Truth Is More Important Than Peace
20 Jun 2005
The church in Pergamos is known as the church of compromise. It was also, according to Jesus, “where Satan’s seat” was. Anywhere compromise takes place, Satan takes a seat. You will always find him enthroned wherever compromise is highly esteemed.
In today’s world, principle is no longer viewed as virtue, but rather as an impediment to peace. After all, principled stands lead inevitably to conflict with those who disagree with our principles or are devoid of principle themselves. Therefore, principle is presently frowned upon in favor of peace at any price. It is compromise that is heralded today as the hope of the future. And it is the great compromisers of our time who are praised as present-day peacemakers and pillars of virtue.
The fact that God-fearing, churchgoing, Bible believing Christians are currently maligned as dangerous extremists, along with other scary “radical” groups like the Boy Scouts of America, speaks volumes about the poor spiritual condition of postmodern culture. The possession of real convictions; that is, real beliefs that you are unwilling to compromise and more than willing to fight for, is considered the essence of dangerous fanaticism by today’s compromise-crazed world.
Thanks to its pursuit of peace at any price, postmodernism is a resounding denunciation of faith. It teaches the total irrelevancy of man’s religious beliefs. Postmodernism’s only taboo is to really believe. The postmodernist couldn’t care less about whether or not you believe in Christ, crystals, totem poles, or Ouija Boards. The only thing he finds intolerable is a firm faith that refuses to be strong-armed by today’s purveyors of compromise—those servants of Satan who are always ushering him to his seat and attending him upon his throne.
During his confirmation hearings, Alexander Haig, Secretary of State in the first Reagan Administration, was asked to guarantee the nation that he would keep America at peace. General Haig refused to make such a promise, insisting that “some things [are] more important than peace.” The Apostle Paul would have wholeheartedly agreed with the General’s assertion. When asked to compromise the gospel for the sake of peace in the infant church, Paul refused to “give in for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel” would “remain” uncompromised (Galatians 2:5).
While it is applauded by an Apollyon-appeasing world, compromise is too high a price to pay for peace. As Christians we are commissioned by Christ to uncompromisingly stand upon our convictions while wielding the double-edged sword of His gospel. Such adamancy on our part will inevitably lead to conflict with a postmodern world at enmity with God. Still, standing for Christ in nonconformity with our compromise-crazed world is the only way to keep Satan from taking a seat and our nation from a satanic takeover.
Don Walton
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