departing primarily on the most privatized, individualistic, and pietistic items. Naturally, a church led by such people was neutered. It’s no surprise the church presented no great resistance to rolling sexual revolution and the LGBTQ agenda. It’s no surprise most ostensibly Christian institutions caved to BLM. And it’s no surprise that when an alternative emerged to challenge the left, it was not led by people who came out of those churches. Many of these evangelical influencers lament “unchristian” messaging and policies from Trump and other emerging leaders on the right. But those same influencers never tried to offer a credible alternative. They never tried to lead opposition to the left when they had the chance. These influencers claim their concerns reflect Christian values, but the simpler and more consistent explanation seems to be that they’ve always held leftist values. Now, more than ever, Americans are actively looking for positive alternatives to the “progressive” vision. The American church needs leaders who can help shape and offer such an alternative.

If you are an Ogden enjoyer, you are not welcome to be a pastor in the CREC. That's what this means.