As Carl Trueman on Reformation21.org and Al Mohler on almohler.com have pointed out recently, something is so fascinating with the recent wave of criticism by the left of Obama asking Rick Warren to perform the invocation at his inauguration (which I must give Obama credit on being a consistent relativist as opposed to others on the far-left): no matter how friendly, or nice, or palatable or seeker-friendly you make your message concerning what Scripture says about God’s Law or the Gospel itself, those who are unbelieving and God-hating, those who are adamantly opposed to what is said still view you as a crazy, fanatical nut.

Warren even goes so far as to be a middle-of-the-road kind of guy politically speaking, I’m guessing with the hope with bridging a cultural divide. Yet it seems to not matter to those who hate Scripture. Now Obama is receiving a backlash of criticism from the far-left gay rights community for asking Warren to do the prayer, as well as those who simply believe in the normalcy of homosexuality, because Warren believes it to be sin according to Scripture. And in doing so, they believe Warren to be a “fundeemeentaleest,” even though he has gone to great lengths to make his message more acceptable to a hostile, post-Christian (quickly becoming anti-Christian) culture.

What’s my point? The seeker-sensitive strategy/methodology simply doesn’t work on those who are dead in trespasses and sins. The methodology simply ignores the fact that we are all naturally God-hating and it is only the Holy Spirit who can change our hearts, not methods based on statistics. Just look at the criticism from the world. They think Warren is loony just like they think all Christians that hold to Scriptural authority are loony.

Maybe we should try God’s methodology in church and in public proclamation and just preach the Word in season and out of season, regardless of what worldly culture does or doesn’t want to hear, and thus get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit do His job in converting people. It seems even the world sees through the facade that is seeker-sensitivity and are viewing many Christians who hold to such methodology as simply not being forth-coming with their beliefs, like they are trying to hide them (which they are on many points of theology, not so much on other points).

This is not so much a criticism of Warren as it is a call for all of us evangelicals to move forward in our teaching and preaching, leaving behind these methods that simply don’t work. I say we just stand up with courage and say what we believe (from Scripture) without hesitation and let the Scriptures stand. Seemed to work for the Apostles (mainly because it is the Spirit alone who changes people’s hearts and saves them, not methods based on statistics). I believe it would work for us as well.