In the late 1960s, the United States sent one of the most powerful armies in history to Vietnam. The army had the best fighters and equipment to fight and win a conventional war similar to the war it had won in World War II. It had armored divisions, coordinated air campaigns, and battle plans to defeat a traditional enemy. But Vietnam was not that kind of war. Instead of large-scale formations, they faced guerrilla fighters who blended into villages, disappeared into the dense jungle, and waged a war that was as political as it was military. Despite superior firepower and battlefield victories, the U.S. struggled strategically. The result was exhaustion, frustration, and eventual defeat.
For Christians we can learn from this lesson in history. As we have seen in our Image of God and Sanctity of Life series to begin this year our calling is to be Image Bearers of God who impact the world by spreading Kingdom Culture—living out the Gospel in our everyday lives. If the church enters the public square as though it is in a conventional culture war, seeking to defeat political opponents or gaining power by any means necessary we may enjoy some victories but the end will be defeat. Scripture reminds us that our struggle is not against “flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). The real battlefield is spiritual and the weapons of the kingdom — prayer, truth, love of enemy, witness, and sacrifice — are not the ones the world expects because the church is seeking to build a Kingdom Culture that this world does not know.
The Bride does not fight to defend the Bridegroom’s throne; she prepares herself in faithfulness, patience, and love
Culture is more than politics or social trends. It is the shared way a people live, a shared set of values, who they collectively worship, and how they understand what is good and true. It not only impacts patterns of life like attending church on Sunday but also what people within the culture see as beautiful and praise-worthy. It shapes the stories we tell, the laws we pass, and what we celebrate. In the Bible, we see Kingdom Culture form wherever God’s people live under His rule. In the early church in Acts 2:42–47, after Pentecost, believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. They shared possessions, cared for the needy, worshiped all under the authority and care of the King, Jesus who was risen.
The kingdom culture that valued generosity, unity in Christ across social class, joy in suffering, and worship of Christ stood in contrast to the Roman Empire, which valued power, hierarchy, and worship of the emperor. The early church did not dominate Rome through politics or a culture war but by embodying the culture of their King. So as Christians who want to see Christ reign we must fight the right battle with the right end in sight. So how do we ensure we fight the right battle? Let’s listen to our King and gain wisdom.
The Image of God is most clearly displayed not in power, but in Christlike character that shows conviction with compassion and proclaims truth shaped by humility.
Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36) so our primary threat is not cultural decline but the decline of dependence on our King. The church has survived emperors, revolutions, persecutions, and moral collapse before. What it cannot survive is prayerlessness, Wordlessness, and a neglect of the ordinary means of grace. God does not depend on the church to secure his Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not fragile, nor is Christ awaiting our strength to accomplish what He has already guaranteed by His death and resurrection. The risen King advances His rule by His Spirit and through His appointed means. The church is the Bride, not the bodyguard. The Bride does not fight to defend the Bridegroom’s throne; she prepares herself in faithfulness, patience, and love, trusting that her King is more than able to defend His own crown. Our task is not to seize power for Christ, but to reflect Him — confident that the victory of the Kingdom rests in His hands, not ours.
Culture wars also tempt us with the same hypocrisy that Jesus rebuked in religious leaders when he said “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:19). It is possible to advocate for righteous laws and yet have unrighteous hearts. We can dominate cultural conversations and still fail to reflect the image of the God we claim to represent. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were deeply concerned with moral order, yet Christ rebuked them because their zeal lacked mercy, humility, and love. Kingdom Culture is not merely about doing what is right but having a heart for God and neighbor. The image of God is most clearly displayed not in power, but in Christlike character that shows conviction with compassion and proclaims truth shaped by humility.
So let us resist the temptation to fight a culture war with worldly weapons. Let us instead build Kingdom Culture. Let us be a people devoted to prayer, saturated in Scripture, faithful in worship, joyful in generosity, bold in witness, and marked by love — even for our enemies. When we live this way, we display something the world cannot manufacture: the image of God restored in Christ.
