A year and a half ago, I wrote a post about how, in our churches, we needed to take a stand–not for what we’re against, but for what we’re for.

But as my husband and I were talking a few weeks ago about how to really change the culture, he hit on this again. And I realized that the thoughts I’d applied to our churches can–should–be extended to a whole lot more. Bear with me as I try to reason through my thoughts on this.

As an author, my thoughts often start with books (go figure, LOL). “What,” people ask over and again, “is Christian fiction?” And some definitions will be all about the negative–what they don’t have. Christian fiction doesn’t have sex scenes. Doesn’t have bad language. Doesn’t have…

True. But it’s a whole lot more than that. Christian fiction has a faith thread. Christian fiction is about how ultimately our stories are incomplete until they include God. Christian fiction is about seeing His love for us play out in a fictional world.

It’s not enough to write a book that lacks bad things. We need to write books that have good things. Good writing. Solid characterizations. Intriguing plots–what all good books need. Plus. Plus faith, plus Truth. Plus the Lord. Christian fiction needs to be more, not less, to be successful.

Because we’re never going to reach a hurting world just with messages of No. People don’t ever want to subscribe to the negative–they want something to believe in, not something to be against.

Let’s look at the culture for a minute, and where secularism seems to be winning. First example–the abortion question. I noticed when I was just a kid that both sides phrased their stance as a Pro. Pro-Choice, Pro-Life. No one is ever going to call themselves Anti-Life or Anti-Choice. Right? Because that’s by definition negative.

But what about the actions both sides take? Protests–protests are all too often negative. They’re protesting against something, not for it. And I honestly think this is when they fail. Because though we call ourselves Pro-Life, let’s face it–far too often we’re just anti-abortion. Which means we don’t have in place the things that affect a positive change–the clinics and support groups and counseling and open arms–so much as a willingness to speak against abortion and call it criminal, to denounce anyone who would consider it, to name the evil. This is what leads to abortion clinic bombings…and gee, I don’t think that gets us a whole lot of points with people of different opinions, does it? It doesn’t convince anyone to change their mind. All it does is convince people that we’re irrational and against free will.

Where Pro-Life really shines is when we share the heartache of the girls and women, when we offer love instead of judgement. But all too often, they don’t get that from our side. They get it from the Pro-Choice side. How topsy-turvy is that?

That is, though, just one example. There are so, so many more. So many times when Christians just take a reactionary stance. Where we take a stand…against. Against homosexual marriage. Against abortion. Against the removal of the Ten Commandments from public places. Against the removal of prayer from schools.

And each and every one of those stances have failed. Why? Because we’re not standing for anything.

Why aren’t we more often, publicly, taking a stand for? For forgiving sinners. For offering second chances. For teaching our children right from wrong. For proving that the hard thing is often the best thing. For demonstrating that we’re stronger, better with God than on our own. For covenants. For bonds. For families. For community.

That’s a whole lot harder. It means giving of ourselves. It means offering help to people. It means sacrifice. It means danger. It means persecution.

It means changing the culture.