The third level is the church, about which Evans has some hard things to say. “The biggest problem in the culture today is the church,” Evans says. “We wouldn’t even have a racial crisis in America if the church had not failed to deal with this sin like God calls it in his word. Because it passed is off, ignored it, and even promoted it, we still have this division in our culture. Don’t expect God to fix the White House if he can’t even change the church house.”
Churches of different demographics shouldn’t just get together for joint services, Evans explained, even though that is good to do, too. A more pressing issue is to address the problems of inequity—whether they be racial, economic, related to healthcare, or opportunity. “The church needs to speak,” Evans believes, “not from a political platform, but from a biblio-centric platform.” And Evans believes the church should protest evil “in a righteous way.” But then we must act, because if we don’t act “all we did was have a speech.”
The fourth and final level is the community – We have a duty to “challenge our civil leaders on all levels of government to be agents of healing and not division.” Evans believes we need to hold civil leaders accountable so they “speak in such a way where unity is reinforced and not divisiveness, that the words that come out of their mouth and the way they say the words that come out of their mouth must be words of strength and kindness—not vitriol and meanness.”
Evans believes that if we can come back to God’s standard in these four areas, “then he [God] can feel comfortable to get back in the midst of us and make us repairers of the breach and healers of the land.”
This Is How You Can Be a Part of the Solution
Echoing his belief that to simply discuss these systemic problems our nation is facing is not going to produce change, Evans said this whole thing needs to start with prayer. Not just any “God help us” prayer, either. Evans instructed viewers to start by repenting of the ways “we have failed to do what [God] says to do, the way he says to do it.”
“We realign ourselves under his authority while we’re pursuing a relationship with him where his word can overrule our ideas, perspectives, and agendas. And then, he will listen to your prayers because you’re praying like he wants you to pray, not like you want to pray,” Evans said.
Secondly, when we protest unrighteousness, we should do so with “truth, love, and clarity.” Evans said that protest is “absolutely biblical.” He gave the example of Paul protesting in Acts 16 when he’s unjustly detained. Paul complained “both biblically and civilly that that was illegal,” Evans explained.
Finally, we need to act in order to be a part of the solution. The best way to reconcile is through service, not just having discussions and seminars, Evans emphasized.
This is where the church can really step it up, Evans believes. “The church needs to stand up against corporate sins and systemic sins. If we come together with unity of purpose not uniformity of persons.” This might look like a church adopting all the public schools in its community and ministering to the at-risk schools, especially. If every church adopted a homeless family, homelessness could be eradicated “overnight,” Evans said.
Evans did not mince words when he described the current situation in the U.S. as “a cultural pandemic.” “We’re seeing the devolution of our society,” Evans continued. Despite the dire warning, though, Evans’ message is hopeful and practical. The truth is, there is a lot any one of us can do in this moment in history. A good place to start, as Evans mentioned, is to pray. And then find someone different than yourself and you and that person go help someone worse off.
