In an essay published in the UK Spectator, Tim Stanley states: “Rights compete for privileged status in a liberal society.” That is quite an amazing statement and reflects the current reality in which the right to redefine one’s gender conflicts with a woman’s right to undress in a room reserved strictly for women. The question of whose “right” trumps someone else’s “right” is being determined by a progressively secular culture that tramples on conventional assumptions of what is acceptable.

Stanley’s point is that Christians must no longer assume they hold the moral high ground in the public’s eye. The mainstream will only tolerate Christianity so long as it remains a private matter that does not interfere with popular opinion. It really is interesting, and frighteningly so, that most of the people who think Bible-believing Christians are societal aberrations, won’t leave their house without reading the daily horoscope, believe that we evolved from monkeys or that the earth was seeded by aliens.

Apparently, no generation is any less credulous than the one before it. It’s just that each generation chooses to bow to their deity of their choice. Stanley points out the obvious: “We now live in a post-Christian society, surrounded by the archaeology of an almost forgotten faith.” As believers, we need to come to grips with the reality that we are now a minority in a predominantly secular culture.

What does this mean for you and me as followers of Jesus? It is our Christian duty to articulate to secularists how their own deeply held values do not fit with their views of the universe (i.e., the supernatural doesn’t exist and everything has an empirical, scientific cause)—and stem from a Christian worldview.

It is our Christian duty to articulate to secularists how their own deeply held values do not fit with their views of the universe—and stem from a Christian worldview.

As Tim Keller says in his talk Questioning Secularity, “modern secularism has gone back to the ancient view of the impersonal universe, and yet they still believe in human rights, human equality, emotions and deepest desires are important and need to be expressed, and human choice is really important. They have kept the Christian values and gotten rid of the view of the universe from which they came.”

He goes on, “For example, if there is nothing outside of life, how can you say any part of life is bad? Why is racism or trampling human rights bad? It’s completely arbitrary. ‘Man descended from apes; therefore, let us love one another.’ A Christian can say they believe in God who says we are made in His image and should love one another, and so it follows that we should fight for human rights. A secularist who claims human rights is a less rational position.”

You could also inform secularists that the concept of tolerance, which is highly celebrated, springs from the belief that salvation is a matter of free will. Or you might remind them that the horror of slavery was ended by those who believed all men are created equally in God’s image.

Considering the way other minorities have made their beliefs and positions known in the past will help us keep the truth before a lost and dying world. Historically, minorities have been loud and courageous groups, willing to sacrifice to get their message out. They have also used the courts to defend their rights as citizens. Learning to live as a minority calls believers to the same courageous lifestyle. Even if it means persecution we must be willing to pay the price. Remember, the Greek word “witness” in the New Testament, is “martyr.” So, let us not go quietly into the night, but boldly live out our faith in public as a true minority.

Click here to listen to Tim Keller's talk on Questioning Secularity.