"Nowhere are we commissioned to reform the externals."


ShareThis

Can you guess who is responsible for the following quote?

"As far as the relationship of the church to the world, it can be expressed as simply as the three words which Paul gave to Timothy—'Preach the Word.'

We have a message of redeeming grace through a crucified and risen Lord. This message is designed to go right to the heart of man and there meet his deep spiritual need.

Nowhere are we commissioned to reform the externals.

We are not told to wage wars against bootleggers, liquor stores, gamblers, murderers, prostitutes, racketeers, prejudiced persons or institutions, or any other existing evil as such. Our ministry is not reformation but transformation."  Source: Reason Magazine & NPR.

Those words were delivered by Jerry Falwell in a 1965 sermon.

Quite shocking to think that one of the key figures of the evangelical political movement once preached against political activism.

There are a lot of websites out there calling Falwell "the devil," "bigot" and other words not suitable for a family blog.  While I disagree with many of his ideas, it is interesting to see that at least at one point in time, we completely agreed about the role of faith in public life. 


Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.

Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.