Natan Sharansky argued that Western democracies could not compromise on their defining values in an article printed in the Wall Street Journal a few years ago. The democracies must never give up their national identities in favor of the generic approach popular in the postmodern world. In that generic approach to national identity, the democracies of the European Union are now turning a blind eye to the application of Islamic cultural norms in favor of "underage marriage, genital mutilation, and honor killings." The vapidity of European culture is inviting these Islamic incursions. Mr. Sharansky suggested that Western democracies will begin to take their national and democratic identities much more seriously as they see their unique and genuinely free ways of life threatened by their own weakness ("Democracies Can't Compromise on Core Values," WSJ).

Perhaps the Christian churches should also pay attention to Mr. Sharansky's warning. Many churches have been giving up the church's core values in favor of the values of the world that surrounds them. It was certainly thought that the church could invite many more people into its community if it showed some openness to the world's views. Most American denominations are headed down a path that has shown more of that "openness." On one extreme, churches have attempted to placate the world's fleshly ways by encouraging and blessing immoral sexual relations; as though the freedom given in Christ is really about sexual liberation. Other churches, while attempting to hold the line on moral issues, have soft-pedaled doctrinal distinctives such as the doctrine of the holy Trinity, original sin, repentance, the divinity of Christ, real presence in the holy communion, or the doctrine of justification by faith. As much as we might deplore the openness to immorality in the sexually promiscuous churches, a far worse problem is the rejection of basic Christian theology. Such "openness" to the world implies being closed to God (Jam 4:4). The churches cannot stand in the world and on the truth at the same time. Ultimately, openness to the world results in complete defection from the church as is now happening in the old line liberal churches as a recent NYT article shows (See "After a Crisis of Faith, a Former Minister Finds a New, Secular Mission").

"Since we preach the Word of God, we staunchly maintain that God has called us. These two facts are entirely logical: that those who preach the Word of God must necessarily be sent by God; and, conversely, that those who are sent by God cannot proclaim anything but the Word of God. It is impossible to derive the Word of God from reason. It must be given from above. Certainly, we do not preach the human wisdom of philosophers, jurists, medics, or of any other profession. To be sure, we are conversant with the arts of poets, philosophers, and jurists; yet we do not preach about them. We are also acquainted with all the doctrines of the papacy and of the monks. Still we proclaim nothing that was born of our reason.

"A different dominion was assigned to reason, namely, over the fish, the birds, and the beasts, as we see in Genesis 1 and 2. Whatever you may do in that sphere is agreeable to me. I stand ready to appoint you and reason to be rulers and regents. I will let you decree, if you deem it proper, that an acre of ground be appraised at four guldens and that a bushel of grain be priced at so and so much. I am ready to yield you the privilege of fixing the price for a house or for clothing. Reason holds sway in all law books, in all arts and trades, in laws, in courts of justice, etc. Into these areas we do not trespass with our sermons. All this properly belongs in the realm of reason. Politicians must reign over cities and country and people.