By Contributing Writer, Molly Evert
“The serpent is more crafty than any of the beasts of the field. He attacks while retreating, retreating while attacking. He concedes this point, all the while making that point. He is both a tar baby and quicksilver. And we are fools for forgetting it.” –R. C. Sproul, Jr.
During my newlywed years my husband and I were missionaries in freshly post-communist Hungary. It was our great privilege to speak with pastors and lay people about what it was like to be a Christian there during the Communist years.
They spoke of their various personal experiences and told the stories of people they cared about. Their unique testimonies shared common threads, revealing a crafty enemy who persecutes faithful Christians.
Their testimonies were not what people write books about, and they didn’t make for glorious “martyr stories.” The Hungarian faithful weren’t often killed for their faith. Instead, they were marginalized and made an example of in society. Communist propaganda billed Christianity as a superstition for old, uneducated, rural villagers.
There was little need to “make martyrs” of the Christian faithful. The Communists believed Christianity would die off of its own accord over time. They carefully crafted an atheist nation, using three tactics which prompted many young people to disdain Christianity. While some suffered physical persecution, the more prevalent forms were far more subtle. These were their strategies to weaken Christianity in that nation:
- Denying Christians higher education.
- Removing Christians from positions of influence in society.
- Relocating faithful gospel ministers to unpopulated rural communities.
And now we are experiencing the same things here in 21st century America–only in our case, more and more Christians are choosing these these things for themselves! I see disturbing trends in some Christian circles which are eerily similar to the persecution our brethren suffered under Communism.
- There is a self-imposed rejection of higher education by a growing number of Christians.
- Entrepreneurship is often promoted over other career choices, which could lead to a de facto retreat from any position that requires working for someone outside one’s own family. This would preclude many influential careers in government, big business, higher education, etc.
- A movement towards homesteading is leading some Christians to relocate to extremely rural settings, thereby diminishing their gospel influence in society.
I am NOT saying that skipping college, entrepreneurship, or homesteading is wrong for any particular family. These are all matters where the principles of Christian liberty apply. What bothers me is the growing popularity of choices which could marginalize us and remove our gospel witness from the public square if they become too prevalent. That was the goal of the godless Communist government in Hungary, and these were the means they used to accomplish that goal.
In the end this trend may be the enemy playing on our fears and attacking us along the path of least resistance.
If he cannot compromise us, he will seek to marginalize us.
In this case he may have found a way to get many of us to marginalize ourselves.
Molly,
Very interesting article. I have to admit I have not thought of things in that way at all. Clearly worth considering prayerfully.
This is an interesting concept- but I am
More likely to believe that Christians don’t chose to stay out of the public centerfold . We are forced out, quietly for now. Both my husband and I have lost jobs due to our Christianity . I have been denied entrance into secular schools because I was ” homeschooled “.
How can one work as a supposed ” christian” in a public shool when we are told to keep quite and not to even be caught praying over our own private lunches?
How can one work as a nurse in a hospital when the value of life is disvalued in the form of imperfect unborn babies ? In clinics and OB offices ?
You see we don’t always decide to retreat – America is forcing our ranks down.
A true Christian will not even consider the newest tactic called Obamacare. How can one sleep at night realizing they are funding abortions and planned parenthood ?
I didn’t decide to hide my faith- my country is Begining to put the lid on it.
Katrina, thank you for commenting. Actually, many people do make a choice to hide their faith (I might even dare to say that the majority of Christians are tempted in this area), but Molly isn’t denying that the point you are making is true. She is simply adding to it. She’s saying “not only…but also.” It something to consider in addition to what we already see happening around us. Hope that makes sense!
Hi Katrina, Thanks for your comment! Natalie summed up my thoughts well–we do see the things you mentioned happening all around us. But I also see a trend of Christians making these choices for themselves. The two combined may have a negative impact on our collective witness. I am not trying to give the answers in this post–just to raise the questions.
I think you’ve got a good point, there, Molly. It is natural, but not at all intelligent, to pull up the drawbridge and try to stay in your own little world when the one around you becomes less friendly. Christians should be very careful not to reject the good things mankind has managed to finagle out of this broken creation. We are, after all, the true dominion-holders down here.
However, I’m not sure it’s fair to compare today’s American universities to those of communist Hungary–at least not in every way. Today’s liberal arts degree is just about worthless, on a practical level, especially for the price people are paying to get that “education”. I think a lot of what you’re seeing is because of rational decision-making, not self-marginalization because of an imagined persecution. Check out Glenn Reynolds’ The Higher Education Bubble sometime. Really interesting stuff. The colleges are doing a pretty good job marginalizing themselves, as evidenced by the fact that it’s not just Christians, but also young men who are checking out in favor of entrepreneurship or self-education. Personally, unless my children need a STEM degree, or show a particular talent that a college can REALLY guide them in, I’m not going to encourage them to spend that much money on a degree. In fact, my husband is a self-taught programmer, and finds himself with the advantage of not having to pay back college loans.
To the extent that you are correct, though (and you are, to a point), I don’t know that it’s necessarily a bad thing. Christianity comes with some material disadvantages sometimes. If you can’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly, you might have to forgo the better-paying job to avoid working for a crook. If you don’t want to be a thief or a violator of the rights of others, you’re excluded from a great deal of government work. So the marginalization isn’t necessarily purposeful, but natural, all the same. As the western world becomes less Christian, it’s natural, and certainly lamentable, that the Christians should find themselves forced out of some of the roles where they would actually be of greatest value. That doesn’t mean it’s good, but we do have to be discerning about where we throw our talents.
Good points Cindy. I’d like to add that God leads different Christians differently to get His job done. My son runs his own business and is self-sufficient at the age of 19 without going the conventional college route. Some of my other kids will go to college – or take classes in their area of interest. Some will stay in the city – and some may move out to the country. My dream is to move out to the country and write someday. These options are not anti-biblical or “bad” in and of themselves. The fact is, this subject is as complex as the millions of souls and a mysterious God make it. The thing I find interesting about this article is that it brings up a good point about a growing TREND among Christians. It’s this trend that is being critiqued. Whenever a whole bunch of sheep start running in one direction – it should give us cause to pause and wonder what’s going on. “Wonder” being the key word here.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Cindy! Maybe I was not as clear as I could have been. The only way these situations are comparable is in the result (which is less Christians with a university level education). The way it happens is totally different (being locked out vs. a choice to not go). The result is the same though: less Christians with a degree.
For the sake of brevity I did not mention why the Hungarian communists did not want Christians in the universities. After all, wouldn’t they want to use the universities to indoctrinate young adult Christians?
The Communists enforced compulsory public education for grades Pre-K through 12 and thus had many years to do all the indoctrinating they pleased. There is another post in there somewhere….but I digress.
Despite all their power and control over the university system the Communists didn’t want to have to deal with educated Christians if efforts to indoctrinate them proved unsuccessful. It didn’t fit their narrative that “Christianity is for the uneducated”.
Our oldest son is a high school senior this year, so the concerns you raise are not theoretical for us–they are very real. I have been working on a post on the very issues you brought up, so I’ll save the rest of my comments for that and link it here soon so that hopefully we can continue the conversation.
Wow, I find this REALLY INTERESTING. I’ve said for years that it is not good for us Christians to find ourselves by choice out of mainstream life (like the Amish, etc.), where we have no influence on society, only trying to protect ourselves. I understand protecting yourself and your family, and we try to do that ourselves by living in a small town rural area, but, your analysis of the situation that we are persecuting ourselves speaks volumes. Although I have to say this, as our country becomes more and more godless, it seems we have less and less influence no matter what.
Molly, your insights are very valuable, and we do need to be faithful in taking on the culture and taking it over for Christ.
I think what we are seeing is that there is a realignment of troops, if you will, going on in this country. We would be wise to each of us take our position in this battle seriously and stand as God asks, and understand that others are called to take different hills.
You are right we oughtn’t marginalize ourselves on purpose for the sake of ease, comfort and security. But, some are being called to the margins as the best place to build a future from. Is it possible that God used the very persecution that marginalized Christians in Eastern Europe for their good? So that they were able to survive?
Hi Sue,
I agree with you that it is unwise and unfair to question what individual families are doing regarding these three things. God has called men throughout history to all kinds of lifestyles and vocations. I like your analogy of “taking different hills”.
What gives me concern is the trend towards popularization and even in some cases elevation (as a seemingly preferable state or vocation) of some things that have been used in the past against the church.
God is indeed sovereign, so I am sure He used that persecution for His glory and for the church’s good.
But we must remember two things about our enemy (at least!) when we talk about how Satan persecutes the church:
First..he isn’t omniscient. He can only guess at what would hurt God’s people. Secondly, (and we are foolish if we don’t recognize this) he has A LOT of experience persecuting the church, which may make him a GOOD guesser. He has had all of human history to study man and his institutions. If he is trying to drive Christians out of places, he might be drawing on historical experience and we would do well to look back at history and ask what might be gleaned from it.
One cannot know what Hungary would have looked like without Communism, but I can report that numerically the visible, confessing church is a shadow of what it was before Communism. God is still at work building, though.
Interesting post. A comment on each of the “trends”:
1) Psalm 1:1. Most “higher education” would fall under this verse.
2) Most businesses that others work for started with someone being an entrepreneur. Also, one does not have to be in government, big business, etc. to be influential.
3) The assumption here is that those who live in town or city settings have a greater “gospel influence”.
For Christians to reject the world’s education, business, and living models would seem to follow the concept of “being in the world, but not of the world”. Just because a Christian goes to college, works for someone else, or lives in a town/ city, doesn’t mean they are “shining lights in the darkness”. To compare those Christians who choose to not participate in society to those who were pushed out by communists seems a bit drastic.
I agree with Cindy using the word “discerning”. It seems that perhaps the “trend” that is actually being seen among these “sheep” is that they are looking to the Word and following the Shepherd. That would be the one direction we are supposed to be going. =)
Question: What of those Christians in other times and places that hid (i.e. the catacombs) or left their homelands? Were they wrong to do that?
The conclusion that the trends could marginalize us and our witness seems strange. The devil has already compromised the Church and, yes, will seek to marginalize it as well. However, for the Church to “trend” away from the world should be seen as a step in the right direction. The Church hasn’t gone “underground” (yet), but needs to distance itself from society at different times to strengthen it’s impact. How is the Church compromising and marginalizing itself? With Christians getting tattoos, sending their children to public schools, not understanding the blessing of children (some can’t have children, but understand the blessing), men with long hair, etc. It seems the “trends” that were mentioned in the post should be the least of our worries.
Hi Sarah, thanks for your comment!
You wrote: “It seems that perhaps the “trend” that is actually being seen among these “sheep” is that they are looking to the Word and following the Shepherd. That would be the one direction we are supposed to be going. =)”
One of my concerns (removed from my original post for brevity’s sake) is that some in the church are elevating these choices (to reject higher education, be an entrepreneur, homesteading) as being “spiritual” choices, as if those who choose to go to college, work at a regular job, or live “on the grid” are somehow less faithful.
At face value, it sounds like this is what you are saying when you equate these choices with trending “away from the world” and suggest they are indicators of increasing faithfulness to the Lord.
What I am saying is that choosing to forego college, become an entrepreneur, or choosing to live in the country are not inferior choices, nor are they superior. They are matters of Christian liberty. My concern is that there is a trend toward these things among Christians and that certain choices such as these are starting to be viewed as superior in some circles when there is no obvious direct scriptural injunction to support their being viewed that way. On matters of Christian liberty, elevating either choice as even slightly more spiritual than the other is the road to legalism. Which we should all agree is to be avoided.
The only comparison I am making between Christians who choose to live in this way and those who suffered under Communism is that if this lifestyle is pursued en masse, the effect on society and the church could end up being the same. I obviously do not know how things will play out here and we will only know when we see what happens. None the less, I have some concerns, which are hopefully unwarranted.
As each Christian family seeks the Lord on these matters we must be careful lest we fall into the twin traps of legalism or antinomianism (living however we want). Our enemy may not care which we fall into.
Molly,
I am not here to argue or be “legalistic”. I am, however concerned with the conclusions of your original post. I understand that you put your “disclaimer” at the end: “I am NOT saying that skipping college, entrepreneurship, or homesteading is wrong for any particular family. These are all matters where the principles of Christian liberty apply.” If you truly believe this, why are you afraid of those who wish to live that way? Yes, afraid. Your post shows fear of those who are following a different path from the world.
I don’t know how you live, nor do you know how I live. Therefore, your conclusion that I would be elevating your observed “trends” to some “spiritual” status is uncalled for. As for a better interpretation of my comment that you took the wrong way, I defer to Lona’s comments below. She wrote more eloquently what I was thinking, especially looking to the fruits produced by those “sheep”.
Allow me to reiterate my comment: It seems that *perhaps* the “trend” that is actually being seen among these “sheep” is that they are looking to the Word and following the Shepherd. _That would be the one direction we are supposed to be going._ =)
Now, here is what I said: Look closely at the trends. Who are these people? What are they doing? Are they _sinning_?
Here is what I did not say: We should all go live uneducated lives in the country, cut off from all civilization, so we can be closer to God. Do some think this is the way to be spiritual? Of course! We are human and fail miserably at anything we try to do without God. Do I think this way? Not at all. I did not say that “trending away from the world” would indicate “increasing faithfulness to the Lord”. It would seem that God is saying that, James 4:4. But, I digress.
Yes, we should be careful to not fall into legalism or antinomianism. It seems that you are giving the devil a bit too much credit in these matters. The Lord is sovereign, not Satan. If people live one way and it is not God’s way for them, they will realize it eventually (Jonah comes to mind).
As an aside… Maybe you could help me understand something. In your comment above to Cindy, you seem concerned that there are fewer Christians with a degree or university education. Why is this to devastating to Christianity and our impact on society? Few of Jesus’ disciples were educated men. Did they not change the world?
Also, I asked, in my previous comment, your thoughts on those Christians who went into hiding at different times in history. What if the current trends (holier-than-thou-types excluded) are just pointing to another time in history where the Church goes into hiding? Or, as Sue put it in her comment, “we are seeing… a realignment of troops”.
It seems that it would be wise to be concerned with the obvious errors in the Church (I mentioned some of those things in my above post). Your post and comments use the words “could” and “may” in reference to your concerns with the current “trends”. Are we, as Christians, supposed to live in the “coulds” and “mays” of this life? Horrible things “could” happen today or tomorrow or 10 years from now. Jesus told us not to worry, Matt. 6:34. Anyway, let’s address the actual problems in the Church, not the supposed.
After all that, a thought just occurred to me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your ultimate concern is not that all the Christians move to the country, but that those Christians that do live that way are filled with *pride*. Example: “I live in the country, don’t go to college, and own my own business. Therefore, God loves me more than you.” (The “I” is an example only. I, myself, do not live nor think that way.)
This comment has gone on longer than I realized. I hope this clears the air on my original comment.
I think since you ladies are talking right past me, I must have done a very poor job of making my point. I’m not disputing the facts. I’m saying that self-selection for certain roles in life (rational) is not the same thing as self-persecution (highly irrational).
Also, by “you ladies”, I mean Natalie and Molly, not everybody. But that’s probably obvious. But I’m not very good at being clear today, so I thought I’d try harder. 😉
Maybe I still don’t get what you are saying, Cindy. Are you saying that it would be highly irrational to literally choose a course of persecuting ourselves? If so, I wasn’t saying that we were LITERALLY persecuting ourselves–just raising the issue that we might find ourselves–through our free choices–in the same situation that our persecuted brethren recently did through what was forced upon them. We obviously can’t know–it just makes me wonder if there is something else afoot.
I’m sorry if I misunderstood you or confused your point further ;-).
I agree that we need to be Bereans and follow Scripture rather than what other Christians are doing. It seems to me that Scripture is on the side of those who are not sending their children to colleges where they “will become like their teacher” and “walk with the ungodly” where “bad company will corrupt good morals.”
I don’t believe those unnamed leaders in this post are advocating Christians being uneducated or a return to monasticism. On the contrary, those I know of who are suggesting that many Christians should not be going to college are also strongly in favor of Christians being much better educated than those in the world. It is not necessary to go to college in order to get a superior education. I think Christians should refuse to send their children, and their money, to secular universities and colleges. Those who want or need a college degree have other options, such as online learning and Christian colleges (need to be sure those who claim the name teach the same.) I see many more Christians sending their kids to college because they’re following the world than I do Christians not sending their kids to college because they’re following Vision Forum, or another ministry that advocates alternative higher education. What do you think our universities would be like now if Christians had removed their children from those colleges 50 years ago? I suspect the universities would have changed to accommodate rather than have grown more and more anti-God.
As far as Christians influencing the culture, it takes about three seconds to come up with some highly influential Christians who did choose to move to a more agrarian lifestyle, for at least a season in their lives. Interestingly, one of those is R. C. Sproul, Jr, whose quote you used at the beginning of the post. Others are the Botkin family, the Wallers of Hayovel, the Bradrick family, the West girls. Would you consider the Duggars to be living a rural life-style? Where did God place Jesus and what kind of life did the early disciples lead?
Communist Hungary in the 1940s through 1980s had very little in common with the US in the 21st century. Being forced out of a culture is not the same as making a decision to make a tactical withdrawal to strengthen the troops and to “be not polluted by the world.” An agrarian lifestyle perfectly lends itself to raising children of character with good work ethics. The internet and other media outlets are nearly as available in the country as in the city. This makes positions of influence as possible from a farm in North Dakota as it is from New York City.
Who would be more influential–the accountant in the corporate world or the entrepreneur who starts an accounting firm and runs it on Christian principles? How about the reporter on the beat or the owner of the newspaper? The doctor or the businessman who builds a new kind of hospital that can actually make money while offering the highest standard of care? I know I’d rather my children are able to use their God-given talents as leaders than as just another cog-in-the-wheel college graduate.
It’s good to examine what our Christian leaders are teaching us. It’s good to be ready to think outside the box. It’s good to be wary of following “the sheep.” However, we need to be careful that our first question is “What sayeth the Scripture?” rather than “Can I think of a time in history that proves what the mainstream Christians are doing is right and the remnant is wrong.”
In my estimation, Scripture is on the side of those who have followed the paths of higher education outside of secular universities and lived rural lifestyles. I’m not saying a person is not a Christian if they go to their local state college. I’m not saying there should be no Christians in the city. I am saying it is scripturally sound to be doing what this blog post argues against. I am also saying–look at the fruit of those who have chosen this way of life versus those who have not.
Thank you, Lona. You are more eloquent than I. =)
Hi Lona, thanks for sharing your thoughts and concerns. It is a blessing to interact with people who have a passion for the Lord and for living faithfully for Him.
I think you have misunderstood what I was trying to say. Your comments on this post put many words in my mouth which I did not say and which I do not believe. It sounded like you read into the post a bunch of things that simply weren’t there.
When I say that entrepreneurship, not going to college, and living in the country are just as valid as the alternatives, I actually do mean that.
I don’t know what else I can say. There is no secret anti-entrepreneurship, pro-secular-university-for-all, anti-homesteading agenda behind what I have written.
I am very much pro-entrepreneurship, not all of my children will receive what in American culture is a “traditional” higher education experience, and some of them may go directly to be entrepreneurs themselves–in fact, our family already owns and operates two entrepreneurial businesses. I even live in a semi-rural environment and have no issue with my home-steading friends. I am hardly what anyone would call “mainstream”, and you and I are probably not very different when it comes to what we believe to be wise regarding these matters.
The point of the post regarding Hungary is just in raising the QUESTION (no conclusions were drawn) “could there be consequences we cannot foresee to an en masse movement toward these things in such a short time frame?” I think it is a good question to ask, especially when we can look back in history and see that our enemy has tried to get Christians as a whole group into these three states by force.
It was also an open question. I cannot possibly know the answer as I cannot say what our enemy may or may not be trying to do. I expect that for some, he is trying to get them to live in the wicked city, and study at a godless university, and work for “the man”. Who says he has the same tactics for us all?
I believe he will try to compromise many of us. Others he will try to marginalize. If someone wants to live on the land and eschew college and be an entrepreneur, great! I said there is liberty for that.
There should be equal liberty for the Christian who makes other choices on these issues, and equal respect for those choices if our godly brothers and sisters are making them soberly, before God, in accordance with how He is leading them. I would not say that “Scripture is on the side” of either of them. And I truly believe that God will use each of us within whatever sphere He places us for His glory.
It concerns me when people begin ascribing spiritual qualities to these externals. Yes, I am challenging those who think that homesteading, entrepreneurship, and skipping University are more spiritual choices–absolutely. But in doing that, I am NOT saying that it is UN-SPIRITUAL to do those things, or condemning other Christians’ choices, or suggesting that those choices are “of Satan” (as you wrote in your comment on Natalie’s post today http://visionarywomanhood.com/country-mouse-city-mouse-one/ ). That would also be ascribing spiritual value to external matters of Christian liberty.
In this post I am only questioning whether there could be long-term unforeseen ramifications if a massive group of Christians did all of these things. We should be able to raise questions like these, particularly when some Christians seem to suggest these are the only good options for the faithful.
I do know that the enemy is always working against us and I believe that it is fair to ask if he could be subtly attacking us by a method that we aren’t expecting.
I also did not mention any “unnamed leaders” in my post–because there were none to mention. I agree with Natalie–it isn’t typically the “leaders” who are pushing this on everyone, it is those who jump on the bandwagon and decide that this MUST be the most spiritual course for EVERYONE.
I hope these comments will shed light on my thoughts, and will not cause division. That would also delight our enemy.
Thank you for the clarification, Molly.
I try very hard to be fair to others and would never knowingly misconstrue another’s words. Can you tell me where I have put words in your mouth which you did not say?
It is good to question trends and the ideas of others. We’re supposed to test these things. We just need to be careful that we don’t go so far that we sway people against what are good, Scriptural ideas by the questions that we raise.
I’m not ascribing Scriptural qualities to the externals of eschewing college and living outside of the city. I don’t think Sarah was doing that, either. I do believe that there are many Scriptures which go against a SECULAR education. It is perfectly valid to search out the Scriptures to see what they say regarding our choices. That is a large part of our calling as Christians. We should make judgement calls based on our understanding of Scripture. This is not the same as ascribing Scriptural qualities to externals, nor is it the same as thinking oneself more spiritual than another.
I quoted your very words in my comment on “Country Mouse” as follows:
“In the end this trend may be the enemy playing on our fears and attacking us along the path of least resistance.
If he cannot compromise us, he will seek to marginalize us.
In this case he may have found a way to get many of us to marginalize ourselves.”
Did I misunderstand, yet again, that the above words you wrote are saying some people are making choices to pursue a different form of educaton or lifestyle because they are listening to Satan? I apologize if that’s the case. I’ve read them over again, and I still see that you are saying Satan may have found a way to get us to marginalize ourselves by not going to college. I’m sorry if I’m not reading clearly.
I, too, do not want to delight our enemy by causing division. I would be even more distressed to grieve my Lord by causing division. I offer my comments in the spirit of iron sharpening iron.
I hope you keep writing, keep questioning and keep searching out the Scriptures, Molly.
Adding Natalie’s insightful comments to the discussion…
http://visionarywomanhood.com/country-mouse-city-mouse-one/
John Piper says it well in his book, “Don’t Waste Your Life.”:
“(The Apostle) Paul never knew where the next blow would come from. Every day he risked his life for the cause of God. The roads weren’t safe. The rivers weren’t safe. His own people, the Jews, weren’t safe. The Gentiles weren’t safe. The cities weren’t safe. The wilderness wasn’t safe. The sea wasn’t safe. Even the so-called Christian brothers weren’t safe. Safety was a mirage. It didn’t exist for the apostle Paul.” (chapter five, page 85).
We will, as we live out our faith, take risks and face dangers. Our responsibility is to ask God, Himself, where and how He wants us to do this for Kingdom purposes. For some, His answer will be in the country or the home. For others, we will be asked to remain in the city or attend a secular university. The important thing to ask ourselves at every turn is this: “Am I making this particular move because I feel God’s leading through Scripture, wise counsel and prayer? Or, am I rather living out of fear?”
Our stations in life are a matter of Christian liberty, rather than “one-size-fits-all.” We need to be careful not to judge our brothers and sisters. Rather, let’s pray for each other, and urge each other to stick our necks out, according to God’s leading, for Kingdom purposes.
Molly, you’ve done a wonderful job of reminding us to make life’s choices based upon courageous steps of faith, rather than a mindset of fearful retreat. You’ve also represented God’s heart well, lovingly reminding us of the beautiful diversity of the Great Commission. Blessings to you, dear friend.
Thank you for chiming in, Lindsey, with bold, truthful, calming, gracious words. You have also understood Molly’s heart and intent, and I know that will encourage her.
All I can say is AMEN!
Thanks, Lindsey, for that encouragement! We love that book. We bought a huge case of them so we can give them away.
I also noticed the self-marginalization you are talking about in our community and have been questioning those choices myself. The limits being imposed on our young adults are huge.
My children have been homeschooled, chosen college and to delay marriage until their 20’s and most of their friends, with great support/pressure from their families have not. I have been condemned for “forcing my children away from home and away from God’s plan for women (in the home only).” Firstly, my children have been trained to take guidance but make their own choices. I can’t force my older teens to do anything, nor do I want to. I raised them to be strong in their beliefs and to do good in their world. They have the skills they need to pursue their own paths, whatever they may be. Secondly, in our experience, college gives you options. My college graduate can choose between acting, costume design or computer programming. My athlete college grad has options of newspaper reporting, refereeing, coaching, or working for a large or small business. That degree may not guarantee a huge income (though statistically college grads still earn more than high school grads), but it does offer more options, many more open doorways and the ability to change course midstream. My girls have the skills they need to support their partners whatever the future holds. So do my boys! Wherever they are led, having the option of working in the larger community puts them in the position to provide help for others rather than being the ones in need of community support. They have been tested and know they have the faith and strength they need for adult life. They are confident, thriving community members and strong witnesses for truth and love. Could they get there without college? Possibly. Did college facilitate this maturation? Absolutely.
The principles of courtship, early marriage, children as God gives them, and entrepreneurship and mentors from among the businessmen in the church are not really working out that well for my children’s friends in their mid-twenties. The principles sound great, but when you have 3 kids, no education, and no meaningful work it is hard to be in a position of witnessing to others. I see families who have thrived based on the efforts of 2 college-educated parents denying their children the education they need to function in this world and limiting their childrens’ potential professions despite their God-given drives and passions. If Christ comes next week they are set. If it’s another 50 years, the parents’ philosophical choices are condemning their children and grandchildren to poverty and hardship. There is a lot of control in having your adult children dependent on you for jobs, housing and food. But I have trouble believing that is the will of God for any of his children. I see it as a weakening of the church community. Not everyone has the constitution for an entrepreneur’s lifestyle. Entrepreneurs are driven. They need intense focus and drive, working long hours, mostly for little and irregular pay. This is not easy to do while focussing on your family and church as well. We lived this way for 19 years ourselves, enjoying the benefits of our life choices but it is not an easy walk and I wouldn’t suggest it to very many. A few hit it big financially, but it is an awful lot of pressure on our young people to say that they must all live their lives this way. You can’t really mentor someone into that position. Most of the young adults I have seen working in these businesses do menial jobs for a while then are encouraged to find a business of their own. After a couple of failed attempts to reproduce their mentor’s success while following explicitly the advice of the mentor, they bounce from one minimum wage job to another. These young men are not happy, feel unsuccessful, are unsure of themselves and depend on their parents to support their families while maintaining a brave face that God will provide despite their daily uncertainty. Yet, their church groups continue to express that this is what the young men should be doing–that this is the way to God’s will for you. The leaders of these church communities have credibility and influence in the community due to their jobs, education, and social status. Yet they are telling their children to make opposite life choices and expecting them to be even more influential. I am not seeing that pan out in my community and I don’t understand the strength and intensity of the position.
I can see your point Molly that controlling education and accessibility are great ways to marginalize and make irrelevant. I don’t understand why Christians, by their social teachings, would do that to themselves. There is nothing inherently spiritual about a rural life or a life of poverty. I’ve tried both! A spiritual life and spiritual influence comes through a relationship with God, which can happen wherever you are.
Whew! This was a great topic and had such good conversation to chew on.
Writing a blog post is so difficult because there are so many directions one can travel, and numerous issues that can’t be explained – otherwise our posts would be books! So thanks for tackling this topic, Molly.
I have wondered much of what you ‘wonder’ about during my years of raising and homeschooling my children. As you brought up, the “growing popularity of choices which could marginalize us and remove our gospel witness….may be the enemy playing on our fears and attacking us along the path of least resistance. If he cannot compromise us, he will seek to marginalize us.”
For the last twenty-plus years, our family has lived more rural, not gone to college, and practiced many homesteading ways. Much has been out of desire and a love for nature and creativity, but often we were drawn to it by a sense of protection and ‘sheep following’.
The answer is not to come up with a specific answer – but to ask ourselves questions. And lots of them. Why do we do what we do? Who are we seeking to protect – or please? What is the outcome after all is said and done?
And the quintessential question, “Are we glorifying God and seeking to advance HIs Kingdom?”, which is the only one that truly matters.
Thanks for stirring the pot!
Terry
I wasn’t going to make any more comments, since I seem to have made some rather confusing ones. =) Anyway, I just wanted to say that your comment is quite insightful and appreciated.
Thank you. =)
Molly, I think it is a very pertinent and worthy question that you have raised for Christ’s church to consider and beware. Your article was clear and did not condemn any choices that an individual Christian would make in terms of college, jobs, rural living vs. city living, etc., but I heartily agree that it is a red flag when Christians turn choices of Christian liberty into matters of biblical obedience and grade such external choices on a scale of holiness. While both situations can be equally glorifying to God, it is no more holy and biblical for a Christian to raise a family of budding entrepreneurs on a farm while forgoing higher education than it is for a Christian to pursue higher degrees and have a corporate job while living in the city! We need Christians in every sphere, as God calls them, to witness to the men and women in academia and the work force who desperately need Christ! Just to name a few, some very influential Christians were also highly educated and were/have been able to witness to the intelligentsia in a poignant and unique way; Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharias.
I loved the thoughts of this article, and I can see clearly in your comments that you have clarified this “trend” and that there are exceptions to the rule. But I do have to share our current viewpoint from where we are now and how your line of thinking,and those who share it, has really been very hard on us as of late. There are many, MANY, in my church (myself included for many years until God’s current call on our lives) that believe all of what you just said with no exception. But have now turned on us in our current decisions stating the same facts that you mentioned, saying we are “not going to be a great influence for Christ in that rural community” and that we are “just looking after our family and not others needs for Christ”. I can see where they are coming from, but it’s that type of thinking and those generalities that have made our move very painful, and have left us feeling extremely judged, and looked down upon in our Christian circles. You see my husband and I live in Orange county California, and for those who don’t know, its a HUGELY populated area (3.09 million to be exact). We have a decent sized house, in a decent neighborhood, but in a bad area that needs Christ (GREAT influence material!). But God’s specific call on our lives for the last few years has been adoption. We simply cannot afford to continue adopting while living here. The average house price here, even in our tough neighborhood is over $500,000, and Christians who donate to adoption fundraising are FEW and FAR between. So it falls on us to support our own adoptions. Foster care? We tried. We now don’t qualify because we have a whopping 4 kids, and because of parenting and biblical choices (California isn’t very friendly to our way of raising children). Also, we have become very close with our sons biological family that lives a few hours away and we drive up there to visit them (his birth momma is dying of MS and his bio sister and boyfriend and just so precious to us and we go up to visit all three of them as often as we can), we also help them financially as they are very poor. We also help others as often as we can. My husband also has a broken back that has metal plates and screws in it and is often in a lot of pain, but he works hard long hours to afford to “live in the city” so we can be “such a great influence on all of society”. But lately God has changed our thinking on that and clarified that he has NOT called us to influence a WHOLE society, or even a whole city. He has called us to influence the people he has placed in our lives and care for the helpless, the poor, the widow and orphan. That way of thinking has led us to pray about selling our expensive house and moving to a rural area so that we can afford to help more than we are now. From what we can make from our house, we can A)buy a house with cash in the country, B)pay off all our adoption debt (which is crushing by the way), C) moving my older, atheist father in with us so we can spend the last years of his life with him, loving him, enjoying him, and preaching the gospel to him., D) continue to help with the care of our sons birth momma and her family, E)give my husband a break from the long hard hours of work here and enable him to take a year off to rest his back, heal, and spend time with our kids. F) and adopt again, as often as the LORD calls us. But nobody wants to hear that. They just look at us, leaving the city, and moving away to the country, abandoning our great influence here. But we see our influence on the young couple we are mentoring, (who will one day come live with us for sure), and our children, and the orphans who need a home, and my sick unbelieving father as JUST as worthy of a cause and just as deserving of our influence and love. In closing I will say, that while I get what you’re saying, your way of thinking is more prevalent that you might think, and it is very hard to be the people moving to a rural area, and not seeking out college for our kids when people think that way without thinking outside the box on what God might be calling others to be doing, and why. Again, I just wanted to say all this, maybe, just maybe, to speak in kindness to some who may read this and “think” that they are being told AGAIN that what they are doing is not biblical or influential. But I know what God is doing in our family. I appreciate your take, and I don’t disagree, but I really just believe more and more as I age, that God’s call on His people is SO individual and personal to the influence he wants that person to have.
Oh, Valerie. My heart goes out to you and you are NOT alone. My family is in a very similar place to yours. We’ve adopted seven special needs children and simply can’t afford to live in the city. We moved to the country and our influence for Christ is multiplied. You are in God’s will and there are many of us who understand that. God bless you.
Dear Valerie,
Reading your reply made me feel so sad! I hate the thought that my post came across as supporting those who have judged you. I couldn’t disagree with them more!
In writing this post, I wanted to shed light on a possibility that a vast movement of Christians to go “off grid” and remove themselves from any workplace other than home businesses could have negative, unforeseen consequences. But I hope I made it clear in the post–and I believe I made it clear in my comments–that every Christian family should be free and have the liberty to make the decision that is best for them, in their circumstances, according to God’s leading.
You have listed many very valid reasons for making these moves–and I applaud your heart and what you are doing. I just don’t like seeing people encouraged to do all of these things because they are somehow “the holiest choice” or a knee-jerk reaction to all that is going on around us. Moving to the country to save money makes a lot more sense to me than doing it because “a rural lifestyle is holier”, which is the type of thinking I wrote my post to speak against.
I have an entire audio podcast of about an hour in length on the topic of “A Mother’s Multi-generational Vision”, in which I argue that if a mother has no other ministry to speak of other than to her children that she can be used mightily by God. I would be happy to send it to you if you are interested, perhaps it would be of some encouragement.
I, myself, just adopted a baby from China last month, and I believe (and have written extensively on other websites) that adoption is a means of fulfilling the Great Commission and a wonderful and very important ministry. I also believe there is no ministry more important in a woman’s life than the one she has to her family–husband, children, and extended family. That ministry can take place equally well in the city or the country.
By saying we may be marginalizing ourselves if a large swath of our body moves to rural areas I did NOT mean to indicate that any individual Christian’s witness or ministry is marginalized by doing so. I am sorry if the brevity necessitated by this format gave that impression to anyone–that is not what I believe.
Each of us can be used by God for His glory in whatever sphere he calls us to, be it the country or the city, be it the workplace or the home business.
It sounds to me like you have many avenues of fruitful witness. I dare not tell you what to do regarding your church except to pray whether the Lord would have you potentially seek other options for worship and fellowship when you move.
Dear Valerie,
Wow. It sounds like you all have a tough road to travel. Praise the Lord that you are willing to follow His leading! Praying for you and your family. =)
Molly, congratulations on your adoption! =)
Hi Lona,
I appreciate your gracious tone in your last reply to me. Thank you for that and for seeking to understand what I was trying to say.
I was not saying that all Christians who forego college (or all the rest) are “listening to Satan”. That would be crazy…how could I know?
But can individual Christians and even groups of Christians possibly be deceived by Satan on issues? Yes, they can. There have been many divisions in the church over doctrine and since all cannot be right, some of us must be in error.
So, yes, Christians can be deceived into error. We stand on dangerous ground if we do not recognize that and question our motives and make sure that our actions line up with Scripture.
Just to be clear, I think Christians can be deceived no matter WHERE they fall on these issues. And I do not personally believe that every Christian family who is living off grid, eschewing college, and working as an entrepreneur is deceived–I want to make that very clear! I don’t even know whether ANY Christian family in those circumstances is deceived–and it is not my place to know or to judge that.
In my post I used words like “could”, “may”, and “perhaps” liberally, since I was aiming to get people thinking and asking questions, rather than making judgments and pronouncements.
One last thing…you wrote, “We just need to be careful that we don’t go so far that we sway people against what are good, Scriptural ideas by the questions that we raise.”
I disagree. If our principles are truly scriptural and truly sound, they will hold up under the light of scrutiny.
Feel free to reply with your thoughts, but I think I’ll have to leave it here for now. I am a busy mom of many, as I believe you seem to be as well. I wanted to “stir the pot” with this post but I had no idea it would keep me “in the kitchen” for three days now.
Hi Molly, I read this post when it was first published and thought about it quite a bit before having a moment to pop back and add my thoughts. I thought your post raised lots of challenging issues that we have to wrestle with and, judging from the comments, that’s exactly what happened here! Reminds me of “The Sneetches”! My thought was this: Christians, like all other humans, dislike having to step out on our own. It is so VERY much more comfortable in a crowd! And so there is this temptation to step out of one box into another. Have to step out of the public school box? Here! Hop into this comfy homeschool/coop-on-Friday box…oh, by the way, it’s the bread-making box too. And I feel it in myself….I have my bible-study-friend box and my churchgoing-Christian children-box for my kids. But we have to fight these, in that the moment they get our allegiance, there’s something blocking our view of Christ. Sometimes, too, I think it’s a useful thing for us Christians to feel criticism and judgement from those Christians a little more conservative in their tastes/convictions. We can so quickly brush off those who, say, ‘feel’ judged because we’re wearing a more modest blouse–well, we think, I’m just wearing what I wear and I’m sorry you feel convicted. Until we feel excluded from the circle of skirt-only ladies….they are SO legalistic! Etc. I thought your article presented some issues that we should all wrestle with. OFTEN. Bravo.
Thank you again Molly for clarifying and being so gracious and supportive. We do love our church genuinely. And our friends here mean so much to us. We have a few who know our hearts and our witness and our plans, and they support us and we are just being content with that. But the accusations have been painful. I know you never meant to add to that I am grateful for your kindness and support. May He bless you.
I’m a little late on this conversation, but I’ll weigh in anyway.
Since everyone in this conversation agrees we ought to get our instructions from Scripture, I’d like to suggest Jeremiah 29:4-9. Jeremiah, the prophet, is writing to the exiles in Babylon with specific commands from God. God is telling them, through Jeremiah, to settle down in the city of Babylon, build houses, plant gardens, produce plenty of kids and grandkids, seek the peace and prosperity of the city where God had “put them” and pray for it. It sounds like God was telling his people to engage, not disengage. Disengage was what the false prophets were telling people to do. God said they were lying in His name. He adds, “I have not sent them.”
Now, lets move on to Daniel, Chapters 1-6. Here we have an inspired account of a few of the people who took Jeremiah’s words seriously: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These young men were inducted into the Babylonian regime’s training program (state university) complete with training in all the language and literature of the Babylonians. (This was bad stuff like immoral and creepy myths, magic, astrology, etc.). They didn’t turn away from this opportunity. They embraced it. Obviously, their parents (or somebody) had trained them so well ahead of time that they were strong in faith, smart, outspoken and counter-culture (in a good way). Right off the bat, they took their stand not to defile themselves, and at graduation, they were declared by Nebuchadnezzar himself to be ten times better in wisdom and understanding than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. With a reference like that and the benefit of their state education, they were taken into the king’s service, where they were able to showcase the glory of the true God. This put Daniel in the loop to interpret the King’s dreams, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the loop to get rescued in the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the unusual situation of sleeping with lions. In each case, the king of the world’s super-power proclaimed the attributes of the biblical God to his whole kingdom, and gave liberty to God’s people to proclaim them too. This is only one Old Testament example of God reaching out to people outside the Jewish community. These men were granted places of leadership in a pagan culture and they fulfilled their God-given destinies with courage and excellence. They lived lives of both influence and suffering. There were some things that were mainstream about them and at the same time there was nothing that was mainstream about them!
As Christians, we have an apparent paradox here. The Bible says, “Love not the world, neither the things in the world” (I John 2:15-17) and “Come out and be separate from them (II Corinthians 6:17). It also says, God loved the world so much that He sent His Son into it (John 3:16), and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We understand apparent paradoxes when we read our Bibles more, use it’s words in our discussion, and work together to get the bigger picture.