"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power" (1 Corinthians 4:20).

Not far from where we live is the Cleveland Dam. It is not a big dam as dams go, but to peer over the top and watch the water plunging what must be hundred of metres to the canyon floor below still sends a tingle of terror down my spine, no matter how many times I’ve looked at it.

As Christians contemplate the future of their faith in Canada, for many it is also like peering into the abyss. Faced with the dual prospects of same-sex marriages being allowed and a bill making it a "hate crime" to say anything less than positive about homosexuality—including from the pulpit—many Christian leaders are all of a sudden vowing to go to jail rather than act contrary to their convictions.

Respond to threats

The above Scripture verse was part of a passionate message I heard by one of these leaders in attempting to answer how Christians ought to respond to these threats. It got me thinking.

By "power," Paul undoubtedly means the redemptive power God promises to His people in 2 Chronicles 7:14; for example—that if those "who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

But what does he mean by "talk?"

One possibility is our inclination to vent our anger or frustration about a particular situation. That generates more heat than light. Yet "talk" could also signify something much more useful and necessary.

Let me suggest that the Church—as it has always done—embodies the "power" of the Kingdom, while "talk" stands for the parachurch, organizations that articulate and defend in the public square faith-based positions on matters of social policy.

Not the same

They may share a common ground, but they are not the same. I remember when I worked for one particular parachurch organization that when a disturbing development occurred, Christians would call up demanding to know what we planned to do about it—as if the onus was solely on us to defuse the situation.

What they seemed not to realize is that the parachurch depends on the people in the pews for its clout in dealing with governments and courts.

But Christians can also let their "righteous indignation" over the rising tide of immorality overwhelm their core mandate to be a beacon of hope to all, including homosexuals.

I recently heard a Vancouver pastor worry that his witness to two gay men, one of whom is dying of AIDS, would be ruined if his denomination went on record decrying the homosexual lifestyle. How could he credibly extend to them the love of Christ, he asked, if they thought that the church of which he was a part "hated" them?

But others say we have a mandate from Jesus to be "salt and light" in the world, and so we have no choice but to express ourselves, even if some will be offended.

So how should Christians respond to these troubling events? Yes, we must speak out with truth and boldness. We need the parachurch to do some of our "talking" for us and provide the facts necessary to help us explain our stance to the broader community.

But much more than that, we need the church to remember that its true "power" is spiritual, not political.

"I’m convinced we don’t do enough prayer and fasting," says Pavel Reid with the Archdiocese of Vancouver. "A lot of individual Christians are real prayer warriors, but as a corporate body, we by and large give only lip-service. Maybe this will wake the churches up, that we need to take spiritual warfare a lot more seriously."

To that end, our prayer for Canada should be the same as Isaiah’s for Israel: "Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before You! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make Your name known to Your enemies and cause the nations to quake before You!" (Isaiah 64:1-2).