Evil never goes away. Not now, while the world yet awaits her King’s return. Which is why we must denounce it at every chance.

After recent events in Charlottesville, many Christians became more concerned with society’s reactions to what they said (or didn’t say) than what they said.

Yes, it was a bit maddening when anyone who didn’t immediately denounce racism, and specifically white supremacy, after Charlottesville was vilified. It’s ludicrous to assume that anyone who doesn’t say “Nazis are bad” within an approved time-limit actually thinks Nazis are good. Denouncing evil just because people expect us to is wrong.

But not denouncing evil just because you’ve denounced it before, or think it goes without saying, is also wrong. Forget about what’s politically correct, what causes are en vogue, and what the world wants to hear. Think about the deception and false prophets of these last days. Think about the spiritual forces at work and the eternal souls at stake. Then denounce evil and speak truth at every opportunity.

The Existence of Evil Should Be No Surprise

In order to do that, we must first stop being surprised by the presence of evil in our modern society. Even the presence of certain brands of evil we thought largely extinct. After the “Unite the Right” rally on August 12, social media posts like the following were common:

It’s 2017! I can’t believe we’re seeing members of the KKK march in public!

We defeated the Nazis in WWII. How can Americans now wave Swastikas? 

The notion that we eradicated Nazi ideology with one world war is crazy. Yes, Allied victory in WWII changed the course of modern history. Thank God. But do we think the Germans invented anti-Semitism? Same with the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Do we think that America invented racism? That one war and one era of iconic protests would be enough to vanquish ugly prejudices from the hearts of fallen men?

It’s not that these battles didn’t matter. It’s just that they will have to be fought again, and again, and again, until Jesus Christ returns and the Enemy is forever destroyed.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our real battle is against that enemy. Against “spiritual forces of evil.” The Bible doesn’t say that such forces will be defeated by a world war or a march on Washington. Moreover, the Bible warns that evil will increase until Jesus returns.

This perspective doesn’t make ugliness of Charlottesville any easier to swallow. But it does make it a bit less surprising. It’s possible defeat fleeting human regimes that promote evil ideologies, like Nazism or white supremacy. But the evil that birthed those ideologies can only be eradicated from the universe once and for all by Christ himself.

Denounce Evil Every Chance You Get

It’s precisely because evil still exists that we must denounce it at every turn. It doesn’t matter if we’ve denounced it before. When Satan rears his ugly head, we must once more stomp it into the ground.

This isn’t about proving we are on the “right side” of human history. Satan does everything in his power, in the ticking time he has left, to deceive as many souls as possible. We can’t afford to be blase about rebuking him and his lies whenever we have the chance.

After Charlottesville, many churches, pastors and Christian leaders understood this. In addition to denouncing racist hate groups, Christians around the world shared what the Bible says about race and racism. It was a perfect opportunity to explain salvation, the gospel, and how true Christianity radically rejects the prejudices of the world. Vigilant Christians won’t let an chance like that pass by.

Today, it’s the popular thing to accuse everyone who doesn’t adhere to leftist ideology of being a Nazi or a racist. This is a frustrating and dangerous lie. Even more dangerous, however? Slacking off on calling out such evil where it truly does exist, just because of the whims of pop culture. Those whims are sure to change. But the true evil is not just a weapon of the fickle politically correct crowd. It’s real and it’s here, digging in its claws while it can. Any Christian who thinks otherwise is ignoring Christ’s warning in Matthew 24.

Christians must loudly, firmly, and consistently denounce evil whenever and wherever it appears. Souls depend on it.