Carl Trueman has a way of saying things. I love it. Not everyone will. But what he is saying in this article is important. It is essentially this:

The threat to religious liberty in the West (for example, the right to teach and practise traditional Christian ethics) remains. But there is another, perhaps greater, threat. This is to give in to the temptation to use worldly kinds of power to resist this threat to religious freedom. To join in the dirty political game currently being played. To compete for political or cultural power. But whatever political powers take charge (left or right), the job of pastors is to continue faithfully with the unglamorous and unseen work of caring for the flock, baptising people, preaching God’s word and celebrating communion, whatever the cost. The quiet routine of the church is to point people to the cross, share the gospel, and call people to repentance and faith. In comparison to the bravado of engaging in culture wars, this seems weak. But that’s the point. It is the way of the Cross. The way of power made perfect in weakness. It is ‘the Calvary Option.’ And the gospel is always countercultural. The church will often be despised and marginalised. It is just more obvious now (especially in the US, where Christians are struggling with this shift). But whatever is happening in the political arena, life goes on, the sun still rises and sets. And the gospel is still the hope for our world.

Of course, I think Carl Trueman says it much better. For example:

“The faithful Christian ministry is not very glamorous. It consists of baptizing, preaching, and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. It is about pointing people to a God on a cross whose strength, like that of his followers, is made perfect in weakness. Of course, none of this quite compares to engaging in an apocalyptic culture war or crushing one’s opponents or seizing worldly power by worldly means. So weak is it that it’s not even as glamorous as fantasizing about such things online. But that’s the problem with Christianity. It is routine. It is by turns foolish and offensive to those who look on from outside. Its weapons look ridiculously weak to the watching world. To repeat: The sun also rises and life continues for ordinary people at the local level, with all of its joys and its sorrows. People are born, marry, grow old, and die. And the gospel remains the answer. 

This is, of course, despicable. It is the work of slave morality, as Nietzsche would say. Indeed, one can hear the criticisms now: If the Calvary Option means that all the Church does is faithfully point people to Christ in word and sacrament, the world is going to crucify us. Quite so. That’s why it’s called “the Calvary Option.” “

Carl Trueman, ‘How Pop Nietzscheanism Masquerades as Christianity , First Things, 16/5/24

If you want to read the whole article you can find it here on the American Christian journal/magazine, First Things. Don’t be put off by the title of the article which is perhaps a bit too clever. It is worth the read.

First Things is an influential American journal that critiques contemporary culture from a theological and intellectually robust Christian perspective. You get 3 free reads per month. Some of the articles can be quite ‘heavy-going’ for the general reader but they are usually excellent and I always get something out of them. Carl Trueman, a Reformed, Christian theologian and writer, contributes regularly and never disappoints. The original article he refers to, entitled ‘The Calvary Option’, can be found here. It is brief and well worth the read.