Which came first, the law or the culture?
In a republic like America, laws are downstream from culture. Politics is somewhere in the middle. In other words, what the culture as a whole is valuing and promoting will make its way into politics and eventually into policy and law.
So, the pulpits trying to impact the law or change the mind of politicians is, in my opinion, too little too late. They key is to influence idea formation. Our culture is the beachhead of ideas. And the pulpit, at it’s most effective, speaks to culture as well as individuals.
Historically, in America and other countries, the pulpit has shaped the cultural conversation by lifting up truth for consideration. Truth produces shifts in thinking. Shifts in thinking result in cultural transformation. And a transformed culture demands certain realities, among them policy and law.
Sunday morning is more important than we think.