Recent headlines remind us that the world is restless.
Social unrest, cultural confusion, and moral disagreement seem to surface everywhere at once. From protests in American cities to renewed debates over marriage, nationhood, and power, the questions before us are not merely political—they are spiritual.
In recent weeks, unrest in Minneapolis has again drawn national attention. Protests surrounding immigration enforcement, clashes between state and federal authorities, and public confrontations involving media figures and local churches have all contributed to an atmosphere of volatility. At the same time, national conversations about marriage and family have reemerged, as advocacy groups revisit the legacy of Obergefell v. Hodges and its effects on children and society. Meanwhile internationally, renewed discussion about US influence and territorial ambition has surfaced alongside broader questions about empire, sovereignty, and global responsibility. And most recently, revelations involving elite corruption and long-suspected abuses of power have once again reminded the public that injustice often operates behind closed doors.
Scripture prepares us for this. Nations, cultures, and peoples are not accidents of history. God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God” (Acts 17:26–27). When societies lose sight of God, they do not immediately lose their moral instincts. Instead, those instincts become disoriented. What once flowed from gospel conviction often reemerges as guilt-driven activism, misplaced compassion, or attempts to repair the world without addressing its deepest need.
Moral Obligation Without the Gospel
Recent unrest surrounding immigration enforcement, public protest in Minneapolis, and humanitarian rhetoric highlight a persistent reality in the modern West: a deep sense of moral obligation that remains even as the gospel that once gave it meaning has faded.
Western civilization was shaped for centuries by a Christian understanding of moral duty. Scripture taught believers that they were debtors to the nations, obligated to proclaim the gospel and to love their neighbors sacrificially (Romans 1:14, 2 Corinthians 8:9). Charity, hospitality, and concern for the vulnerable were woven into the fabric of Christian societies.
But when the West began to abandon Christianity, it did not abandon this sense of obligation. Instead, it detached it from the gospel. Moral concern remained, but without clear purpose or direction. In many cases, missionary zeal was replaced by political or military intervention. Evangelism gave way to foreign adventurism. The impulse to “do good” persisted, but the reason for doing so was forgotten. Toxic charity emerged as a result.
This helps explain why modern conflicts often oscillate between outrage and guilt. Compassion untethered from truth cannot sustain cultures, families, or nations. Scripture reminds us that genuine love is not self-expression but self-giving, most clearly displayed in Christ’s sacrificial death for sinners (1 John 4:9–10). When love is redefined apart from the cross, it may sound humane, but it ultimately harms those it claims to serve.
Marriage, Love, and Cultural Memory
On the homefront, as national conversations once again circle around marriage, family, and the legacy of Obergefell v. Hodges, it becomes clear that today’s disputes are less about policy and more about competing definitions of love itself.
The renewed attention given to debates on marriage illustrates this clearly. For centuries, Western societies understood marriage as a public institution ordered toward children and stability. That consensus eroded rapidly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, not because love suddenly became more important, but because love was redefined.
The slogan “love is love” gained moral authority precisely because it borrowed Christian language while severing it from Christian meaning. Ancient societies practiced sexual immorality without pretending it was moral progress. What is new is not sin, but the moral flattening of every institution in its name. Christianity taught the West that love mattered supremely. Secularism retained the language of love while emptying it of its biblical substance.
Nations, Empires, and God’s Purposes
Current debates about global influence and territorial ambition raise another enduring question: are we meant to live as nations, or as empires?
Scripture consistently distinguishes between the two. While God judges the pride and cruelty of empires throughout redemptive history, he also affirms the existence of nations, peoples, and languages as part of his design (Genesis 12:1–3, Acts 17:26, Revelation 7:9). Nations are the basic geopolitical units of Scripture, distinct communities seeking God within defined boundaries.
At the same time, Christianity has often advanced within imperial contexts. Roman roads carried Paul’s missionary journeys. Later, global trade routes and political stability allowed the gospel to spread across continents. Empires carry both danger and opportunity. Influence does not justify injustice, but it does create responsibility.
Wherever power exists, the church is called not to dominate cultures but to bear faithful witness. The hope of the world is not found in exporting political systems or reshaping societies through force, but in proclaiming Christ and making disciples among all nations. As long as the United States continues to exercise outsized influence in the world, may Christians here be marked by an equally outsized commitment to faithful gospel witness among the nations.
As long as the United States continues to exercise outsized influence in the world, may Christians here be marked by an equally outsized commitment to faithful gospel witness among the nations.
Conspiracy, Corruption, and Christian Confidence
Scripture is also realistic about corruption among the powerful. Psalm 2 tells us plainly that rulers conspire against the Lord and his anointed. Ephesians 6 reminds us that our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil.
Recent revelations about abuse, secrecy, and moral compromise among elites should not shock Christians. The Bible has always taught that sin concentrates where power goes unchecked. Yet Scripture never calls God’s people to fear or despair. The early church lived under regimes far more hostile and corrupt than most believers experience today. Still, through prayer, truth, righteousness, and gospel proclamation, the church endured and grew.
Christians did not overcome by panic, obsession, or withdrawal, but by faithfulness.
Why Missions Still Matters
As a missions agency, ABWE exists because the world’s deepest need has not changed. Political solutions may restrain evil for a time. Cultural reforms may bring temporary order. But neither can reconcile sinners to God.
Jesus commanded his church to make disciples of all nations because “all authority in heaven and on earth” belongs to him (Matthew 28:18–20). History is not drifting aimlessly. It is moving toward Christ’s promised triumph. Until he returns, the church labors with confidence, trusting that God is at work among the nations and that the gospel remains his power for salvation (Romans 1:16).
In unsettled times, this confidence anchors us. The world may be restless, but Christ is reigning. And the task he has given his church remains clear.
