James 1:17 - "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

This month for our unity meeting we had Diane Gramley from American Family Association come and share. She gave some background on the organization and then started sharing about issues that face us locally and nationally.
Locally Diane has been working to inform city councils that they can have an ordnance concerning adult bars and bookstores. In Titusville the ministerium has been working toward this goal. At their monthly meeting pastors looked over the wording of a proposal that will be going to our city council within the next few months.
The issues that face the church in this millennium are not new. Families have had to deal with an aggressive world ever since the beginning. Media has introduced a greater challenge though. Through TV, movies, and music seeds are being planted every day that desensitize this generation.
This is what brought the "need" for a film like "The Passion of the Christ". The current generation was not moved by the story of Jesus, they needed to see it in living color, in every detail. The film touched thousands of lives and I remember the push by churches to get people to see it. The tragedy was in the need for graphic violence in order to get the unchurched to look our way. I understand reaching the world, being current, and in touch with our times. But the question must be asked: How far are Christians willing to go to reach a "lost and dying generation"? The Bible is filled with violence and war. Are we to take those parts of scripture and parade them in front of the unchurched or unsaved in the name of evangelism?
This may not be a popular point of view. I am a come-as-you-are pastor as much as the next guy. I believe that we need to reach the lost, but at what cost? Preaching Jesus has worked for centuries. The Gospel offers much that this world needs to hear. How to live as Christ-Followers, who to marry, how to vote, how to raise children, how to handle money, and list goes on. If we are to impact the generation that God has placed us in it will only be through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This is not an anti-relevant ministry article. I am praying that the church will not buy into the smoke, illusion and drama to become another side show. Our quest for relevance is how we show the average American family the importance of having Jesus in our lives. How have we changed? How do we approach the struggles of life? Is being a good person all it takes to spend eternity with our Creator? Ask these questions of yourself every day and encourage someone else to journey with you.