The impact of the Christian message in American culture is quickly becoming marginalized. The narrative that created the culture which produced the constitutional republic we know as the United States of America, is rapidly being replaced by another narrative. Instead of recognizing we are a people created by God to glorify Him as stewards of His creation with honor, dignity and respect for His order and all people, we have jettisoned God as creator and denied His right to rule in the affairs of mankind.

As a result we have lost respect for each other as well as the laws that reflect God’s order in creation. Thus it is no surprise to see truth being trampled like dirt under our feet and “justice” being determined by those who have the power to control. After all, if we are simply a link in the chain of evolution, our overriding motivation is survival. The truth be damned; the “fittest” rule and mete out their interpretation of justice.

This is the cultural dilemma we face as Christians. There was a time when we felt in the majority, when the biblical narrative had respect, when it greatly affected the decisions made by leaders in the community. No longer.

It is easy to complain about being reduced to a minority. We can choose to withdraw and simply accept our minority status in an effort to survive, or we can accept the call to be missionaries to the culture in which we live.

Missionaries are people on a mission. They represent another culture, and they have been sent with the authority of their Lord. They have a message to proclaim that will create an alternate culture when embraced. They know going in that the prevailing culture will fight back. They are willing to give everything in the fulfillment of their mission.

Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, did not voluntarily go to Babylon as missionaries (Daniel 1:1-7). They were exiles there, but they refused to give up their own narrative. Babylon gave them new names (you may be more familiar with three of them as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego), offered them a new diet, and directed them toward a new kind of worship. But these four young men impacted the whole culture and affected history by displaying the lifestyle of God’s chosen people. Though they were called by their new names, they never gave up their true identity. They rejected the king’s diet and refused to bow and worship him. They did not fear the fiery furnace, and they came out of it without even the smell of smoke.

Just like Babylon, every culture seeks to conform the inhabitants to its mold. Those who fall asleep will be absorbed in it and face confusion as to their identity and purpose. Sound familiar?

The apostle Peter wrote to Christians in the first century who were scattered among unfriendly cultures. They were suffering persecution, and they were confused as to why. His first priority was to remind them who they were and what they were about, according to the narrative of the gospel: that they were selected by God and set apart by him to live in obedience to Jesus, thereby revealing a superior kind of life. Regardless of the suffering and pressure, they could still live with an “inexpressible joy.” (1 Peter 1:1-8) So can we. God has  always used the fire of suffering to purify faith; and the peace and joy His people exhibit in the midst of it has always proved attractive those who have no such hope.

We are not a minority, just trying to hold on and survive until we can become the majority once again. We are missionaries scattered among unfriendly cultures with a narrative of reality that will produce a lifestyle more precious than purified gold. Our culture is infectious and will overcome rivals just like light will overcome darkness. Get used to it. You are a missionary.