Do we have to separate from other faiths over everything?

Do we have to separate from other faiths over everything?

Or is there common ground on which Muslims, Catholics, and biblical fundamentalists can work together?

I know that question sounds like heresy, but consider an article from the Washington Times on July 14 entitled Left’s Gender and Sexuality Agenda Sparks Pushback from Religious Minority Communities.

The article tells of events occurring in Montgomery County, Maryland, where a coalition of immigrants—Ethiopian Orthodox, Muslim, and South American Catholics—have joined together to fight Montgomery County Public Schools’ involuntary sex-ed program. Here are some of the things that they oppose.

Montgomery County Public Schools have been changing the sex-ed curriculum and adding books about homosexuality and gender identity to other parts of the curriculum. One required book is titled Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope. The central message of this book is that a girl can become a boy by identifying as a boy. The premise here is that each person has a gender, which is interior and known only to that person, and that this gender is undetermined by, and more important than, biological sex. . . . 

The pre-K material for the current sex-ed curriculum comes from the Human Rights Campaign, a far-left gay and transgender group. Pre-K teachers read Pride Puppy! to the class. The “Search and Find Word List” in the back of the book includes “intersex,” “drag queen,” “underwear,” and “leather.”

 These parents rightly believe that such a curriculum is a direct attack upon their faith and their culture. They have formed a non-profit called the Coalition of Virtue that was organized by Muslims but is designed to partner with other faith communities “with the intention of reviving the universally held virtues and morals of our country’s great faith traditions.”

In other words, they want people like us to partner with them. Can we?

Whether it would be wise or not is a question for another day. The question at hand is whether it would be biblically disobedient to partner on a political or social level with people of other faiths in facing our culture’s moral degradation. The biblical mandates for ecclesiastical separation must prove our response.

The gospel is at the heart of biblical separation. We cannot call someone a Christian brother who espouses a gospel different from what scripture portrays. However, in this case, we would not be calling people in these faith groups brothers in Christ. In fact, both we and they would acknowledge the significant theological differences that make worship and joint religious ministry impossible.

However, on limited terms, believers partner with unbelievers—even false teachers—all the time. We do it at work, in government, in the military, and as common citizens. Such secular partnerships are not only allowable but necessary as long as the message of the gospel is not confused and we do not profess eternal hope outside of the gospel to others. We could not exist in the world without such relationships (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).  There is a place to find common ground with others who believe differently when our interests align.

But does moral and political reform matter?

The morality of a society matters to God—enough for God to destroy cities like Sodom and Gomorrah. God cares about the morals of culture and He judges cultures for their abandonment of morality and justice. He judged Assyria for its violence, Edom for its treachery, and Babylon for its harshness to Israel. So, there is a place to stand for morality and justice in the culture.

But we also must remain vigilant.

It is possible to have a moral revival in a culture without having a spiritual one. We must never be satisfied with the former or stop pursuing the latter. True spiritual revival and sound theology are inseparable.

It is the tragic reality that two soldiers, who love each other and would sacrifice themselves for each other, can die in the same moment and one enter eternal punishment while the other enters eternal blessing.

Yes, win the cultural battles, but above all things win the soul.