Even after witnessing the brutality of the Soviets towards not only the people in occupied territories but also towards their own people, Walter Duranty, a true Progressive, had one lasting remark to say, “you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.” He had no excuse for such a glib statement regarding the starvation, the imprisonments, and the bloody progress he witnessed. He could not claim ignorance, nor innocence, as his outspoken support of Stalin’s regime won him fame and recognition. But Duranty was unconcerned with the death and destruction. He saw what the leaders there and the leaders here saw: The destruction of the old and the steady march towards the new.

Yet it is not Duranty himself that I am particularly concerned with. Rather, it is those poor “eggs” he spoke of. Those broken things were men, women, and children. They were brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, neighbors and countrymen. They were people who thought differently than the progressives, who looked different in both body and mind, and whose only hope was to live. They didn’t ask for the cultural revolution that happened to them, not most of them anyway. They wanted no involvement with it. But the harsh reality of cultural revolutions is that they happen with or without our say, as do their consequences.

There is an amusing scene from the film Guardians of the Galaxy that I am reminded of when people talk about not voting because we should just pray, or not getting involved in the culture wars because we are Christians, or we shouldn’t utilize our “rights” because they are not biblical. I find these suggestions foolish and ignorant, but I will leave your consideration of these statements up to your conscience. 

Instead, I will discuss why I speak on these matters of the culture war a little and why I strongly support those who regularly speak on them. Why do I bother getting involved in the “culture wars?” Because as Peter Quill says in that movie, “I’m one of the idiots who lives in it!” It is an amusing scene, yes, but also a subtle truth. Do we think that just because we want a certain thing to be that it will materialize? Do we have no responsibilities along with our rights? And yet, it is not only myself that I am worried about. I am not the only person who lives here. It is you, my neighbor, and the people I love most in the world, namely, my children, that I am concerned for.

You see, I do not always, or even usually, speak up about the various “culture war” issues that arise in the news. In general, I am like most Americans. I simply want to live my life in peace and quiet in all godliness and holiness, for that is what I have been called to do. I want to go to church, care for my family, and use the various talents I have. But I was also raised in a rather political household, for better or worse. Even so, for a time I couldn’t even listen to the news. The despair was overwhelming. If I just leave the culture alone, why shouldn’t it leave me alone? But this is naivete. And I have kids now; I cannot afford to remain ignorant or silent. Further, someone will direct the culture, and the current voices have no desire to remain silent, or even courteous.

This is why I and so many Christians engage in these culture wars. I care about the culture wars because I am not the one who is likely to be most affected if the culture goes to hell in a handbasket. My children, your children, your friends and family’s children, and as many future generations as the Lord allows us to have will be affected. These are our neighbors. I worry about them. I don’t want my neighbors stolen from, or imprisoned, or to lose their children. I don’t want these children to grow up in a world where they are fed lies for truth, where we can do nothing about it. I don’t want them to grow up in a world where they could be medically kidnapped because we don’t affirm such and such delusion. I don’t want them to grow up in a world where children are not valued as human. I don’t want them to grow up in a world where we cannot teach them the truth of God’s Word. How can I neglect my right to speak here as a citizen when I have a God-given duty to protect my children and my neighbor? How can I shun those who speak out?

We have been blessed here in this country. In our struggles and failings, we have been allowed to build a great nation and overcome many of our shortcomings. But while I recognize that we cannot make our nation perfect, as we cannot have a heaven on earth made by man, I also know that I cannot stand idly by while our nation is corrupted from within. And this is a difficult message, I know. I am still overwhelmed by the many “issues” facing our country today. Which do I pick? Abortion, transgenderism, evolutionism, mysticism? All of them together? I am not sure most days outside of my little corner of the world, where I will continue to raise my children in truth. But I am sure that I will support those willing to fight on that front. I know I will teach my children the truth, and I will not shy away from the flaming darts around them. And I will speak when I can in this culture war. I didn’t choose it, but no one ever does. All we can do is choose how we respond to it.

So many people I know and love get upset with other Christians who talk about “the culture war.” And I get it. It is not fun to talk about us vs. them. It is also probably not healthy. We should be aiming to win those souls for Christ. But we cannot forget that we are in a battle of spirituality, which is the heart of this culture war. This war is no different than the one our forefathers faced in each generation. In the past, they faced the evils of slavery many times over, many bouts of hedonism, and so many other clashes of the flesh versus the truth. Sometimes they “won,” bringing the culture closer to the truth. Other times they lost. They paid dearly either way, but after everything, they stood. Our “culture war” today is no different. This war is not about taxes or trees or other treasures. It is a war of Gnosticism, pagan ritualism, hedonism, and mysticism against God’s truth. There is a war going on, a spiritual one manifesting in policies and broken homes, and the heart of it is found in our kids and their futures. What world will they have 10, 20, or 50 years from now? What will we have to answer for them?

You don’t have to fight in the culture war. And truly, I understand if you don’t. The vitriol and despair are overwhelming. But just because you are nice or silent doesn’t mean the other side – and there is another side – will show you due respect. We cannot afford to continue to “live and let live,” both for the future’s sake and because such a thought isn’t biblical. These forces are out to destroy the values you hold dear and to snatch your children from you – mind, body, and soul. To the world, their ultimate salvation is this march towards progress. But we have rights and duties as Americans, a coin of equal weight and measure. Let us use that talent to serve our neighbors, starting with our closest ones. Let us serve and protect them. The world cares not about duties but only what it can get, regardless of the consequences. We are taking a steady march towards something, but looking back, I see only a bloody walk towards hell.

I have heard many people pontificate on how they would have handled certain crises in world history: slavery, wars, the crucifixion itself! I have heard people discuss what sides they would have been on, what they would have done differently, and how they would have been a voice for truth. I have done this too! It is easy to judge to past. But we are currently living in one of those points, just as our forefathers did. What will our children and grandchildren wish we would have done differently? What will they thank or resent us for?

God is in control. He has overcome the world. We trust in Him and His promises. But we also have lives to lead on this Earth, lives of faith and endurance and truth. Shall we not show that by what we do? If we shall not, then those poor, broken things, in the end, will be our children and those generations to follow in this steady, brutal march.

Blessings to your and yours,

~Madelyn Rose Craig