Rebuilding Christian Civilization

Theology and Culture

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Christian Civilization

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2014-08-17

Synopsis: John Weaver argues that cultural change is always preceded by theological change. Using 2 Timothy 2 and 1 Timothy 1, he contends that Christians are in a spiritual war and that a society's values, ethics, and institutions reflect its underlying theology. He traces America's decline from a biblically grounded culture to its current state, citing the Reformation's positive impact and the negative consequences of theological shifts in the North before the War of Northern Aggression. Weaver insists that only a return to sound doctrine and its application can restore a godly culture.

[John Weaver] I want you to open your Bibles tonight, if you would please, to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. I'm not going to be expounding this passage, but however, I'm going to use it for an opportunity to declare a single point tonight. I don't know if any of you ever got to hear Dr. Rush Dooney preach. Anybody get to hear Dr. Rush Dooney preach? Rush and I have been friends for many times. And many years and he was in our church and I was out there and he was in our home and I was in their home. And it's just unbelievable to hear the man preach. Now, I'm a little different than he is because he hardly ever preached over 20 minutes, 30 at the most. He was monotone. But I have seen teenagers and little kids as well as adults.

[John Weaver] on the edge of the pew, holding on to absolutely every word. He had so much knowledge and could say so much in such a short period of time. It was unbelievable. But usually what he did in his preaching, he would take one point and just simply drive it home. And so that's what I want to do tonight. I want to just take one thought and push it home, and I hope Those of you that were here for the entire conference, listening to all the preachers together, I want this point to be driven home, and I want to try to tie it together for you.

[John Weaver] So look in 2 Timothy 2, beginning there with verse 1. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, and he says, Therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Know, man, that warreth and tangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is not crowned, except he strive lawfully." Now, notice if you would how the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to teach that which had been committed unto him to faithful men. He tells him to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And he says if you're really warring, you're not really going to entangle yourself with the affairs of this life, in order that you may please him who called him and chose him to be a soldier.

[John Weaver] The point I want to begin, is what I emphasized this morning, is that we are at war. Now that may surprise some individuals. But the truth of the matter is, we have been at war. We are at war. and we will continue to be at war. It was Solomon who wisely said in Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 8 that there is no discharge in that war. If you're a Christian, you're personally involved in a war whether you realize it or not. Your culture, your life, and your society, believe it or not, are involved in a war. And your culture and your society, believe it or not, is being deliberately undermined and destroyed. Revolutions are being continually planned and fomented and executed against God, His Word, and the Christian faith.

[John Weaver] And the sad thing is, most Christians are totally unaware of what is going on. In fact, most Christians are absolutely AWOL, that is, they are away without leave. They've deserted the ranks of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they simply decided they're going to sit very comfortably at home watching their TV sets and their ball games. I never will forget years ago, Pastor Bob McCurry called me and he said, John, he said, I have figured out a way to get thousands of men up in arms marching on Washington, D.C., ready to fire, ready to fight. I said, what?

[John Weaver] You need to tell me about this." Well, he said, it's very simple. He said, no one gets upset over abortion anymore. No one gets upset over Sodom anymore or the corruption that's going on in this country. He said, that's very simple.

[John Weaver] Now, he said, my plan is this. If we can just get Congress to pass a law that will ban all balls of any shape or size. He said, men will be in arms marching against Washington, D.C. within 24 hours. Now you just stop and think about that. You do away with golf, and basketball, and football, and baseball, and folks are going to be very, very upset.

[John Weaver] You have to ask yourself this question. Are things wrong in our society? Have our values, have our ethics, and our morality changed in your lifetime? If they changed, why did they change, and how did they change? What happened to our Christian culture? You know, it kind of seems as if everything changed overnight. At least it seemed that way with me. I was raised one way and all of a sudden everything is totally different. It almost seems as if we went to sleep at night and all was well and we woke up the next morning and society had changed for the worse and was heading to hell as quickly as it could travel. So why in the world has our culture changed?

[John Weaver] Do you realize anyone over 60, and there are some in this room, but anyone over 60 understands that our culture that we enjoyed as young people no longer exists. Anyone over 60 remembers a society that had a little more moral balance, at least when most country folks could quote the Ten Commandments. We remember when deals were sealed with a handshake. We remember when a man's word was his bond. We remember when divorce was uncommon and most children had a father and a mother. We remember when ladies dressed modestly and men were gentlemen. We remember when you did not have to guess at the sex of an individual whether or not he was a man or a woman. We remember when ladies dressed like ladies and men looked like men. We remember when teenagers and young children said yes sir and no sir and yes ma'am and no ma'am not only to their parents but also to other adults as well. We remember when children could sit quietly while adults talked and visited. We remember when the father was the head of the house and when father and mother joined together in the discipline of the children.

[John Weaver] We remember when a lot of children wanted to do that which was right and obey their parents and honor the Lord. But you look around today in our society and our culture is not like that. Our culture has changed. And for the most part, most people do not understand how it changed or why it changed. And they just simply say this, well, things are different now. Well, things are different now. But why? The title of this message is Theology and Culture. I want you to understand something. Our culture, our society has changed because our theology has changed. You're going to hear me say this probably 100 times tonight. So you might as well get used to it and you might as well underline it in your mind. Here it is.

[John Weaver] A theological change must precede a cultural change. Let me say this another way. You cannot have a change in culture unless you have a change in theology. If your theology changes for the better, then your culture and society is going to change for the better. If your theology changes for the worse, then your culture and society are going to be for the worse as well. It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy. It's very interesting. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, beginning there with verse 3, 1 Timothy 1 verse 3, Paul writes Timothy and he says this, As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach nor the doctrine.

[John Weaver] Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying, which is in faith so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Now, the interesting thing is this, when Paul says in verse 5, now the end of the commandment is, what commandment? You haven't read the word commandment in this passage. He says this is the end of the commandment. What commandment is he talking about?

[John Weaver] Well, let me point it out for you. If you look in verse 3, The Apostle Paul said, And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine. The word charge there is the Greek word perigaleos, which literally means a charge or a command. So he says, Timothy, I want you to command some that they teach no other doctrine. You command them that they teach only sound doctrine. Now, when you skip down to verse 5, he says this, now the end of the commandment, what commandment? The one that he gave in verse 3, the commandment to preach only sound doctrine. The end of that commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of good conscience and a faith unfeigned.

[John Weaver] Underline this in your mind, it is only a godly people that can produce a godly culture. It is only people with a sound theology that can produce a culture that will honor and glorify God.

[John Weaver] Now here is something that may be almost impossible for you to believe, but it is absolutely true. Believe it or not, our country, the United States of America, used to send missionaries and our foreign aid was tied to the gospel. If foreign countries wanted our financial help, they had to receive our missionaries. If they refused and rejected our missionaries, they did not get any help. In other words, our foreign policy was tied to foreign missions. Bluntly stated, let me put it like this, America used to send missionaries And now we send armies. We used to endeavor to change countries through the gospel. Now we seek to change countries by force and exploit their resources. There was a time in our country when those who were in government understood that you could not have a change in culture without having a change in theology.

[John Weaver] Some of you will remember a number of years back there was a movie made that was entitled Black Hawk Down. It was a story of 123 elite United States soldiers that had been dropped in Somalia in order to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord. And there, after they got on the ground, they met a horrendous force of Somalis who were heavily armed. they were there it was known as the battle of Mogadishu and they were going there to capture Adid and at least one or two of his lieutenants now that movie came on TV I don't know years I guess after it was made and at that time we had a TV and I decided I'd watch it and I did and I really was not that impressed although there was a lot of fighting in it but about a year or so after that the movie came back on. And I decided that I would watch it again.

[John Weaver] And I was thoroughly and completely glad that I did. Because I saw something in that movie that I had missed the first time. A lot of those black helicopters, or a number of them, were shot down. Most of the pilots were killed. One was not. He was captured. And he was beaten viciously. And he was tied up, sitting up against the wall, and you could see all the black eyes and the cuts and the abrasions. And one of Hadid's warlords was just simply harassing him and haranguing him.

[John Weaver] And here is what he said. Now, I do not remember the first words exactly. I do remember the latter words exactly. But he said to that American pilot this. He said, you stupid Americans. You think you can come over here and change us. You think you can come over here and force your democracy down our throats. You think you can come over here and stop us from killing when killing has been a way of life for a thousand years. Whoa.

[John Weaver] What did he just say? When killing has been a way of life for us, for a thousand years. So let me ask you this question. Why was killing a way of life for the Somalis? The answer is because of their paganism and their wicked rebellion and their lack of a true biblical theology. Do you realize you cannot change a culture by force, by foreign aid, by politics, by diplomacy or being Mr. Nice Guy or Mr. Bad Guy. The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. If there is not a change in theology, there is not going to be a change in culture. If you want to improve a society, if you want to improve a culture, you must make and you must understand that the Word of God must have priority and that the Word of God must be taught and apply. Now, on the other hand, if you wish to destroy a culture, if you want to destroy a society, then all you have to do is simply deny and denigrate and disparage the teaching and the application of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] And if you don't believe that, just look what has happened to America. It's very simple. Have you ever asked yourself, why in the world did the Marxists, the socialists and the communists set their sights upon our seminaries and our churches? The answer is they knew that they could not capture a culture or society that held tenaciously to the word of God. The Word of God must be taken away, the principles must be taken away, if Marxism is going to succeed.

[John Weaver] It was Karl Marx himself who said that a people removed from their history are easily persuaded. But you know that same thing is true in regard to a people who are ignorant of the Word of God. A people who have not the truth or the knowledge of God, they're easily and quickly led into isms and schisms and cults and deception. An example of a wrong and pagan view of God is clearly demonstrated for us in the country of India. I want you to stop and think about India just for a moment. I want you to think about the thousands upon thousands of people that are absolutely destitute. I want you to think about the caste system. Do you realize that America has literally sent billions of dollars to India? Not necessarily in Federal Reserve notes, although I know they've gotten that, but we've sent wheat, we've sent grain, we've sent food, And do you realize those people are still poor and they're still starving?

[John Weaver] Have you ever wondered why? Well, let me tell you why. Because in India, the people there worship rats and cows. I have a video. Where you can see Indian women giving a bowl of fresh milk to great big old wharf rats. And as the wharf rats are eating the milk, the women are bowing down before them and praying to them. You look at the grain that they store, the rats go in, the cows go in and eat and defecate, germs are everywhere. Why?

[John Weaver] Because of their theology of reincarnation. Just stop and think about it. They're not going to kill a rat. It might be their ancestor, or it might be someone else that they know and they love. And do you realize all of the millions of Federal Reserve notes and all the millions of food that have been sent to India has not changed them one iota. The caste system is still there. The people are still poor and still dying, and let me tell you, I don't care how poor India is. I don't care how bad China is. I don't care how bad Africa is. You will never change any country, any nation, any culture without a change in theology.

[John Weaver] Do you understand America became great because of the grace of God and the Word of God? Our forefathers happened to believe the Word of God. They not only believed it, they applied it and they obeyed it in every area of their lives. And consequently, what has happened today, we've basically lost everything that they've given us. You know, the psalmist asked a question in Psalm 11 and verse 3. The psalmist asked there, if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? And practically speaking, the foundations have been destroyed in this country, and they are being destroyed. Isaiah is the man who gives the answer to that question. Isaiah is the man who tells us that unless there is repentance and a return to God in His Word, there will not be any restoration. But he also tells us if we repent and turn back to God, yes, there is a restoration.

[John Weaver] In Isaiah chapter 15 in verse 12 he said this, And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, and thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. Isn't that amazing? If we repent and come back, we shall build upon the old waste places. We shall raise up the foundations of many generations. We'll be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths of dwelling."

[John Weaver] I do not necessarily endorse Bill Bennett, but I heard him say on a talk show that America has become the kind of country that we used to send missionaries to. There is a missionary friend of mine in Peru, and the pastor of the church in Peru has just left that church so he can come as a missionary to America.

[John Weaver] Now, why has our culture changed? And the answer is because our theology has changed. Theology and culture go together. I told you the title of the message was Theology and Culture. You know that theology is the knowledge of the doctrine of God. Theology is the study of God, what we believe about Him, who He is, His attributes, His worship, and His word. Culture is merely theology in action. in his religion, externalized. Do you realize you actually work out that which you really genuinely believe?

[John Weaver] In Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 7, the Bible says, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. David said in Psalm 116 and verse 10, I believed, therefore have I spoken. It's not just that you speak what you believe, you act out what you believe. And you may tell me that you believe one thing with your mouth, but your actions will belie you. Your actions will show that you really don't believe that, because if you really genuinely believed it, you would act differently.

[John Weaver] It was Martin Luther, the reformer, who said this. There are only two men in the world. Christ and Adam. And everyone else hangs from their girdles. What did he mean by that? You're either a Christian or you're a humanist. You're either in Christ and redeemed and are different or you're in Adam and you're lost. It has been said another way, you're either a follower of John Calvin or Jean-Jacques Rousseau. What does that mean? It means you're either a Christian or you're a humanist. It's always then said another way as well. You're either a covenant keeper or a covenant breaker. You're either Christian or you're a humanist.

[John Weaver] Do you realize that Western culture, and particularly American culture, was based upon the Word of God? We were called a Christian nation not because everyone in this nation was a Christian, But we were called a Christian nation because our nation was originally set up and we originally followed the principles in the Word of God. The precepts of God ruled our government and our actions and our thought. Now, have you ever stopped to think, well, how is it that our country was initially set up with biblical principles? Well, you have to understand One of the greatest illustrations of theology and culture can be seen in the Reformation.

[John Weaver] Europe was experiencing that which was known as the Dark Ages, and usually they say the Dark Ages lasted anywhere from 800 to 1500. It was ignorance, darkness, illiteracy, degeneracy, all of these things permeated during those years. The Bible was a suppressed book. Even some of the classical literature was suppressed at all. You did not read the Bible. The Bible was not even available to you. And do you realize if you were caught with a Bible or what we would call religious literature, or even if you were caught with classical literature, That was enough evidence to prove that you were either a witch or a wizard or a necromancer, and usually the Roman Catholic Church saw to it that

[John Weaver] you were burned at the stake. Well, in the providence of God, God raised up men like Martin Luther and John Calvin and Urich Zwingli and Gutenberg. But it was John Calvin, particularly, that created the patterns of thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period. American culture, in particular, was thoroughly Calvinistic in some form or another, and at the heart of the way Americans think and act, and especially originally, you will find the handprint of John Calvin. It was the doctrines of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, the sovereignty of God, and the final authority of the Word of God that created what you and I would call a cultural reformation.

[John Weaver] Now, ask yourself, why did things change from medieval Europe to modern Europe? Well, the answer is this. Christians began to realize that all of their cultural activity was indeed part of their service to God in life. They began to realize, look, you don't have to go into a monastery or a nunnery to be holy. You don't even have to be in the clergy, quote unquote, to be holy and to be right. They began to realize, for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. No, no, no. You can't divide life like that. For the child of God, everything is sacred. And they began to understand that their normal, everyday occupations, and everything that they did every day, was a way that they could worship God and honor God, and they began to emphasize that everything was to be done for the honor and glory of God.

[John Weaver] Regardless whether you were a ditch digger or a preacher, it didn't really matter. Such thinking changed the outlook of individuals. It was the Reformation that completely and totally altered the medieval way of life in Western Europe. It had an impact not only upon European history, but our history as well. Because it was those Europeans who came to America that had been permeated with such biblical truth, and they had the principles in their lives, and it was those principles that undergirded our culture and our nation. And consequently, humanists have been attacking those principles ever since.

[John Weaver] Now let me just go a little bit further. I want you to think about theology and culture. There was another breach made in our country when one section of the country sought to destroy another section of the country. One of the most vicious attacks upon our Christian culture came before and during the War of Northern Aggression, sometimes called the Civil War. It was not a civil war. The Civil War really and truly is a war between one people. The War of Northern Aggression, sometimes called Lincoln's War Against All Christian States, was a war against the Southern Nation because the South had lawfully and legally seceded. So you had the Northern Nation and you had the Southern Nation. When you think about this war from 1861 to 1865, you can buy book after book on all of the aspects of that war. I've got 15 messages entitled where we are and how we got here concerning that war. I deal with economics of that war, I deal with the politics of that, I deal with all of that.

[John Weaver] But there's another message I deal with, and that is the theological aspect of that war. Do you realize most people have never ever looked at that war in a theological framework? C. Greg Singer, in his book, A Theological Interpretation of American History, said this, listen carefully. After 1830, there was a growing philosophical and theological cleavage between the North and the South. While the North was becoming increasingly subject to radical influences, the South was becoming increasingly conservative in its outlook.

[John Weaver] Now, let me translate that for you. That means the North was consistently becoming more and more humanistic, while the South was becoming more and more biblical. You know, the South has often been referred to as the Bible Belt. That was not given to us as a compliment. That is what the North referred to to the South as being the Bible Belt in a form of derision because the North considered themselves more rational and more enlightened and they were above believing such fairy tales as concern in the Bible. So the term Bible Belt was set to the South as a derision and as a mockery.

[John Weaver] It was James Henley Thornwell, Presbyterian author and theologian and pastor who said it very plainly. I want you to listen. Thornwell did not die until 1862, a year after the war had started. Here's what he said concerning the war. The parties involved in this conflict are not merely abolitionists and slaveholders. They are atheists, socialists, communists, red republicans, and Jacobins on the one side, that's the north, and the friends of order and regulated freedom on the other, that's the south, In one word, the world is the battleground, Christianity and atheism are the combatants, and the progress of humanity is at stake. So here's Thornwell, he's saying, look, there's a religious aspect to this war. There's a theological aspect to it. A very clear understanding of the connection between theology and culture can be seen in the War of Northern Aggression. Many people have never perceived the consequences of a changing theology upon our culture. If you want to know when we lost our Republic, if you want to know when we lost our Constitution, if you want to know when we became an empire, just study the War of Northern Aggression, and you're going to find that everything changed at that particular time.

[John Weaver] You see, the North as a whole rejected biblical Christianity. They rejected the Bible. They went for what you and I would call rationalism, transcendentalism, and Unitarianism. And the elitist of those days were much like the elitist of our days who despised and refused anything that was biblical. Now, when I say that the North was mainly Unitarian and Transcendentalist and Rationalist, that does not mean that there were no Christians in the North. Surely there were Christians in the North. In fact, there were a lot of people in the North that totally sympathized with the South and held Southern ideals.

[John Weaver] And the Northern humanists then referred to them as Copperheads. In fact, I have a Northern friend in Wisconsin who portrays himself as a Union chaplain and on his tent he flies the stars and bars and down at the bottom of the tent is a picture of a copperhead snake because he is saying I understand and I sympathize with the South.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to see something. I want you to understand that here our country was divided. There is a book that I have often recommended. In fact, I quote a lot from that book in this series where we are and how we got here. The book is entitled Broken Nation, Broken Churches by C.C. Goen. It is an absolutely fabulous book. And he shows, listen carefully, how our churches became broken and divided before the Union became broken and divided.

[John Weaver] Now, it may surprise you to learn that before the mid-1800s, there were no Southern Baptists. There were no Northern Baptists. There were no American Baptists. There were no Independent Baptists. They were just Baptists. It may surprise you to learn also, likewise, there were no United Methodists. There were no Southern Methodists. There were no Independent Methodists. They were just Methodists. Likewise, there was no United Presbyterian Church. There was no Associate Reform Presbyterian Church. There was no Free Presbyterian Church. They were just Presbyterians.

[John Weaver] Did you know that a division came into all the major denominations because of theological change. And that theological change was related to northern rationalism and humanism. Because the North was basically trying to force their theology upon the South. And when you examine the theology of the North and you see the theology of the South, that they were at opposite poles, Very obviously, you're going to see that culture is nothing more than religion externalized.

[John Weaver] Now, the Presbyterians were the first to divide. Believe it or not, the Presbyterians divided in 1837, and then they divided again in 1857. The division was between the old lights and the new lights. And although there were some doctrinal differences, abolitionism is that which figured greatly in their divisions. And abolitionism was just simply trying to push the abolition of slavery by any means whatsoever. Take a gun, go down and kill all the Southerners, release the slaves.

[John Weaver] I mean, they didn't care. There were different kinds of abolitionism. But do you realize the Methodists then split in 1844. and the Baptist split in 1845. So that's when Southern Baptists became Southern Baptists in 1845. Churches began to split, and soon the nation was torn in two as well. So you have to ask, what happened? Well, there was a change in theology, and consequently, there was a change in culture.

[John Weaver] It was Thornwell and Singer who pointed out that when the North wanted to force its theological perspective upon the South, it not only led to denominational divisions, it led to civil and political divisions as well. Now, everyone in this room knows about Charles Hodge. Charles Hodge was the great Presbyterian teacher, preacher, but you know what Charles Hodge did? He blamed the division, not only in the churches, but in this country, upon the abolitionists. He said this, their stigmatizing of slavery as a sin and a crime must operate to produce the disunion of the states and the division of all ecclesiastical societies. We shall become two nations in feeling, which must soon render us two nations in fact." William S. Plummer, another Presbyterian pastor, theologian and author, said this right before the Presbyterian split in 1837.

[John Weaver] Listen to what he said. Should the assembly legislate and decide that slaveholding is a sin, The southern churches would all feel themselves instructed by the Apostle Paul to withdraw from such, according to 1 Timothy 6 and verse 5. Thus our church would be rent asunder. Then nothing left except to rim the star-spangled banner in twain. Soon the hostile forces will be marshaled against each other and the Potomac will be dyed with blood.

[John Weaver] Can it be that the righteous judge of all the earth has so dreadful a controversy with the Presbyterian Church of the United States as to give her up to the folly and madness of being the first to hoist the gate and let the flood of destruction roll in? What is he saying? You have a division in the church, now there's going to be a division in the union. He said pretty soon the Potomac is going to be filled with blood. That was 1837. He saw exactly what was going to happen. James Henley Thornwell, known as the Calhoun of the Southern Church, said it like this in 1851. He said, we are solemn and earnest, not only because we deplore a schism in the body of Christ, but because we deplore a schism among the confederate states of this union.

[John Weaver] We declare our deliberate conviction that the continued agitation of slavery must sooner or later shiver this government into atoms. If slavery be indeed consistent with the Bible, their responsibility is tremendous who, in obedience to blind impulses and visionary theories, pull down the fairest fabric of government the world has ever seen, rim the body of Christ in sunder, and dethrone the Savior in His own kingdom. Or our country, our Bible, our interests on earth, and our hopes for heaven to be sacrificed on the altars of such fierce fanaticism. Slavery is implicated in every fiber of Southern society.

[John Weaver] It is with us a vital question, and it is because we know that interference with it cannot and will not be much longer endured, we raise our warning voice. Listen, we would save the country if we could. That was 1857. He says the country is going to be destroyed. You see, all the theologians and pastors of that day understood that whenever you had a change in theology, you had a change in culture. They also understood that it would result in a change in government as well. Because when theology changes, culture changes. The schisms, the divisions, and war, and the loss of our Republic and our Constitution all came about because of a change in theology. You cannot change a culture unless you change its theology. And that change will be either for the better or for the worse.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to stop and think with me just for a moment. about some of the major changes that have come across in our country. You may not know all about the War of Northern Aggression, and that's fine. But just stop and think about some things today. First of all, I want you to consider the outrage of abortion. Do you realize in our modern society, abortion is just simply another form of birth control? That's how most people view it.

[John Weaver] It's no longer viewed as murder. No, it's just simply another form of birth control. It's no longer considered murder. Why has this happened? Well, there was an abandonment of the cultural mandate, the First Great Commission. And since that Great Commission in Genesis 1 and verse 28 has been abandoned, it has resulted in abortion, euthanasia, and genocide. It has also resulted in a despisement of large families. And it has led to the fact that we now have abortion as convenience and as a means of birth control.

[John Weaver] Do you realize there are too many Christians that view children as an inconvenience? Now I want you to stop and think. Those of us who are over 60, I could say those of us who are 70 and over, we remember when there were lots and lots of large families. Today, I know 4 or 5 families that have 10 or 12 kids, but not the average family. No longer any 10 or 12 kids. Why? Because too many Christians now view children as an inconvenience. And unhappily, the Christian view of children is usually reflected in the world's view of children. Because the world now sees children in the least as an inconvenience and at the best as a curse. We've turned from a theological truth into a pagan view.

[John Weaver] Now, I quoted this verse this morning. Let me quote it again. Here's what God said in Psalm 127, verses three through five. Children are the heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with their enemies in the gate." So God says children are a blessing, they are not a curse. I want you to listen to what Charles Haddon Spurgeon said concerning children.

[John Weaver] He said, they are a token for good if men know how to receive them and educate them. They are doubtful blessings only because we are doubtful persons. Where society is rightly ordered, children are regarded, not as an encumbrance, but as an inheritance. And they are received, not with regret, but with reward. If we are overcrowded in England, and so seem to be embarrassed with too large an increase, we must remember that the Lord does not order us to remain in this narrow island.

[John Weaver] but would have us fill those boundless regions which wait for the ax and the plow. You are even here with all the straits of limited incomes, our best possessions, our best possessions are our dear offspring for whom we bless God every day. Wow. Do you realize the reason we do not value children is because we've lost our theology? We've had a change in theology and consequently we have a change in culture.

[John Weaver] We no longer fight against abortion as a whole. Most Christians have come to accept it. Why? Because there has been a change in theology and consequently there's a change in culture. I will tell you this story. I want you to think next of the sodomite in the homosexual agenda in this country. My wife and I were married when we were 18. I don't remember exactly how long.

[John Weaver] It was at least a year, maybe two years into our marriage. that I even first heard of a sodomite. I didn't know what one was. I had never heard that term in my life. And when the man was telling me about the sodomites, I still remember my exact words. I looked at him and said, nobody is that stupid. Those are my exact words. Nobody is that stupid.

[John Weaver] All you have to do is read Romans 1, verses 21 through 32, where God condemns it, where God gave them over. But you have to understand, to have such a perversion in society, you must first leave the Word of God in order to permit it, or allow it, or concede to it.

[John Weaver] Now today, it's not only endorsed, but it's financed by our government. It's pushed by our government. Why? There's been a change in theology. Consequently, there's a change in culture. You can never change a culture unless you change its theology. Look at our ideas toward debt. Look at our ideas toward everything that's totally unbiblical. Why? Because we've lost our theology. We've lost our Christian culture. We've lost our Christian government. We've lost our Christian heritage. Because we've lost our theology.

[John Weaver] Tim Baldwin, who is the son of Chuck Baldwin, who is an attorney, wrote an article on freedom is for the living. And I want you to think about what this man says. Listen carefully, because everyone that I talk to a lot of times about the problems in this country, they say, well, we just need to get back to the Constitution. Well, I'm not averse to the Constitution, and I will tell you this, if our government did come back to the Constitution, it may not solve all of our problems, but at least it would eliminate a lot of our problems. I understand that. But I want you to listen to what Tim Baldwin wrote. He said the reason we, or they, will never get back to the Constitution of 1787 is because those people, those principles, that culture, Those times, that circumstance, those beliefs and those feelings are no longer accepted by most and are certainly not shared to unite the people of the states today. Do we expect that the representatives of those same disunited and diverse people will get back to the Constitution of 1787?

[John Weaver] The culture, morals, religion, education, priorities, families, and experiences of the people of 1787 do not exist today cohesively. That is a fact. What is he saying? It was the men and their beliefs and their theology that formed all of this. You can't find men today with those beliefs and that theology, that have those principles. Why is that true? Change in theology always precedes a change in culture. Since our theology has changed, so has our culture. It was John Adams who said this, our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

[John Weaver] If you want what our founding fathers gave us, we must repent and believe and apply the word of God as they did. We can only change our culture by changing the theology of our culture. We have to understand something, folks. Ideas have consequences. When one begins to have an idea that is alien to the Word of God, that is alien to the truth of God, he's going to be shifting his life away from the Word of God. And invariably, there's going to be a cultural change in his life and in the lives of all those whom he affects. Do you realize virtue is absolutely necessary in a republic, and so is faith in the Word of God? Anything else is going to lead to despotism and tyranny.

[John Weaver] Rushdoony said this, Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with the fallen world and Christ as the principle of that warfare. Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with a fallen world and Christ as the principle of this warfare. In light of that truth, the question is, will we fight for the faith once delivered unto the saints to restore our culture and our nation? We are at war, and as Solomon said, there is no discharge in that war.

[John Weaver] The long-term answer to the problems that we're facing is to have a complete Christian culture, a reformation of culture that provides a true alternative to the institutionalized love of death and culture that is founded in the public schools and in humanism. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 8, and let me show you something. Look in Proverbs chapter 8, if you would.

[John Weaver] There are two passages, two verses. If you understand these two verses, you will understand everything that I taught tonight. I want you to listen. George Orwell, in his book 1984, said this, and Orwell certainly was not a Christian, But here's what Orwell said, if you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever. Wow. Why would he say that? I suppose he was a humanist. I really don't know whether he was converted or not, but he is certainly issuing forth a biblical principle on that point.

[John Weaver] If you look in Proverbs, chapter eight, at verses thirty five and thirty six, look what Jesus Christ says, Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. And in Proverbs eight, in verse thirty five, he says this, for whosoever findeth me findeth life. and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate me love death." All they that hate me love death. Do you realize that all that man can do apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word is produce a society and a culture of death? That's all. That's all.

[John Weaver] Why are we dying as a nation? Why are we dying in every aspect, in families, in churches, in businesses? Why are we dying? Because we love a society of death. Tom Askell, who is the Executive Director of Founders Ministries, said this, listen, all the calls to reclaim America for Christ leave me cold. Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ. When Christ is exalted in His church, when He is loved and revered and cherished with passion by those who bear His name. In other words, when the church starts living like the church, then His body cannot help but make an impact upon culture.

[John Weaver] And that is the truth. Askel spoke the truth. If we're going to change things in this country, we have to change them by an application of the word of God. It's only theology that's going to change culture. It's only theology that's going to change society. And we need not just to be able to spout theology. If you have it just in your head, and can recite it backwards and forward, it does you no good until you apply it. Truth unapplied is worthless. Our Lord said, if you know these things, happier ye if you do them. We must do the truth.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. What a task we have. As we view a dying culture, a dying society and a dying nation. We wish to be the repairer of the breach and the restore of the past to dwell in and to live in. Oh, God, help us to make our theology a living theology. One that's applied to every area of our lives. One that we know that we are pleasing unto Thee, and obedient unto Thee, and giving Thee worship, and praise, and honor, and glory. In Thy name we ask and pray, Amen.

Theology and Culture

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82414162187
Subject	Christian Civilization
Course	Rebuilding Christian Civilization
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-08-17
Dictation Name
Book	Book 062: Rebuilding Christian Civilization — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	71

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: A Single Point from 2 Timothy 2

Weaver introduces his approach of driving home one point, using 2 Timothy 2:1-5 to emphasize that Christians are soldiers in a war and must not be entangled with worldly affairs.

I want you to open your Bibles tonight, if you would please, to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. I'm not going to be expounding this passage, but however, I'm going to use it for an opportunity to declare a single point tonight. I don't know if any of you ever got to hear Dr. Rushdoony preach. Anybody get to hear Dr. Rushdoony preach? Rush and I have been friends for many times. And many years and he was in our church and I was out there and he was in our home and I was in their home. And it's just unbelievable to hear the man preach. Now, I'm a little different than he is because he hardly ever preached over 20 minutes, 30 at the most. He was monotone. But I have seen teenagers and little kids as well as adults on the edge of the pew, holding on to absolutely every word. He had so much knowledge and could say so much in such a short period of time. It was unbelievable.

But usually what he did in his preaching, he would take one point and just simply drive it home. And so that's what I want to do tonight. I want to just take one thought and push it home, and I hope those of you that were here for the entire conference, listening to all the preachers together, I want this point to be driven home, and I want to try to tie it together for you. So look in 2 Timothy 2, beginning there with verse 1. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, and he says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:1-5

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully."

Now, notice if you would how the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to teach that which had been committed unto him to faithful men. He tells him to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And he says if you're really warring, you're not really going to entangle yourself with the affairs of this life, in order that you may please him who called him and chose him to be a soldier.

Christians Are at War

Weaver asserts that Christians are in a constant spiritual war, but most are unaware or have deserted their post, being distracted by worldly entertainments.

The point I want to begin, is what I emphasized this morning, is that we are at war. Now that may surprise some individuals. But the truth of the matter is, we have been at war. We are at war. And we will continue to be at war. It was Solomon who wisely said in Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 8 that there is no discharge in that war. If you're a Christian, you're personally involved in a war whether you realize it or not. Your culture, your life, and your society, believe it or not, are involved in a war. And your culture and your society, believe it or not, is being deliberately undermined and destroyed. Revolutions are being continually planned and fomented and executed against God, His Word, and the Christian faith.

And the sad thing is, most Christians are totally unaware of what is going on. In fact, most Christians are absolutely AWOL, that is, they are away without leave. They've deserted the ranks of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they simply decided they're going to sit very comfortably at home watching their TV sets and their ball games. I never will forget years ago, Pastor Bob McCurry called me and he said, "John," he said, "I have figured out a way to get thousands of men up in arms marching on Washington, D.C., ready to fire, ready to fight." I said, "What?" "You need to tell me about this." Well, he said, "It's very simple." He said, "No one gets upset over abortion anymore. No one gets upset over Sodom anymore or the corruption that's going on in this country." He said, "That's very simple."

Now, he said, "My plan is this. If we can just get Congress to pass a law that will ban all balls of any shape or size," he said, "men will be in arms marching against Washington, D.C. within 24 hours." Now you just stop and think about that. You do away with golf, and basketball, and football, and baseball, and folks are going to be very, very upset. You have to ask yourself this question. Are things wrong in our society? Have our values, have our ethics, and our morality changed in your lifetime? If they changed, why did they change, and how did they change? What happened to our Christian culture? You know, it kind of seems as if everything changed overnight. At least it seemed that way with me. I was raised one way and all of a sudden everything is totally different. It almost seems as if we went to sleep at night and all was well and we woke up the next morning and society had changed for the worse and was heading to hell as quickly as it could travel. So why in the world has our culture changed?

The Loss of Christian Culture

He describes the moral and social changes observed by those over 60, contrasting past virtues with today's cultural decay, and poses the question of why culture has changed.

Do you realize anyone over 60, and there are some in this room, but anyone over 60 understands that our culture that we enjoyed as young people no longer exists. Anyone over 60 remembers a society that had a little more moral balance, at least when most country folks could quote the Ten Commandments. We remember when deals were sealed with a handshake. We remember when a man's word was his bond. We remember when divorce was uncommon and most children had a father and a mother. We remember when ladies dressed modestly and men were gentlemen. We remember when you did not have to guess at the sex of an individual whether or not he was a man or a woman. We remember when ladies dressed like ladies and men looked like men. We remember when teenagers and young children said "yes sir" and "no sir" and "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" not only to their parents but also to other adults as well. We remember when children could sit quietly while adults talked and visited. We remember when the father was the head of the house and when father and mother joined together in the discipline of the children.

We remember when a lot of children wanted to do that which was right and obey their parents and honor the Lord. But you look around today in our society and our culture is not like that. Our culture has changed. And for the most part, most people do not understand how it changed or why it changed. And they just simply say this, "Well, things are different now." Well, things are different now. But why? The title of this message is "Theology and Culture." I want you to understand something. Our culture, our society has changed because our theology has changed. You're going to hear me say this probably 100 times tonight. So you might as well get used to it and you might as well underline it in your mind. Here it is.

Theology Precedes Culture

Weaver states his central thesis: a theological change must precede a cultural change. He supports this with 1 Timothy 1:3-5, showing that sound doctrine produces godly character and culture.

A theological change must precede a cultural change. Let me say this another way. You cannot have a change in culture unless you have a change in theology. If your theology changes for the better, then your culture and society is going to change for the better. If your theology changes for the worse, then your culture and society are going to be for the worse as well. It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy. It's very interesting. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, beginning there with verse 3, 1 Timothy 1 verse 3, Paul writes Timothy and he says this, "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine."

"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Now, the interesting thing is this, when Paul says in verse 5, "Now the end of the commandment is," what commandment? You haven't read the word commandment in this passage. He says this is the end of the commandment. What commandment is he talking about? Well, let me point it out for you. If you look in verse 3, the Apostle Paul said, "And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine." The word "charge" there is the Greek word "parangelia," which literally means a charge or a command. So he says, "Timothy, I want you to command some that they teach no other doctrine. You command them that they teach only sound doctrine." Now, when you skip down to verse 5, he says this, "Now the end of the commandment," what commandment? The one that he gave in verse 3, the commandment to preach only sound doctrine. The end of that commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of good conscience and a faith unfeigned.

Underline this in your mind, it is only a godly people that can produce a godly culture. It is only people with a sound theology that can produce a culture that will honor and glorify God.

Historical Examples of Theology Shaping Culture

He gives examples: America's early missionary foreign policy, the failure to change Somalia by force, and India's poverty due to pagan theology, illustrating that only the gospel transforms culture.

Now here is something that may be almost impossible for you to believe, but it is absolutely true. Believe it or not, our country, the United States of America, used to send missionaries and our foreign aid was tied to the gospel. If foreign countries wanted our financial help, they had to receive our missionaries. If they refused and rejected our missionaries, they did not get any help. In other words, our foreign policy was tied to foreign missions. Bluntly stated, let me put it like this, America used to send missionaries and now we send armies. We used to endeavor to change countries through the gospel. Now we seek to change countries by force and exploit their resources. There was a time in our country when those who were in government understood that you could not have a change in culture without having a change in theology.

Some of you will remember a number of years back there was a movie made that was entitled "Black Hawk Down." It was a story of 123 elite United States soldiers that had been dropped in Somalia in order to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord. And there, after they got on the ground, they met a horrendous force of Somalis who were heavily armed. They were there; it was known as the Battle of Mogadishu and they were going there to capture Aidid and at least one or two of his lieutenants. Now that movie came on TV, I don't know, years I guess after it was made, and at that time we had a TV and I decided I'd watch it and I did, and I really was not that impressed although there was a lot of fighting in it. But about a year or so after that the movie came back on. And I decided that I would watch it again.

And I was thoroughly and completely glad that I did. Because I saw something in that movie that I had missed the first time. A lot of those black helicopters, or a number of them, were shot down. Most of the pilots were killed. One was not. He was captured. And he was beaten viciously. And he was tied up, sitting up against the wall, and you could see all the black eyes and the cuts and the abrasions. And one of Aidid's warlords was just simply harassing him and haranguing him.

And here is what he said. Now, I do not remember the first words exactly. I do remember the latter words exactly. But he said to that American pilot this. He said, "You stupid Americans. You think you can come over here and change us. You think you can come over here and force your democracy down our throats. You think you can come over here and stop us from killing when killing has been a way of life for a thousand years." Whoa.

What did he just say? "When killing has been a way of life for us, for a thousand years." So let me ask you this question. Why was killing a way of life for the Somalis? The answer is because of their paganism and their wicked rebellion and their lack of a true biblical theology. Do you realize you cannot change a culture by force, by foreign aid, by politics, by diplomacy or being Mr. Nice Guy or Mr. Bad Guy. The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. If there is not a change in theology, there is not going to be a change in culture. If you want to improve a society, if you want to improve a culture, you must make and you must understand that the Word of God must have priority and that the Word of God must be taught and applied. Now, on the other hand, if you wish to destroy a culture, if you want to destroy a society, then all you have to do is simply deny and denigrate and disparage the teaching and the application of the Word of God.

And if you don't believe that, just look what has happened to America. It's very simple. Have you ever asked yourself, why in the world did the Marxists, the socialists and the communists set their sights upon our seminaries and our churches? The answer is they knew that they could not capture a culture or society that held tenaciously to the word of God. The Word of God must be taken away, the principles must be taken away, if Marxism is going to succeed. It was Karl Marx himself who said that a people removed from their history are easily persuaded. But you know that same thing is true in regard to a people who are ignorant of the Word of God. A people who have not the truth or the knowledge of God, they're easily and quickly led into isms and schisms and cults and deception. An example of a wrong and pagan view of God is clearly demonstrated for us in the country of India. I want you to stop and think about India just for a moment. I want you to think about the thousands upon thousands of people that are absolutely destitute. I want you to think about the caste system. Do you realize that America has literally sent billions of dollars to India? Not necessarily in Federal Reserve notes, although I know they've gotten that, but we've sent wheat, we've sent grain, we've sent food. And do you realize those people are still poor and they're still starving?

Have you ever wondered why? Well, let me tell you why. Because in India, the people there worship rats and cows. I have a video where you can see Indian women giving a bowl of fresh milk to great big old wharf rats. And as the wharf rats are eating the milk, the women are bowing down before them and praying to them. You look at the grain that they store, the rats go in, the cows go in and eat and defecate, germs are everywhere. Why?

Because of their theology of reincarnation. Just stop and think about it. They're not going to kill a rat. It might be their ancestor, or it might be someone else that they know and they love. And do you realize all of the millions of Federal Reserve notes and all the millions of food that have been sent to India has not changed them one iota. The caste system is still there. The people are still poor and still dying, and let me tell you, I don't care how poor India is. I don't care how bad China is. I don't care how bad Africa is. You will never change any country, any nation, any culture without a change in theology.

The Reformation and American Foundations

Weaver explains how the Reformation, particularly Calvinism, created a biblical worldview that undergirded Western and American culture, emphasizing the priesthood of all believers and the integration of faith and work.

Do you understand America became great because of the grace of God and the Word of God? Our forefathers happened to believe the Word of God. They not only believed it, they applied it and they obeyed it in every area of their lives. And consequently, what has happened today, we've basically lost everything that they've given us. You know, the psalmist asked a question in Psalm 11 and verse 3. The psalmist asked there, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" And practically speaking, the foundations have been destroyed in this country, and they are being destroyed. Isaiah is the man who gives the answer to that question. Isaiah is the man who tells us that unless there is repentance and a return to God in His Word, there will not be any restoration. But he also tells us if we repent and turn back to God, yes, there is a restoration.

In Isaiah chapter 58 and verse 12 he said this, "And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." Isn't that amazing? If we repent and come back, we shall build upon the old waste places. We shall raise up the foundations of many generations. We'll be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths of dwelling. I do not necessarily endorse Bill Bennett, but I heard him say on a talk show that America has become the kind of country that we used to send missionaries to. There is a missionary friend of mine in Peru, and the pastor of the church in Peru has just left that church so he can come as a missionary to America.

Now, why has our culture changed? And the answer is because our theology has changed. Theology and culture go together. I told you the title of the message was "Theology and Culture." You know that theology is the knowledge of the doctrine of God. Theology is the study of God, what we believe about Him, who He is, His attributes, His worship, and His word. Culture is merely theology in action, in his religion, externalized. Do you realize you actually work out that which you really genuinely believe?

In Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 7, the Bible says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." David said in Psalm 116 and verse 10, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." It's not just that you speak what you believe, you act out what you believe. And you may tell me that you believe one thing with your mouth, but your actions will belie you. Your actions will show that you really don't believe that, because if you really genuinely believed it, you would act differently. It was Martin Luther, the reformer, who said this. There are only two men in the world. Christ and Adam. And everyone else hangs from their girdles. What did he mean by that? You're either a Christian or you're a humanist. You're either in Christ and redeemed and are different or you're in Adam and you're lost. It has been said another way, you're either a follower of John Calvin or Jean-Jacques Rousseau. What does that mean? It means you're either a Christian or you're a humanist. It's always then said another way as well. You're either a covenant keeper or a covenant breaker. You're either Christian or you're a humanist.

Do you realize that Western culture, and particularly American culture, was based upon the Word of God? We were called a Christian nation not because everyone in this nation was a Christian. But we were called a Christian nation because our nation was originally set up and we originally followed the principles in the Word of God. The precepts of God ruled our government and our actions and our thought. Now, have you ever stopped to think, well, how is it that our country was initially set up with biblical principles? Well, you have to understand one of the greatest illustrations of theology and culture can be seen in the Reformation. Europe was experiencing that which was known as the Dark Ages, and usually they say the Dark Ages lasted anywhere from 800 to 1500. It was ignorance, darkness, illiteracy, degeneracy, all of these things permeated during those years. The Bible was a suppressed book. Even some of the classical literature was suppressed at all. You did not read the Bible. The Bible was not even available to you. And do you realize if you were caught with a Bible or what we would call religious literature, or even if you were caught with classical literature, that was enough evidence to prove that you were either a witch or a wizard or a necromancer, and usually the Roman Catholic Church saw to it that you were burned at the stake.

Well, in the providence of God, God raised up men like Martin Luther and John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli and Gutenberg. But it was John Calvin, particularly, that created the patterns of thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period. American culture, in particular, was thoroughly Calvinistic in some form or another, and at the heart of the way Americans think and act, and especially originally, you will find the handprint of John Calvin. It was the doctrines of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, the sovereignty of God, and the final authority of the Word of God that created what you and I would call a cultural reformation.

Now, ask yourself, why did things change from medieval Europe to modern Europe? Well, the answer is this. Christians began to realize that all of their cultural activity was indeed part of their service to God in life. They began to realize, look, you don't have to go into a monastery or a nunnery to be holy. You don't even have to be in the clergy, quote unquote, to be holy and to be right. They began to realize, for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. No, no, no. You can't divide life like that. For the child of God, everything is sacred. And they began to understand that their normal, everyday occupations, and everything that they did every day, was a way that they could worship God and honor God, and they began to emphasize that everything was to be done for the honor and glory of God.

Regardless whether you were a ditch digger or a preacher, it didn't really matter. Such thinking changed the outlook of individuals. It was the Reformation that completely and totally altered the medieval way of life in Western Europe. It had an impact not only upon European history, but our history as well. Because it was those Europeans who came to America that had been permeated with such biblical truth, and they had the principles in their lives, and it was those principles that undergirded our culture and our nation. And consequently, humanists have been attacking those principles ever since.

The War of Northern Aggression as Theological Conflict

He argues that the Civil War was fundamentally a theological war between the humanistic North and the conservative, biblical South, leading to denominational splits and the loss of the Republic.

Now let me just go a little bit further. I want you to think about theology and culture. There was another breach made in our country when one section of the country sought to destroy another section of the country. One of the most vicious attacks upon our Christian culture came before and during the War of Northern Aggression, sometimes called the Civil War. It was not a civil war. The Civil War really and truly is a war between one people. The War of Northern Aggression, sometimes called Lincoln's War Against All Christian States, was a war against the Southern Nation because the South had lawfully and legally seceded. So you had the Northern Nation and you had the Southern Nation. When you think about this war from 1861 to 1865, you can buy book after book on all of the aspects of that war. I've got 15 messages entitled "Where We Are and How We Got Here" concerning that war. I deal with economics of that war, I deal with the politics of that, I deal with all of that.

But there's another message I deal with, and that is the theological aspect of that war. Do you realize most people have never ever looked at that war in a theological framework? C. Gregg Singer, in his book, "A Theological Interpretation of American History," said this, listen carefully. "After 1830, there was a growing philosophical and theological cleavage between the North and the South. While the North was becoming increasingly subject to radical influences, the South was becoming increasingly conservative in its outlook."

Now, let me translate that for you. That means the North was consistently becoming more and more humanistic, while the South was becoming more and more biblical. You know, the South has often been referred to as the Bible Belt. That was not given to us as a compliment. That is what the North referred to the South as being the Bible Belt in a form of derision because the North considered themselves more rational and more enlightened and they were above believing such fairy tales as concern in the Bible. So the term Bible Belt was set to the South as a derision and as a mockery. It was James Henley Thornwell, Presbyterian author and theologian and pastor who said it very plainly. I want you to listen. Thornwell did not die until 1862, a year after the war had started. Here's what he said concerning the war. "The parties involved in this conflict are not merely abolitionists and slaveholders. They are atheists, socialists, communists, red republicans, and Jacobins on the one side, that's the north, and the friends of order and regulated freedom on the other, that's the south. In one word, the world is the battleground, Christianity and atheism are the combatants, and the progress of humanity is at stake." So here's Thornwell, he's saying, look, there's a religious aspect to this war. There's a theological aspect to it. A very clear understanding of the connection between theology and culture can be seen in the War of Northern Aggression. Many people have never perceived the consequences of a changing theology upon our culture. If you want to know when we lost our Republic, if you want to know when we lost our Constitution, if you want to know when we became an empire, just study the War of Northern Aggression, and you're going to find that everything changed at that particular time.

You see, the North as a whole rejected biblical Christianity. They rejected the Bible. They went for what you and I would call rationalism, transcendentalism, and Unitarianism. And the elitist of those days were much like the elitist of our days who despised and refused anything that was biblical. Now, when I say that the North was mainly Unitarian and Transcendentalist and Rationalist, that does not mean that there were no Christians in the North. Surely there were Christians in the North. In fact, there were a lot of people in the North that totally sympathized with the South and held Southern ideals.

And the Northern humanists then referred to them as Copperheads. In fact, I have a Northern friend in Wisconsin who portrays himself as a Union chaplain and on his tent he flies the stars and bars and down at the bottom of the tent is a picture of a copperhead snake because he is saying I understand and I sympathize with the South. Now I want you to see something. I want you to understand that here our country was divided. There is a book that I have often recommended. In fact, I quote a lot from that book in this series "Where We Are and How We Got Here." The book is entitled "Broken Nation, Broken Churches" by C.C. Goen. It is an absolutely fabulous book. And he shows, listen carefully, how our churches became broken and divided before the Union became broken and divided.

Now, it may surprise you to learn that before the mid-1800s, there were no Southern Baptists. There were no Northern Baptists. There were no American Baptists. There were no Independent Baptists. They were just Baptists. It may surprise you to learn also, likewise, there were no United Methodists. There were no Southern Methodists. There were no Independent Methodists. They were just Methodists. Likewise, there was no United Presbyterian Church. There was no Associate Reform Presbyterian Church. There was no Free Presbyterian Church. They were just Presbyterians.

Did you know that a division came into all the major denominations because of theological change. And that theological change was related to northern rationalism and humanism. Because the North was basically trying to force their theology upon the South. And when you examine the theology of the North and you see the theology of the South, that they were at opposite poles, very obviously, you're going to see that culture is nothing more than religion externalized.

Now, the Presbyterians were the first to divide. Believe it or not, the Presbyterians divided in 1837, and then they divided again in 1857. The division was between the old lights and the new lights. And although there were some doctrinal differences, abolitionism is that which figured greatly in their divisions. And abolitionism was just simply trying to push the abolition of slavery by any means whatsoever. Take a gun, go down and kill all the Southerners, release the slaves. I mean, they didn't care. There were different kinds of abolitionism. But do you realize the Methodists then split in 1844, and the Baptist split in 1845. So that's when Southern Baptists became Southern Baptists in 1845. Churches began to split, and soon the nation was torn in two as well. So you have to ask, what happened? Well, there was a change in theology, and consequently, there was a change in culture.

It was Thornwell and Singer who pointed out that when the North wanted to force its theological perspective upon the South, it not only led to denominational divisions, it led to civil and political divisions as well. Now, everyone in this room knows about Charles Hodge. Charles Hodge was the great Presbyterian teacher, preacher, but you know what Charles Hodge did? He blamed the division, not only in the churches, but in this country, upon the abolitionists. He said this, "Their stigmatizing of slavery as a sin and a crime must operate to produce the disunion of the states and the division of all ecclesiastical societies. We shall become two nations in feeling, which must soon render us two nations in fact." William S. Plumer, another Presbyterian pastor, theologian and author, said this right before the Presbyterian split in 1837.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:5

Listen to what he said. "Should the assembly legislate and decide that slaveholding is a sin, the southern churches would all feel themselves instructed by the Apostle Paul to withdraw from such, according to 1 Timothy 6 and verse 5. Thus our church would be rent asunder. Then nothing left except to rim the star-spangled banner in twain. Soon the hostile forces will be marshaled against each other and the Potomac will be dyed with blood." "Can it be that the righteous judge of all the earth has so dreadful a controversy with the Presbyterian Church of the United States as to give her up to the folly and madness of being the first to hoist the gate and let the flood of destruction roll in?" What is he saying? You have a division in the church, now there's going to be a division in the union. He said pretty soon the Potomac is going to be filled with blood. That was 1837. He saw exactly what was going to happen. James Henley Thornwell, known as the Calhoun of the Southern Church, said it like this in 1851. He said, "We are solemn and earnest, not only because we deplore a schism in the body of Christ, but because we deplore a schism among the confederate states of this union."

"We declare our deliberate conviction that the continued agitation of slavery must sooner or later shiver this government into atoms. If slavery be indeed consistent with the Bible, their responsibility is tremendous who, in obedience to blind impulses and visionary theories, pull down the fairest fabric of government the world has ever seen, rim the body of Christ in sunder, and dethrone the Savior in His own kingdom. Or our country, our Bible, our interests on earth, and our hopes for heaven to be sacrificed on the altars of such fierce fanaticism. Slavery is implicated in every fiber of Southern society." "It is with us a vital question, and it is because we know that interference with it cannot and will not be much longer endured, we raise our warning voice. Listen, we would save the country if we could." That was 1857. He says the country is going to be destroyed. You see, all the theologians and pastors of that day understood that whenever you had a change in theology, you had a change in culture. They also understood that it would result in a change in government as well. Because when theology changes, culture changes. The schisms, the divisions, and war, and the loss of our Republic and our Constitution all came about because of a change in theology. You cannot change a culture unless you change its theology. And that change will be either for the better or for the worse.

Now, I want you to stop and think with me just for a moment about some of the major changes that have come across in our country. You may not know all about the War of Northern Aggression, and that's fine. But just stop and think about some things today. First of all, I want you to consider the outrage of abortion. Do you realize in our modern society, abortion is just simply another form of birth control? That's how most people view it.

Modern Consequences of Theological Decline

Weaver cites abortion, homosexuality, and debt as evidence of a changed theology, and quotes Tim Baldwin and John Adams to show that the Constitution requires a moral and religious people.

It's no longer viewed as murder. No, it's just simply another form of birth control. It's no longer considered murder. Why has this happened? Well, there was an abandonment of the cultural mandate, the First Great Commission. And since that Great Commission in Genesis 1 and verse 28 has been abandoned, it has resulted in abortion, euthanasia, and genocide. It has also resulted in a despisement of large families. And it has led to the fact that we now have abortion as convenience and as a means of birth control.

Do you realize there are too many Christians that view children as an inconvenience? Now I want you to stop and think. Those of us who are over 60, I could say those of us who are 70 and over, we remember when there were lots and lots of large families. Today, I know 4 or 5 families that have 10 or 12 kids, but not the average family. No longer any 10 or 12 kids. Why? Because too many Christians now view children as an inconvenience. And unhappily, the Christian view of children is usually reflected in the world's view of children. Because the world now sees children in the least as an inconvenience and at the best as a curse. We've turned from a theological truth into a pagan view.

Now, I quoted this verse this morning. Let me quote it again. Here's what God said in Psalm 127, verses three through five.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 127:3-5

"Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

So God says children are a blessing, they are not a curse. I want you to listen to what Charles Haddon Spurgeon said concerning children.

He said, "They are a token for good if men know how to receive them and educate them. They are doubtful blessings only because we are doubtful persons. Where society is rightly ordered, children are regarded, not as an encumbrance, but as an inheritance. And they are received, not with regret, but with reward. If we are overcrowded in England, and so seem to be embarrassed with too large an increase, we must remember that the Lord does not order us to remain in this narrow island." "But would have us fill those boundless regions which wait for the ax and the plow. You are even here with all the straits of limited incomes, our best possessions, our best possessions are our dear offspring for whom we bless God every day." Wow. Do you realize the reason we do not value children is because we've lost our theology? We've had a change in theology and consequently we have a change in culture.

We no longer fight against abortion as a whole. Most Christians have come to accept it. Why? Because there has been a change in theology and consequently there's a change in culture. I will tell you this story. I want you to think next of the sodomite in the homosexual agenda in this country. My wife and I were married when we were 18. I don't remember exactly how long.

It was at least a year, maybe two years into our marriage, that I even first heard of a sodomite. I didn't know what one was. I had never heard that term in my life. And when the man was telling me about the sodomites, I still remember my exact words. I looked at him and said, "Nobody is that stupid." Those are my exact words. "Nobody is that stupid." All you have to do is read Romans 1, verses 21 through 32, where God condemns it, where God gave them over. But you have to understand, to have such a perversion in society, you must first leave the Word of God in order to permit it, or allow it, or concede to it.

Now today, it's not only endorsed, but it's financed by our government. It's pushed by our government. Why? There's been a change in theology. Consequently, there's a change in culture. You can never change a culture unless you change its theology. Look at our ideas toward debt. Look at our ideas toward everything that's totally unbiblical. Why? Because we've lost our theology. We've lost our Christian culture. We've lost our Christian government. We've lost our Christian heritage. Because we've lost our theology.

Tim Baldwin, who is the son of Chuck Baldwin, who is an attorney, wrote an article on "Freedom Is for the Living." And I want you to think about what this man says. Listen carefully, because everyone that I talk to a lot of times about the problems in this country, they say, "Well, we just need to get back to the Constitution." Well, I'm not averse to the Constitution, and I will tell you this, if our government did come back to the Constitution, it may not solve all of our problems, but at least it would eliminate a lot of our problems. I understand that. But I want you to listen to what Tim Baldwin wrote. He said the reason we, or they, will never get back to the Constitution of 1787 is because those people, those principles, that culture, those times, that circumstance, those beliefs and those feelings are no longer accepted by most and are certainly not shared to unite the people of the states today. Do we expect that the representatives of those same disunited and diverse people will get back to the Constitution of 1787?

The culture, morals, religion, education, priorities, families, and experiences of the people of 1787 do not exist today cohesively. That is a fact. What is he saying? It was the men and their beliefs and their theology that formed all of this. You can't find men today with those beliefs and that theology, that have those principles. Why is that true? Change in theology always precedes a change in culture. Since our theology has changed, so has our culture. It was John Adams who said this, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

If you want what our founding fathers gave us, we must repent and believe and apply the word of God as they did. We can only change our culture by changing the theology of our culture. We have to understand something, folks. Ideas have consequences. When one begins to have an idea that is alien to the Word of God, that is alien to the truth of God, he's going to be shifting his life away from the Word of God. And invariably, there's going to be a cultural change in his life and in the lives of all those whom he affects. Do you realize virtue is absolutely necessary in a republic, and so is faith in the Word of God? Anything else is going to lead to despotism and tyranny.

The Call to Reclaim the Church and Apply Truth

He concludes that reclaiming the culture requires reclaiming the church for Christ, applying theology to all of life, and recognizing that those who hate wisdom love death (Proverbs 8:35-36).

Rushdoony said this, "Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with the fallen world and Christ as the principle of that warfare. Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with a fallen world and Christ as the principle of this warfare." In light of that truth, the question is, will we fight for the faith once delivered unto the saints to restore our culture and our nation? We are at war, and as Solomon said, there is no discharge in that war. The long-term answer to the problems that we're facing is to have a complete Christian culture, a reformation of culture that provides a true alternative to the institutionalized love of death and culture that is founded in the public schools and in humanism. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 8, and let me show you something. Look in Proverbs chapter 8, if you would.

There are two passages, two verses. If you understand these two verses, you will understand everything that I taught tonight. I want you to listen. George Orwell, in his book "1984," said this, and Orwell certainly was not a Christian, but here's what Orwell said, "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever." Wow. Why would he say that? I suppose he was a humanist. I really don't know whether he was converted or not, but he is certainly issuing forth a biblical principle on that point.

If you look in Proverbs, chapter eight, at verses thirty five and thirty six, look what Jesus Christ says, Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. And in Proverbs eight, in verse thirty five, he says this,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:35-36

"For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death."

All they that hate me love death. Do you realize that all that man can do apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word is produce a society and a culture of death? That's all. That's all. Why are we dying as a nation? Why are we dying in every aspect, in families, in churches, in businesses? Why are we dying? Because we love a society of death. Tom Ascol, who is the Executive Director of Founders Ministries, said this, listen, "All the calls to reclaim America for Christ leave me cold. Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ. When Christ is exalted in His church, when He is loved and revered and cherished with passion by those who bear His name." In other words, when the church starts living like the church, then His body cannot help but make an impact upon culture.

And that is the truth. Ascol spoke the truth. If we're going to change things in this country, we have to change them by an application of the word of God. It's only theology that's going to change culture. It's only theology that's going to change society. And we need not just to be able to spout theology. If you have it just in your head, and can recite it backwards and forward, it does you no good until you apply it. Truth unapplied is worthless. Our Lord said, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." We must do the truth.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. What a task we have. As we view a dying culture, a dying society and a dying nation. We wish to be the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths to dwell in and to live in. Oh, God, help us to make our theology a living theology. One that's applied to every area of our lives. One that we know that we are pleasing unto Thee, and obedient unto Thee, and giving Thee worship, and praise, and honor, and glory. In Thy name we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Theology precedes culture

Summary: A change in theology always comes before a change in culture; you cannot transform a society without first transforming its beliefs about God.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly states, 'A theological change must precede a cultural change' and 'You cannot have a change in culture unless you have a change in theology.'

Spiritual warfare

Summary: Christians are engaged in a constant war against forces that seek to undermine God's Word and Christian faith, and there is no discharge from this conflict.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We are at war... there is no discharge in that war' and cites 2 Timothy 2:3-4 about enduring hardness as a good soldier.

The necessity of sound doctrine

Summary: Only a godly people with sound theology can produce a godly culture; the command to teach no other doctrine is foundational.

Evidence: He expounds 1 Timothy 1:3-5, emphasizing the command to teach only sound doctrine, and states, 'It is only a godly people that can produce a godly culture.'

The Reformation's cultural impact

Summary: The Reformation, especially Calvin's theology, transformed Western culture by teaching that all of life is sacred and to be lived for God's glory.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It was the doctrines of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, the sovereignty of God, and the final authority of the Word of God that created what you and I would call a cultural reformation.'

Theological roots of the Civil War

Summary: The War of Northern Aggression was fundamentally a conflict between Northern humanism and Southern biblical Christianity, leading to national division.

Evidence: He quotes Thornwell: 'The parties involved in this conflict are not merely abolitionists and slaveholders. They are atheists, socialists, communists... on the one side, and the friends of order and regulated freedom on the other.'

The failure of force and aid without the gospel

Summary: Cultures cannot be changed by military force, foreign aid, or politics; only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring lasting transformation.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. If there is not a change in theology, there is not going to be a change in culture.'

The love of death in a godless culture

Summary: Those who reject Christ and His wisdom inevitably produce a culture of death, as seen in abortion, euthanasia, and societal decay.

Evidence: He cites Proverbs 8:35-36: 'All they that hate me love death,' and applies it to modern society's embrace of death.

The need for applied theology

Summary: Truth must be applied to all areas of life; mere intellectual assent to doctrine is worthless without obedience and action.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Truth unapplied is worthless. Our Lord said, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." We must do the truth.'

Key Arguments

Cultural change is impossible without theological change

Summary: Weaver argues that every significant cultural shift, for better or worse, is the result of a prior change in what people believe about God and His Word.

Evidence: He states, 'It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology.'

America's decline is due to abandoning biblical theology

Summary: The loss of Christian culture, morality, and constitutional government in America is directly traceable to the rejection of sound doctrine and the adoption of humanistic ideas.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Our culture, our society has changed because our theology has changed.'

The Reformation demonstrates theology's power to transform culture

Summary: The Reformation shows that when biblical doctrine is recovered and applied, it revolutionizes every aspect of society, from work to government.

Evidence: He explains that Calvin's theology 'created the patterns of thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period.'

The Civil War was a theological war

Summary: The division between North and South was rooted in conflicting theologies—Northern Unitarianism and rationalism versus Southern biblical orthodoxy—which led to denominational splits and national rupture.

Evidence: He quotes C. Gregg Singer: 'After 1830, there was a growing philosophical and theological cleavage between the North and the South.'

Pagan theology produces poverty and death

Summary: Using India as an example, Weaver argues that false beliefs about God (e.g., reincarnation, worship of rats and cows) directly cause material poverty and suffering, which no amount of aid can fix.

Evidence: He says, 'You will never change any country, any nation, any culture without a change in theology.'

The church must be reclaimed before the culture can be

Summary: Calls to reclaim America are futile unless the church first repents and lives out its theology; a revived church will inevitably impact culture.

Evidence: He quotes Tom Ascol: 'Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ.'

Ideas have consequences

Summary: Alien ideas lead to cultural decay; virtue and faith in God's Word are essential for a republic, and their absence leads to tyranny.

Evidence: He states, 'Ideas have consequences. When one begins to have an idea that is alien to the Word of God... there's going to be a cultural change.'

Christians must engage in spiritual warfare

Summary: Believers are called to fight for the faith and not be entangled with worldly pursuits, recognizing that the battle is theological and cultural.

Evidence: He cites 2 Timothy 2:4 and says, 'We are at war, and as Solomon said, there is no discharge in that war.'

Scripture References

2 Timothy 2:1-5

Context: Weaver reads this passage to introduce the theme of spiritual warfare and the call to endure hardness as a good soldier, not entangling oneself with worldly affairs.

Ecclesiastes 8:8

Context: Cited to support the claim that there is no discharge in the spiritual war Christians are engaged in.

1 Timothy 1:3-5

Context: Used to show that Paul commanded Timothy to charge some to teach no other doctrine, and that the end of this commandment is love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith.

Psalm 11:3

Context: Quoted to illustrate the question of what the righteous can do when foundations are destroyed, applied to America's moral and spiritual decline.

Isaiah 58:12

Context: Cited as the answer to Psalm 11:3, promising restoration and rebuilding if there is repentance and return to God.

Proverbs 23:7

Context: Used to support the idea that a person's actions flow from their inner beliefs: 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.'

Psalm 116:10

Context: Quoted to show that belief leads to speech and action: 'I believed, therefore have I spoken.'

Genesis 1:28

Context: Referred to as the cultural mandate or First Great Commission, whose abandonment has led to abortion, euthanasia, and a despising of large families.

Psalm 127:3-5

Context: Quoted to affirm that children are a heritage and reward from the Lord, contrary to the modern view of children as an inconvenience.

Romans 1:21-32

Context: Referenced as the biblical condemnation of homosexuality, showing that such perversion requires first leaving the Word of God.

Proverbs 8:35-36

Context: Quoted to demonstrate that those who hate wisdom (Christ) love death, explaining why a godless culture produces death.

1 Timothy 6:5

Context: Alluded to in a quote by William S. Plumer, who said that if the assembly declared slaveholding a sin, southern churches would withdraw according to this verse.

Historical References

R.J. Rushdoony

Context: Weaver mentions his friendship with Rushdoony and describes his preaching style as monotone yet captivating, packing immense knowledge into short sermons.

Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down)

Context: Weaver recounts the movie 'Black Hawk Down' and a Somali warlord's statement that Americans cannot change their culture of killing, which had been a way of life for a thousand years.

Karl Marx

Context: Weaver quotes Marx as saying that a people removed from their history are easily persuaded, applying this to those ignorant of God's Word.

Martin Luther

Context: Weaver quotes Luther: 'There are only two men in the world. Christ and Adam. And everyone else hangs from their girdles,' illustrating the division between Christian and humanist.

John Calvin and the Reformation

Context: Weaver credits Calvin with creating the patterns of thought that dominated Western culture, emphasizing doctrines like justification by faith and the sovereignty of God.

War of Northern Aggression (Civil War)

Context: Weaver argues this was a theological war between the humanistic North and the biblical South, leading to denominational splits and the loss of the original Republic.

James Henley Thornwell

Context: Weaver quotes Thornwell's 1861 statement that the war was between atheists, socialists, communists on one side and friends of order on the other, a battle between Christianity and atheism.

Charles Hodge

Context: Weaver notes that Hodge blamed the division of churches and the nation on abolitionists, quoting his prediction that stigmatizing slavery would lead to disunion.

John Adams

Context: Weaver quotes Adams: 'Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'

George Orwell, '1984'

Context: Weaver quotes Orwell's dystopian vision: 'If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever,' as an illustration of a culture of death.

Important Quotes

A theological change must precede a cultural change.

Significance: This is the central thesis of the entire message, repeated multiple times to emphasize that culture is a product of theology.

It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology.

Significance: Weaver's strongest formulation of his thesis, asserting the absolute necessity of theological change for cultural transformation.

The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. If there is not a change in theology, there is not going to be a change in culture.

Significance: Clarifies that the gospel is the exclusive means of cultural change, rejecting force, aid, or politics.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

Significance: John Adams' quote supports Weaver's argument that the American system requires a virtuous, biblically grounded citizenry.

All they that hate me love death.

Significance: From Proverbs 8:36, this quote summarizes the inevitable outcome of rejecting Christ and His wisdom: a culture of death.

Truth unapplied is worthless.

Significance: Weaver's call to action, stressing that theology must be lived out, not merely known intellectually.

Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with the fallen world and Christ as the principle of that warfare.

Significance: A Rushdoony quote that reinforces the theme of spiritual warfare and the impossibility of neutrality.

Discussion Questions

In what ways have you observed a change in culture during your lifetime, and how might those changes be connected to shifts in theology?

Context: Weaver asks those over 60 to reflect on how society has changed and implies that these changes are due to theological shifts.

How does the command in 1 Timothy 1:3-5 to teach no other doctrine relate to the health of a culture?

Context: Weaver expounds this passage to show that sound doctrine produces godly character, which in turn produces a godly culture.

Why do you think many Christians are unaware of or have deserted the spiritual war Weaver describes?

Context: He states that most Christians are AWOL, distracted by entertainment and comfort, and challenges listeners to consider their own engagement.

How does the example of India's poverty illustrate the principle that theology shapes culture?

Context: Weaver uses India's worship of rats and cows and the caste system to show how false beliefs lead to material and social degradation.

In what ways did the Reformation change Western culture, and what can we learn from that for today?

Context: Weaver explains how doctrines like the priesthood of all believers transformed work and society, suggesting a model for cultural reformation.

Do you agree with Weaver's interpretation of the Civil War as primarily a theological conflict? Why or why not?

Context: He presents the war as a battle between Northern humanism and Southern biblical Christianity, citing historical figures.

What does it mean to 'apply' theology to every area of life, and what areas might you need to examine?

Context: Weaver insists that truth unapplied is worthless and that believers must do the truth, not just know it.

How can the church reclaim its role in shaping culture without falling into political idolatry or retreat?

Context: He quotes Tom Ascol that reclaiming America requires reclaiming the church, and emphasizes the gospel as the only means of lasting change.

Applications

Recognize the spiritual war

Summary: Believers must wake up to the reality that they are in a constant spiritual and cultural war, and refuse to be entangled with worldly distractions.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We are at war... most Christians are absolutely AWOL... they've deserted the ranks of the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Guard sound doctrine

Summary: Christians must be vigilant to teach and uphold only sound doctrine, understanding that theological error leads to cultural decay.

Evidence: He expounds 1 Timothy 1:3-5, emphasizing the command to charge some that they teach no other doctrine.

Apply theology to all of life

Summary: Truth must be lived out in every area—family, work, government—not just intellectually affirmed; obedience is essential.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Truth unapplied is worthless... We must do the truth.'

Value children as blessings

Summary: Reject the cultural view of children as inconveniences and embrace the biblical teaching that children are a heritage and reward from the Lord.

Evidence: He quotes Psalm 127:3-5 and contrasts it with the modern despising of large families.

Reclaim the church for Christ

Summary: Cultural reformation begins with the church repenting and living out its theology; a revived church will inevitably impact society.

Evidence: He quotes Tom Ascol: 'Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ.'

Use the gospel, not force, to change culture

Summary: Recognize that military, political, or financial means cannot transform a culture; only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring lasting change.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ.'

Repent and return to biblical foundations

Summary: Individuals and the nation must repent and return to God's Word to see restoration, as promised in Isaiah 58:12.

Evidence: He cites Isaiah 58:12 and says, 'If we repent and come back, we shall build upon the old waste places.'

Fight for the faith

Summary: Believers are called to actively contend for the faith once delivered, engaging in the cultural and spiritual battle without retreat.

Evidence: He asks, 'Will we fight for the faith once delivered unto the saints to restore our culture and our nation?'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:07:38Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T06:34:25Z

Clean Transcript

Theology and Culture

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I want you to open your Bibles tonight, if you would please, to 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. I'm not going to be expounding this passage, but however, I'm going to use it for an opportunity to declare a single point tonight. I don't know if any of you ever got to hear Dr. Rushdoony preach. Anybody get to hear Dr. Rushdoony preach? Rush and I have been friends for many times. And many years and he was in our church and I was out there and he was in our home and I was in their home. And it's just unbelievable to hear the man preach. Now, I'm a little different than he is because he hardly ever preached over 20 minutes, 30 at the most. He was monotone. But I have seen teenagers and little kids as well as adults on the edge of the pew, holding on to absolutely every word. He had so much knowledge and could say so much in such a short period of time. It was unbelievable.
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But usually what he did in his preaching, he would take one point and just simply drive it home. And so that's what I want to do tonight. I want to just take one thought and push it home, and I hope those of you that were here for the entire conference, listening to all the preachers together, I want this point to be driven home, and I want to try to tie it together for you.
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So look in 2 Timothy 2, beginning there with verse 1. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, and he says, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." Now, notice if you would how the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to teach that which had been committed unto him to faithful men. He tells him to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And he says if you're really warring, you're not really going to entangle yourself with the affairs of this life, in order that you may please him who called him and chose him to be a soldier.
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The point I want to begin, is what I emphasized this morning, is that we are at war. Now that may surprise some individuals. But the truth of the matter is, we have been at war. We are at war. And we will continue to be at war. It was Solomon who wisely said in Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 8 that there is no discharge in that war. If you're a Christian, you're personally involved in a war whether you realize it or not. Your culture, your life, and your society, believe it or not, are involved in a war. And your culture and your society, believe it or not, is being deliberately undermined and destroyed. Revolutions are being continually planned and fomented and executed against God, His Word, and the Christian faith.
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And the sad thing is, most Christians are totally unaware of what is going on. In fact, most Christians are absolutely AWOL, that is, they are away without leave. They've deserted the ranks of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they simply decided they're going to sit very comfortably at home watching their TV sets and their ball games. I never will forget years ago, Pastor Bob McCurry called me and he said, "John," he said, "I have figured out a way to get thousands of men up in arms marching on Washington, D.C., ready to fire, ready to fight." I said, "What?"
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"You need to tell me about this." Well, he said, "It's very simple." He said, "No one gets upset over abortion anymore. No one gets upset over Sodom anymore or the corruption that's going on in this country." He said, "That's very simple."
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Now, he said, "My plan is this. If we can just get Congress to pass a law that will ban all balls of any shape or size," he said, "men will be in arms marching against Washington, D.C. within 24 hours." Now you just stop and think about that. You do away with golf, and basketball, and football, and baseball, and folks are going to be very, very upset.
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You have to ask yourself this question. Are things wrong in our society? Have our values, have our ethics, and our morality changed in your lifetime? If they changed, why did they change, and how did they change? What happened to our Christian culture? You know, it kind of seems as if everything changed overnight. At least it seemed that way with me. I was raised one way and all of a sudden everything is totally different. It almost seems as if we went to sleep at night and all was well and we woke up the next morning and society had changed for the worse and was heading to hell as quickly as it could travel. So why in the world has our culture changed?
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Do you realize anyone over 60, and there are some in this room, but anyone over 60 understands that our culture that we enjoyed as young people no longer exists. Anyone over 60 remembers a society that had a little more moral balance, at least when most country folks could quote the Ten Commandments. We remember when deals were sealed with a handshake. We remember when a man's word was his bond. We remember when divorce was uncommon and most children had a father and a mother. We remember when ladies dressed modestly and men were gentlemen. We remember when you did not have to guess at the sex of an individual whether or not he was a man or a woman. We remember when ladies dressed like ladies and men looked like men. We remember when teenagers and young children said "yes sir" and "no sir" and "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" not only to their parents but also to other adults as well. We remember when children could sit quietly while adults talked and visited. We remember when the father was the head of the house and when father and mother joined together in the discipline of the children.
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We remember when a lot of children wanted to do that which was right and obey their parents and honor the Lord. But you look around today in our society and our culture is not like that. Our culture has changed. And for the most part, most people do not understand how it changed or why it changed. And they just simply say this, "Well, things are different now." Well, things are different now. But why? The title of this message is "Theology and Culture." I want you to understand something. Our culture, our society has changed because our theology has changed. You're going to hear me say this probably 100 times tonight. So you might as well get used to it and you might as well underline it in your mind. Here it is.
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A theological change must precede a cultural change. Let me say this another way. You cannot have a change in culture unless you have a change in theology. If your theology changes for the better, then your culture and society is going to change for the better. If your theology changes for the worse, then your culture and society are going to be for the worse as well. It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to 1 Timothy chapter 1, and I want you to see what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy. It's very interesting. In 1 Timothy chapter 1, beginning there with verse 3, 1 Timothy 1 verse 3, Paul writes Timothy and he says this, "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine."
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"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." Now, the interesting thing is this, when Paul says in verse 5, "Now the end of the commandment is," what commandment? You haven't read the word commandment in this passage. He says this is the end of the commandment. What commandment is he talking about?
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Well, let me point it out for you. If you look in verse 3, the Apostle Paul said, "And I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine." The word "charge" there is the Greek word "parangelia," which literally means a charge or a command. So he says, "Timothy, I want you to command some that they teach no other doctrine. You command them that they teach only sound doctrine." Now, when you skip down to verse 5, he says this, "Now the end of the commandment," what commandment? The one that he gave in verse 3, the commandment to preach only sound doctrine. The end of that commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of good conscience and a faith unfeigned.
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Underline this in your mind, it is only a godly people that can produce a godly culture. It is only people with a sound theology that can produce a culture that will honor and glorify God.
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Now here is something that may be almost impossible for you to believe, but it is absolutely true. Believe it or not, our country, the United States of America, used to send missionaries and our foreign aid was tied to the gospel. If foreign countries wanted our financial help, they had to receive our missionaries. If they refused and rejected our missionaries, they did not get any help. In other words, our foreign policy was tied to foreign missions. Bluntly stated, let me put it like this, America used to send missionaries and now we send armies. We used to endeavor to change countries through the gospel. Now we seek to change countries by force and exploit their resources. There was a time in our country when those who were in government understood that you could not have a change in culture without having a change in theology.
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Some of you will remember a number of years back there was a movie made that was entitled "Black Hawk Down." It was a story of 123 elite United States soldiers that had been dropped in Somalia in order to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord. And there, after they got on the ground, they met a horrendous force of Somalis who were heavily armed. They were there; it was known as the Battle of Mogadishu and they were going there to capture Aidid and at least one or two of his lieutenants. Now that movie came on TV, I don't know, years I guess after it was made, and at that time we had a TV and I decided I'd watch it and I did, and I really was not that impressed although there was a lot of fighting in it. But about a year or so after that the movie came back on. And I decided that I would watch it again.
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And I was thoroughly and completely glad that I did. Because I saw something in that movie that I had missed the first time. A lot of those black helicopters, or a number of them, were shot down. Most of the pilots were killed. One was not. He was captured. And he was beaten viciously. And he was tied up, sitting up against the wall, and you could see all the black eyes and the cuts and the abrasions. And one of Aidid's warlords was just simply harassing him and haranguing him.
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And here is what he said. Now, I do not remember the first words exactly. I do remember the latter words exactly. But he said to that American pilot this. He said, "You stupid Americans. You think you can come over here and change us. You think you can come over here and force your democracy down our throats. You think you can come over here and stop us from killing when killing has been a way of life for a thousand years." Whoa.
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What did he just say? "When killing has been a way of life for us, for a thousand years." So let me ask you this question. Why was killing a way of life for the Somalis? The answer is because of their paganism and their wicked rebellion and their lack of a true biblical theology. Do you realize you cannot change a culture by force, by foreign aid, by politics, by diplomacy or being Mr. Nice Guy or Mr. Bad Guy. The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. If there is not a change in theology, there is not going to be a change in culture. If you want to improve a society, if you want to improve a culture, you must make and you must understand that the Word of God must have priority and that the Word of God must be taught and applied. Now, on the other hand, if you wish to destroy a culture, if you want to destroy a society, then all you have to do is simply deny and denigrate and disparage the teaching and the application of the Word of God.
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And if you don't believe that, just look what has happened to America. It's very simple. Have you ever asked yourself, why in the world did the Marxists, the socialists and the communists set their sights upon our seminaries and our churches? The answer is they knew that they could not capture a culture or society that held tenaciously to the word of God. The Word of God must be taken away, the principles must be taken away, if Marxism is going to succeed.
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It was Karl Marx himself who said that a people removed from their history are easily persuaded. But you know that same thing is true in regard to a people who are ignorant of the Word of God. A people who have not the truth or the knowledge of God, they're easily and quickly led into isms and schisms and cults and deception. An example of a wrong and pagan view of God is clearly demonstrated for us in the country of India. I want you to stop and think about India just for a moment. I want you to think about the thousands upon thousands of people that are absolutely destitute. I want you to think about the caste system. Do you realize that America has literally sent billions of dollars to India? Not necessarily in Federal Reserve notes, although I know they've gotten that, but we've sent wheat, we've sent grain, we've sent food. And do you realize those people are still poor and they're still starving?
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Have you ever wondered why? Well, let me tell you why. Because in India, the people there worship rats and cows. I have a video where you can see Indian women giving a bowl of fresh milk to great big old wharf rats. And as the wharf rats are eating the milk, the women are bowing down before them and praying to them. You look at the grain that they store, the rats go in, the cows go in and eat and defecate, germs are everywhere. Why?
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Because of their theology of reincarnation. Just stop and think about it. They're not going to kill a rat. It might be their ancestor, or it might be someone else that they know and they love. And do you realize all of the millions of Federal Reserve notes and all the millions of food that have been sent to India has not changed them one iota. The caste system is still there. The people are still poor and still dying, and let me tell you, I don't care how poor India is. I don't care how bad China is. I don't care how bad Africa is. You will never change any country, any nation, any culture without a change in theology.
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Do you understand America became great because of the grace of God and the Word of God? Our forefathers happened to believe the Word of God. They not only believed it, they applied it and they obeyed it in every area of their lives. And consequently, what has happened today, we've basically lost everything that they've given us. You know, the psalmist asked a question in Psalm 11 and verse 3. The psalmist asked there, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" And practically speaking, the foundations have been destroyed in this country, and they are being destroyed. Isaiah is the man who gives the answer to that question. Isaiah is the man who tells us that unless there is repentance and a return to God in His Word, there will not be any restoration. But he also tells us if we repent and turn back to God, yes, there is a restoration.
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In Isaiah chapter 58 and verse 12 he said this, "And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." Isn't that amazing? If we repent and come back, we shall build upon the old waste places. We shall raise up the foundations of many generations. We'll be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths of dwelling.
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I do not necessarily endorse Bill Bennett, but I heard him say on a talk show that America has become the kind of country that we used to send missionaries to. There is a missionary friend of mine in Peru, and the pastor of the church in Peru has just left that church so he can come as a missionary to America.
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Now, why has our culture changed? And the answer is because our theology has changed. Theology and culture go together. I told you the title of the message was "Theology and Culture." You know that theology is the knowledge of the doctrine of God. Theology is the study of God, what we believe about Him, who He is, His attributes, His worship, and His word. Culture is merely theology in action, in his religion, externalized. Do you realize you actually work out that which you really genuinely believe?
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In Proverbs chapter 23 and verse 7, the Bible says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." David said in Psalm 116 and verse 10, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." It's not just that you speak what you believe, you act out what you believe. And you may tell me that you believe one thing with your mouth, but your actions will belie you. Your actions will show that you really don't believe that, because if you really genuinely believed it, you would act differently.
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It was Martin Luther, the reformer, who said this. There are only two men in the world. Christ and Adam. And everyone else hangs from their girdles. What did he mean by that? You're either a Christian or you're a humanist. You're either in Christ and redeemed and are different or you're in Adam and you're lost. It has been said another way, you're either a follower of John Calvin or Jean-Jacques Rousseau. What does that mean? It means you're either a Christian or you're a humanist. It's always then said another way as well. You're either a covenant keeper or a covenant breaker. You're either Christian or you're a humanist.
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Do you realize that Western culture, and particularly American culture, was based upon the Word of God? We were called a Christian nation not because everyone in this nation was a Christian. But we were called a Christian nation because our nation was originally set up and we originally followed the principles in the Word of God. The precepts of God ruled our government and our actions and our thought. Now, have you ever stopped to think, well, how is it that our country was initially set up with biblical principles? Well, you have to understand one of the greatest illustrations of theology and culture can be seen in the Reformation.
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Europe was experiencing that which was known as the Dark Ages, and usually they say the Dark Ages lasted anywhere from 800 to 1500. It was ignorance, darkness, illiteracy, degeneracy, all of these things permeated during those years. The Bible was a suppressed book. Even some of the classical literature was suppressed at all. You did not read the Bible. The Bible was not even available to you. And do you realize if you were caught with a Bible or what we would call religious literature, or even if you were caught with classical literature, that was enough evidence to prove that you were either a witch or a wizard or a necromancer, and usually the Roman Catholic Church saw to it that you were burned at the stake.
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Well, in the providence of God, God raised up men like Martin Luther and John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli and Gutenberg. But it was John Calvin, particularly, that created the patterns of thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period. American culture, in particular, was thoroughly Calvinistic in some form or another, and at the heart of the way Americans think and act, and especially originally, you will find the handprint of John Calvin. It was the doctrines of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, the sovereignty of God, and the final authority of the Word of God that created what you and I would call a cultural reformation.
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Now, ask yourself, why did things change from medieval Europe to modern Europe? Well, the answer is this. Christians began to realize that all of their cultural activity was indeed part of their service to God in life. They began to realize, look, you don't have to go into a monastery or a nunnery to be holy. You don't even have to be in the clergy, quote unquote, to be holy and to be right. They began to realize, for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. No, no, no. You can't divide life like that. For the child of God, everything is sacred. And they began to understand that their normal, everyday occupations, and everything that they did every day, was a way that they could worship God and honor God, and they began to emphasize that everything was to be done for the honor and glory of God.
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Regardless whether you were a ditch digger or a preacher, it didn't really matter. Such thinking changed the outlook of individuals. It was the Reformation that completely and totally altered the medieval way of life in Western Europe. It had an impact not only upon European history, but our history as well. Because it was those Europeans who came to America that had been permeated with such biblical truth, and they had the principles in their lives, and it was those principles that undergirded our culture and our nation. And consequently, humanists have been attacking those principles ever since.
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Now let me just go a little bit further. I want you to think about theology and culture. There was another breach made in our country when one section of the country sought to destroy another section of the country. One of the most vicious attacks upon our Christian culture came before and during the War of Northern Aggression, sometimes called the Civil War. It was not a civil war. The Civil War really and truly is a war between one people. The War of Northern Aggression, sometimes called Lincoln's War Against All Christian States, was a war against the Southern Nation because the South had lawfully and legally seceded. So you had the Northern Nation and you had the Southern Nation. When you think about this war from 1861 to 1865, you can buy book after book on all of the aspects of that war. I've got 15 messages entitled "Where We Are and How We Got Here" concerning that war. I deal with economics of that war, I deal with the politics of that, I deal with all of that.
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But there's another message I deal with, and that is the theological aspect of that war. Do you realize most people have never ever looked at that war in a theological framework? C. Gregg Singer, in his book, "A Theological Interpretation of American History," said this, listen carefully. "After 1830, there was a growing philosophical and theological cleavage between the North and the South. While the North was becoming increasingly subject to radical influences, the South was becoming increasingly conservative in its outlook."
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Now, let me translate that for you. That means the North was consistently becoming more and more humanistic, while the South was becoming more and more biblical. You know, the South has often been referred to as the Bible Belt. That was not given to us as a compliment. That is what the North referred to the South as being the Bible Belt in a form of derision because the North considered themselves more rational and more enlightened and they were above believing such fairy tales as concern in the Bible. So the term Bible Belt was set to the South as a derision and as a mockery.
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It was James Henley Thornwell, Presbyterian author and theologian and pastor who said it very plainly. I want you to listen. Thornwell did not die until 1862, a year after the war had started. Here's what he said concerning the war. "The parties involved in this conflict are not merely abolitionists and slaveholders. They are atheists, socialists, communists, red republicans, and Jacobins on the one side, that's the north, and the friends of order and regulated freedom on the other, that's the south. In one word, the world is the battleground, Christianity and atheism are the combatants, and the progress of humanity is at stake." So here's Thornwell, he's saying, look, there's a religious aspect to this war. There's a theological aspect to it. A very clear understanding of the connection between theology and culture can be seen in the War of Northern Aggression. Many people have never perceived the consequences of a changing theology upon our culture. If you want to know when we lost our Republic, if you want to know when we lost our Constitution, if you want to know when we became an empire, just study the War of Northern Aggression, and you're going to find that everything changed at that particular time.
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You see, the North as a whole rejected biblical Christianity. They rejected the Bible. They went for what you and I would call rationalism, transcendentalism, and Unitarianism. And the elitist of those days were much like the elitist of our days who despised and refused anything that was biblical. Now, when I say that the North was mainly Unitarian and Transcendentalist and Rationalist, that does not mean that there were no Christians in the North. Surely there were Christians in the North. In fact, there were a lot of people in the North that totally sympathized with the South and held Southern ideals.
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And the Northern humanists then referred to them as Copperheads. In fact, I have a Northern friend in Wisconsin who portrays himself as a Union chaplain and on his tent he flies the stars and bars and down at the bottom of the tent is a picture of a copperhead snake because he is saying I understand and I sympathize with the South.
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Now I want you to see something. I want you to understand that here our country was divided. There is a book that I have often recommended. In fact, I quote a lot from that book in this series "Where We Are and How We Got Here." The book is entitled "Broken Nation, Broken Churches" by C.C. Goen. It is an absolutely fabulous book. And he shows, listen carefully, how our churches became broken and divided before the Union became broken and divided.
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Now, it may surprise you to learn that before the mid-1800s, there were no Southern Baptists. There were no Northern Baptists. There were no American Baptists. There were no Independent Baptists. They were just Baptists. It may surprise you to learn also, likewise, there were no United Methodists. There were no Southern Methodists. There were no Independent Methodists. They were just Methodists. Likewise, there was no United Presbyterian Church. There was no Associate Reform Presbyterian Church. There was no Free Presbyterian Church. They were just Presbyterians.
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Did you know that a division came into all the major denominations because of theological change. And that theological change was related to northern rationalism and humanism. Because the North was basically trying to force their theology upon the South. And when you examine the theology of the North and you see the theology of the South, that they were at opposite poles, very obviously, you're going to see that culture is nothing more than religion externalized.
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Now, the Presbyterians were the first to divide. Believe it or not, the Presbyterians divided in 1837, and then they divided again in 1857. The division was between the old lights and the new lights. And although there were some doctrinal differences, abolitionism is that which figured greatly in their divisions. And abolitionism was just simply trying to push the abolition of slavery by any means whatsoever. Take a gun, go down and kill all the Southerners, release the slaves.
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I mean, they didn't care. There were different kinds of abolitionism. But do you realize the Methodists then split in 1844, and the Baptist split in 1845. So that's when Southern Baptists became Southern Baptists in 1845. Churches began to split, and soon the nation was torn in two as well. So you have to ask, what happened? Well, there was a change in theology, and consequently, there was a change in culture.
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It was Thornwell and Singer who pointed out that when the North wanted to force its theological perspective upon the South, it not only led to denominational divisions, it led to civil and political divisions as well. Now, everyone in this room knows about Charles Hodge. Charles Hodge was the great Presbyterian teacher, preacher, but you know what Charles Hodge did? He blamed the division, not only in the churches, but in this country, upon the abolitionists. He said this, "Their stigmatizing of slavery as a sin and a crime must operate to produce the disunion of the states and the division of all ecclesiastical societies. We shall become two nations in feeling, which must soon render us two nations in fact." William S. Plumer, another Presbyterian pastor, theologian and author, said this right before the Presbyterian split in 1837.
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Listen to what he said. "Should the assembly legislate and decide that slaveholding is a sin, the southern churches would all feel themselves instructed by the Apostle Paul to withdraw from such, according to 1 Timothy 6 and verse 5. Thus our church would be rent asunder. Then nothing left except to rim the star-spangled banner in twain. Soon the hostile forces will be marshaled against each other and the Potomac will be dyed with blood."
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"Can it be that the righteous judge of all the earth has so dreadful a controversy with the Presbyterian Church of the United States as to give her up to the folly and madness of being the first to hoist the gate and let the flood of destruction roll in?" What is he saying? You have a division in the church, now there's going to be a division in the union. He said pretty soon the Potomac is going to be filled with blood. That was 1837. He saw exactly what was going to happen. James Henley Thornwell, known as the Calhoun of the Southern Church, said it like this in 1851. He said, "We are solemn and earnest, not only because we deplore a schism in the body of Christ, but because we deplore a schism among the confederate states of this union."
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"We declare our deliberate conviction that the continued agitation of slavery must sooner or later shiver this government into atoms. If slavery be indeed consistent with the Bible, their responsibility is tremendous who, in obedience to blind impulses and visionary theories, pull down the fairest fabric of government the world has ever seen, rim the body of Christ in sunder, and dethrone the Savior in His own kingdom. Or our country, our Bible, our interests on earth, and our hopes for heaven to be sacrificed on the altars of such fierce fanaticism. Slavery is implicated in every fiber of Southern society."
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"It is with us a vital question, and it is because we know that interference with it cannot and will not be much longer endured, we raise our warning voice. Listen, we would save the country if we could." That was 1857. He says the country is going to be destroyed. You see, all the theologians and pastors of that day understood that whenever you had a change in theology, you had a change in culture. They also understood that it would result in a change in government as well. Because when theology changes, culture changes. The schisms, the divisions, and war, and the loss of our Republic and our Constitution all came about because of a change in theology. You cannot change a culture unless you change its theology. And that change will be either for the better or for the worse.
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Now, I want you to stop and think with me just for a moment about some of the major changes that have come across in our country. You may not know all about the War of Northern Aggression, and that's fine. But just stop and think about some things today. First of all, I want you to consider the outrage of abortion. Do you realize in our modern society, abortion is just simply another form of birth control? That's how most people view it.
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It's no longer viewed as murder. No, it's just simply another form of birth control. It's no longer considered murder. Why has this happened? Well, there was an abandonment of the cultural mandate, the First Great Commission. And since that Great Commission in Genesis 1 and verse 28 has been abandoned, it has resulted in abortion, euthanasia, and genocide. It has also resulted in a despisement of large families. And it has led to the fact that we now have abortion as convenience and as a means of birth control.
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Do you realize there are too many Christians that view children as an inconvenience? Now I want you to stop and think. Those of us who are over 60, I could say those of us who are 70 and over, we remember when there were lots and lots of large families. Today, I know 4 or 5 families that have 10 or 12 kids, but not the average family. No longer any 10 or 12 kids. Why? Because too many Christians now view children as an inconvenience. And unhappily, the Christian view of children is usually reflected in the world's view of children. Because the world now sees children in the least as an inconvenience and at the best as a curse. We've turned from a theological truth into a pagan view.
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Now, I quoted this verse this morning. Let me quote it again. Here's what God said in Psalm 127, verses three through five. "Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." So God says children are a blessing, they are not a curse. I want you to listen to what Charles Haddon Spurgeon said concerning children.
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He said, "They are a token for good if men know how to receive them and educate them. They are doubtful blessings only because we are doubtful persons. Where society is rightly ordered, children are regarded, not as an encumbrance, but as an inheritance. And they are received, not with regret, but with reward. If we are overcrowded in England, and so seem to be embarrassed with too large an increase, we must remember that the Lord does not order us to remain in this narrow island."
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"But would have us fill those boundless regions which wait for the ax and the plow. You are even here with all the straits of limited incomes, our best possessions, our best possessions are our dear offspring for whom we bless God every day." Wow. Do you realize the reason we do not value children is because we've lost our theology? We've had a change in theology and consequently we have a change in culture.
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We no longer fight against abortion as a whole. Most Christians have come to accept it. Why? Because there has been a change in theology and consequently there's a change in culture. I will tell you this story. I want you to think next of the sodomite in the homosexual agenda in this country. My wife and I were married when we were 18. I don't remember exactly how long.
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It was at least a year, maybe two years into our marriage, that I even first heard of a sodomite. I didn't know what one was. I had never heard that term in my life. And when the man was telling me about the sodomites, I still remember my exact words. I looked at him and said, "Nobody is that stupid." Those are my exact words. "Nobody is that stupid."
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All you have to do is read Romans 1, verses 21 through 32, where God condemns it, where God gave them over. But you have to understand, to have such a perversion in society, you must first leave the Word of God in order to permit it, or allow it, or concede to it.
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Now today, it's not only endorsed, but it's financed by our government. It's pushed by our government. Why? There's been a change in theology. Consequently, there's a change in culture. You can never change a culture unless you change its theology. Look at our ideas toward debt. Look at our ideas toward everything that's totally unbiblical. Why? Because we've lost our theology. We've lost our Christian culture. We've lost our Christian government. We've lost our Christian heritage. Because we've lost our theology.
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Tim Baldwin, who is the son of Chuck Baldwin, who is an attorney, wrote an article on "Freedom Is for the Living." And I want you to think about what this man says. Listen carefully, because everyone that I talk to a lot of times about the problems in this country, they say, "Well, we just need to get back to the Constitution." Well, I'm not averse to the Constitution, and I will tell you this, if our government did come back to the Constitution, it may not solve all of our problems, but at least it would eliminate a lot of our problems. I understand that. But I want you to listen to what Tim Baldwin wrote. He said the reason we, or they, will never get back to the Constitution of 1787 is because those people, those principles, that culture, those times, that circumstance, those beliefs and those feelings are no longer accepted by most and are certainly not shared to unite the people of the states today. Do we expect that the representatives of those same disunited and diverse people will get back to the Constitution of 1787?
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The culture, morals, religion, education, priorities, families, and experiences of the people of 1787 do not exist today cohesively. That is a fact. What is he saying? It was the men and their beliefs and their theology that formed all of this. You can't find men today with those beliefs and that theology, that have those principles. Why is that true? Change in theology always precedes a change in culture. Since our theology has changed, so has our culture. It was John Adams who said this, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
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If you want what our founding fathers gave us, we must repent and believe and apply the word of God as they did. We can only change our culture by changing the theology of our culture. We have to understand something, folks. Ideas have consequences. When one begins to have an idea that is alien to the Word of God, that is alien to the truth of God, he's going to be shifting his life away from the Word of God. And invariably, there's going to be a cultural change in his life and in the lives of all those whom he affects. Do you realize virtue is absolutely necessary in a republic, and so is faith in the Word of God? Anything else is going to lead to despotism and tyranny.
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Rushdoony said this, "Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with the fallen world and Christ as the principle of that warfare. Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with a fallen world and Christ as the principle of this warfare." In light of that truth, the question is, will we fight for the faith once delivered unto the saints to restore our culture and our nation? We are at war, and as Solomon said, there is no discharge in that war.
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The long-term answer to the problems that we're facing is to have a complete Christian culture, a reformation of culture that provides a true alternative to the institutionalized love of death and culture that is founded in the public schools and in humanism. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 8, and let me show you something. Look in Proverbs chapter 8, if you would.
#66 | 52:37 to 53:08 | cleaned
There are two passages, two verses. If you understand these two verses, you will understand everything that I taught tonight. I want you to listen. George Orwell, in his book "1984," said this, and Orwell certainly was not a Christian, but here's what Orwell said, "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever." Wow. Why would he say that? I suppose he was a humanist. I really don't know whether he was converted or not, but he is certainly issuing forth a biblical principle on that point.
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If you look in Proverbs, chapter eight, at verses thirty five and thirty six, look what Jesus Christ says, Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. And in Proverbs eight, in verse thirty five, he says this, "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." All they that hate me love death. Do you realize that all that man can do apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word is produce a society and a culture of death? That's all. That's all.
#68 | 54:10 to 54:58 | cleaned
Why are we dying as a nation? Why are we dying in every aspect, in families, in churches, in businesses? Why are we dying? Because we love a society of death. Tom Ascol, who is the Executive Director of Founders Ministries, said this, listen, "All the calls to reclaim America for Christ leave me cold. Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ. When Christ is exalted in His church, when He is loved and revered and cherished with passion by those who bear His name." In other words, when the church starts living like the church, then His body cannot help but make an impact upon culture.
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And that is the truth. Ascol spoke the truth. If we're going to change things in this country, we have to change them by an application of the word of God. It's only theology that's going to change culture. It's only theology that's going to change society. And we need not just to be able to spout theology. If you have it just in your head, and can recite it backwards and forward, it does you no good until you apply it. Truth unapplied is worthless. Our Lord said, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." We must do the truth.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. What a task we have. As we view a dying culture, a dying society and a dying nation. We wish to be the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths to dwell in and to live in. Oh, God, help us to make our theology a living theology. One that's applied to every area of our lives. One that we know that we are pleasing unto Thee, and obedient unto Thee, and giving Thee worship, and praise, and honor, and glory. In Thy name we ask and pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:07:38Z

Theology and Culture

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver argues that cultural change is always preceded by theological change. Using 2 Timothy 2 and 1 Timothy 1, he contends that Christians are in a spiritual war and that a society's values, ethics, and institutions reflect its underlying theology. He traces America's decline from a biblically grounded culture to its current state, citing the Reformation's positive impact and the negative consequences of theological shifts in the North before the War of Northern Aggression. Weaver insists that only a return to sound doctrine and its application can restore a godly culture.

Introduction: A Single Point from 2 Timothy 2

Weaver introduces his approach of driving home one point, using 2 Timothy 2:1-5 to emphasize that Christians are soldiers in a war and must not be entangled with worldly affairs.

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:1-5

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully."

Christians Are at War

Weaver asserts that Christians are in a constant spiritual war, but most are unaware or have deserted their post, being distracted by worldly entertainments.

The Loss of Christian Culture

He describes the moral and social changes observed by those over 60, contrasting past virtues with today's cultural decay, and poses the question of why culture has changed.

Theology Precedes Culture

Weaver states his central thesis: a theological change must precede a cultural change. He supports this with 1 Timothy 1:3-5, showing that sound doctrine produces godly character and culture.

Underline this in your mind, it is only a godly people that can produce a godly culture. It is only people with a sound theology that can produce a culture that will honor and glorify God.

Historical Examples of Theology Shaping Culture

He gives examples: America's early missionary foreign policy, the failure to change Somalia by force, and India's poverty due to pagan theology, illustrating that only the gospel transforms culture.

The Reformation and American Foundations

The War of Northern Aggression as Theological Conflict

He argues that the Civil War was fundamentally a theological war between the humanistic North and the conservative, biblical South, leading to denominational splits and the loss of the Republic.

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:5

Listen to what he said. "Should the assembly legislate and decide that slaveholding is a sin, the southern churches would all feel themselves instructed by the Apostle Paul to withdraw from such, according to 1 Timothy 6 and verse 5. Thus our church would be rent asunder. Then nothing left except to rim the star-spangled banner in twain. Soon the hostile forces will be marshaled against each other and the Potomac will be dyed with blood." "Can it be that the righteous judge of all the earth has so dreadful a controversy with the Presbyterian Church of the United States as to give her up to the folly and madness of being the first to hoist the gate and let the flood of destruction roll in?" What is he saying? You have a division in the church, now there's going to be a division in the union. He said pretty soon the Potomac is going to be filled with blood. That was 1837. He saw exactly what was going to happen. James Henley Thornwell, known as the Calhoun of the Southern Church, said it like this in 1851. He said, "We are solemn and earnest, not only because we deplore a schism in the body of Christ, but because we deplore a schism among the confederate states of this union."

Modern Consequences of Theological Decline

Weaver cites abortion, homosexuality, and debt as evidence of a changed theology, and quotes Tim Baldwin and John Adams to show that the Constitution requires a moral and religious people.

Now, I quoted this verse this morning. Let me quote it again. Here's what God said in Psalm 127, verses three through five.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 127:3-5

"Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

So God says children are a blessing, they are not a curse. I want you to listen to what Charles Haddon Spurgeon said concerning children.

The Call to Reclaim the Church and Apply Truth

He concludes that reclaiming the culture requires reclaiming the church for Christ, applying theology to all of life, and recognizing that those who hate wisdom love death (Proverbs 8:35-36).

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:35-36

"For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death."

Theology and Culture

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82414162187
Subject	Christian Civilization
Course	Rebuilding Christian Civilization
Genre	Sermon
Date	2014-08-17
Dictation Name
Book	Book 062: Rebuilding Christian Civilization — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	71

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: A Single Point from 2 Timothy 2: Weaver introduces his approach of driving home one point, using 2 Timothy 2:1-5 to emphasize that Christians are soldiers in a war and must not be entangled with worldly affairs.
Christians Are at War: Weaver asserts that Christians are in a constant spiritual war, but most are unaware or have deserted their post, being distracted by worldly entertainments.
The Loss of Christian Culture: He describes the moral and social changes observed by those over 60, contrasting past virtues with today's cultural decay, and poses the question of why culture has changed.
Theology Precedes Culture: Weaver states his central thesis: a theological change must precede a cultural change. He supports this with 1 Timothy 1:3-5, showing that sound doctrine produces godly character and culture.
Historical Examples of Theology Shaping Culture: He gives examples: America's early missionary foreign policy, the failure to change Somalia by force, and India's poverty due to pagan theology, illustrating that only the gospel transforms culture.
The Reformation and American Foundations: Weaver explains how the Reformation, particularly Calvinism, created a biblical worldview that undergirded Western and American culture, emphasizing the priesthood of all believers and the integration of faith and work.
The War of Northern Aggression as Theological Conflict: He argues that the Civil War was fundamentally a theological war between the humanistic North and the conservative, biblical South, leading to denominational splits and the loss of the Republic.
Modern Consequences of Theological Decline: Weaver cites abortion, homosexuality, and debt as evidence of a changed theology, and quotes Tim Baldwin and John Adams to show that the Constitution requires a moral and religious people.
The Call to Reclaim the Church and Apply Truth: He concludes that reclaiming the culture requires reclaiming the church for Christ, applying theology to all of life, and recognizing that those who hate wisdom love death (Proverbs 8:35-36).

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Cultural change is impossible without theological change

Weaver argues that every significant cultural shift, for better or worse, is the result of a prior change in what people believe about God and His Word.

He states, 'It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology.'

America's decline is due to abandoning biblical theology

The loss of Christian culture, morality, and constitutional government in America is directly traceable to the rejection of sound doctrine and the adoption of humanistic ideas.

Weaver says, 'Our culture, our society has changed because our theology has changed.'

The Reformation demonstrates theology's power to transform culture

The Reformation shows that when biblical doctrine is recovered and applied, it revolutionizes every aspect of society, from work to government.

He explains that Calvin's theology 'created the patterns of thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period.'

The Civil War was a theological war

The division between North and South was rooted in conflicting theologies—Northern Unitarianism and rationalism versus Southern biblical orthodoxy—which led to denominational splits and national rupture.

He quotes C. Gregg Singer: 'After 1830, there was a growing philosophical and theological cleavage between the North and the South.'

Pagan theology produces poverty and death

Using India as an example, Weaver argues that false beliefs about God (e.g., reincarnation, worship of rats and cows) directly cause material poverty and suffering, which no amount of aid can fix.

He says, 'You will never change any country, any nation, any culture without a change in theology.'

The church must be reclaimed before the culture can be

Calls to reclaim America are futile unless the church first repents and lives out its theology; a revived church will inevitably impact culture.

He quotes Tom Ascol: 'Our real need is to reclaim the church for Christ.'

Ideas have consequences

Alien ideas lead to cultural decay; virtue and faith in God's Word are essential for a republic, and their absence leads to tyranny.

He states, 'Ideas have consequences. When one begins to have an idea that is alien to the Word of God... there's going to be a cultural change.'

Christians must engage in spiritual warfare

Believers are called to fight for the faith and not be entangled with worldly pursuits, recognizing that the battle is theological and cultural.

He cites 2 Timothy 2:4 and says, 'We are at war, and as Solomon said, there is no discharge in that war.'

Scripture References

2 Timothy 2:1-5: Weaver reads this passage to introduce the theme of spiritual warfare and the call to endure hardness as a good soldier, not entangling oneself with worldly affairs.
Ecclesiastes 8:8: Cited to support the claim that there is no discharge in the spiritual war Christians are engaged in.
1 Timothy 1:3-5: Used to show that Paul commanded Timothy to charge some to teach no other doctrine, and that the end of this commandment is love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith.
Psalm 11:3: Quoted to illustrate the question of what the righteous can do when foundations are destroyed, applied to America's moral and spiritual decline.
Isaiah 58:12: Cited as the answer to Psalm 11:3, promising restoration and rebuilding if there is repentance and return to God.
Proverbs 23:7: Used to support the idea that a person's actions flow from their inner beliefs: 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.'
Psalm 116:10: Quoted to show that belief leads to speech and action: 'I believed, therefore have I spoken.'
Genesis 1:28: Referred to as the cultural mandate or First Great Commission, whose abandonment has led to abortion, euthanasia, and a despising of large families.
Psalm 127:3-5: Quoted to affirm that children are a heritage and reward from the Lord, contrary to the modern view of children as an inconvenience.
Romans 1:21-32: Referenced as the biblical condemnation of homosexuality, showing that such perversion requires first leaving the Word of God.
Proverbs 8:35-36: Quoted to demonstrate that those who hate wisdom (Christ) love death, explaining why a godless culture produces death.
1 Timothy 6:5: Alluded to in a quote by William S. Plumer, who said that if the assembly declared slaveholding a sin, southern churches would withdraw according to this verse.

Historical References

R.J. Rushdoony: Weaver mentions his friendship with Rushdoony and describes his preaching style as monotone yet captivating, packing immense knowledge into short sermons.
Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down): Weaver recounts the movie 'Black Hawk Down' and a Somali warlord's statement that Americans cannot change their culture of killing, which had been a way of life for a thousand years.
Karl Marx: Weaver quotes Marx as saying that a people removed from their history are easily persuaded, applying this to those ignorant of God's Word.
Martin Luther: Weaver quotes Luther: 'There are only two men in the world. Christ and Adam. And everyone else hangs from their girdles,' illustrating the division between Christian and humanist.
John Calvin and the Reformation: Weaver credits Calvin with creating the patterns of thought that dominated Western culture, emphasizing doctrines like justification by faith and the sovereignty of God.
War of Northern Aggression (Civil War): Weaver argues this was a theological war between the humanistic North and the biblical South, leading to denominational splits and the loss of the original Republic.
James Henley Thornwell: Weaver quotes Thornwell's 1861 statement that the war was between atheists, socialists, communists on one side and friends of order on the other, a battle between Christianity and atheism.
Charles Hodge: Weaver notes that Hodge blamed the division of churches and the nation on abolitionists, quoting his prediction that stigmatizing slavery would lead to disunion.
John Adams: Weaver quotes Adams: 'Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'
George Orwell, '1984': Weaver quotes Orwell's dystopian vision: 'If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever,' as an illustration of a culture of death.

Important Quotes

A theological change must precede a cultural change.

This is the central thesis of the entire message, repeated multiple times to emphasize that culture is a product of theology.

It is impossible to have a change in culture without having a corresponding change and a preceding change in theology.

Weaver's strongest formulation of his thesis, asserting the absolute necessity of theological change for cultural transformation.

The only way that you can change a culture is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. If there is not a change in theology, there is not going to be a change in culture.

Clarifies that the gospel is the exclusive means of cultural change, rejecting force, aid, or politics.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

John Adams' quote supports Weaver's argument that the American system requires a virtuous, biblically grounded citizenry.

All they that hate me love death.

From Proverbs 8:36, this quote summarizes the inevitable outcome of rejecting Christ and His wisdom: a culture of death.

Truth unapplied is worthless.

Weaver's call to action, stressing that theology must be lived out, not merely known intellectually.

Men cannot find peace in Christ until they accept the necessity for war with the fallen world and Christ as the principle of that warfare.

A Rushdoony quote that reinforces the theme of spiritual warfare and the impossibility of neutrality.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways have you observed a change in culture during your lifetime, and how might those changes be connected to shifts in theology?

[Context]

Weaver asks those over 60 to reflect on how society has changed and implies that these changes are due to theological shifts.

[Question]

How does the command in 1 Timothy 1:3-5 to teach no other doctrine relate to the health of a culture?

[Context]

Weaver expounds this passage to show that sound doctrine produces godly character, which in turn produces a godly culture.

[Question]

Why do you think many Christians are unaware of or have deserted the spiritual war Weaver describes?

[Context]

He states that most Christians are AWOL, distracted by entertainment and comfort, and challenges listeners to consider their own engagement.

[Question]

How does the example of India's poverty illustrate the principle that theology shapes culture?

[Context]

Weaver uses India's worship of rats and cows and the caste system to show how false beliefs lead to material and social degradation.

[Question]

In what ways did the Reformation change Western culture, and what can we learn from that for today?

[Context]

Weaver explains how doctrines like the priesthood of all believers transformed work and society, suggesting a model for cultural reformation.

[Question]

Do you agree with Weaver's interpretation of the Civil War as primarily a theological conflict? Why or why not?

[Context]

He presents the war as a battle between Northern humanism and Southern biblical Christianity, citing historical figures.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'apply' theology to every area of life, and what areas might you need to examine?

[Context]

Weaver insists that truth unapplied is worthless and that believers must do the truth, not just know it.

[Question]

How can the church reclaim its role in shaping culture without falling into political idolatry or retreat?

[Context]

He quotes Tom Ascol that reclaiming America requires reclaiming the church, and emphasizes the gospel as the only means of lasting change.

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