Lutheran Life in ‘The Negative World’: Holding to the Gospel in a Shifting Culture

By Scott Adle

Aaron Renn’s Life in the Negative World has spurred many Christians and Christian leaders to think again about a question that is old, yet perennial. Perhaps it could be summarized as: “What is the way forward in this culture for the church, and for us as Christians?” The italicized bit is what has gotten Renn traction. His framework posits that something has changed in our culture over the last few decades, and that the ways we do things should perhaps change too.

An Age of Shifting Values (Like Every Age)

Living as a public Christian is (in some ways) easier when the society around us roughly thinks along Christian lines, even if they may not sit in a pew on Sunday mornings. If people more or less agree that the Bible is God’s Word; that He gave us life and saves us through His Son; that the Commandments are the correct way to live one’s life; that the Christian sexual ethic is best for men, women and children — that makes living together as neighbors easier.

This is not where we find ourselves today. These principles are no longer agreed upon. Instead, basic tenets of Christianity are seen by many as threats to the way people want to live — and thus as backwards, even evil.

If our neighbors think Christians are operating upon evil assumptions, as many Americans now think, living together gets harder. This is what Renn calls “the Negative World.”

Yes, this is a generalization. There are still plenty of places, especially in the rural Midwest where many LCMS congregations are located, that could be described as “Neutral” or even “Positive” toward the church. But when you turn on the national news media, see the output from Hollywood and major publishers, or hear what is taught at colleges, it is clear that these institutions no longer share Christian values. Indeed, it now goes beyond not sharing those values — many of them are willing to state that Scripture’s teachings are wrong.

Broadly speaking, Renn’s framework seems to correctly reflect what Christians have experienced in late 20th- and early 21st-century America. Anyone over the age of 40 has probably thought something like, “American culture’s attitude toward the church does not feel the same as it did when we were growing up.”

And so, the question becomes: What does this cultural shift mean for each of us as Christians, and what does it mean for us collectively as the LCMS?

First things first, let’s be clear: We do not have to fear what is coming. Even in a Negative World, God is still in control, Christ has atoned for our sins, and our eternal future is not in doubt. Nothing about these truths has changed. They are the foundation upon which we live. We do not operate from fear, but rather from the certainty of God’s love for us in Christ.

We also need to remember that although we have not faced this before, the church has faced this before. The first 300 years after Jesus’ resurrection could also be described as a Negative World, yet Christians in that time fought the good fight and remained faithful. God has placed us here and now that we may fight the good fight here and now.

Navigating the Negative World, as Christians and as a Synod

With that said, let’s look at how and why the Negative World affects us. Firstly, we need to recognize that earthly matters matter. We are bodily creatures who live and work around other people. When society changes for the worse, it affects us. Our changing culture puts pressure on individuals and families and can affect us economically. Further, the surrounding culture shapes how we think, which can lead to confusion on core issues, even among devoted Christians.

This matters because problems in these areas are reasons people may leave the faith. Stress over a lost job, disagreements between family members, peers thinking ill of us because of our Christian values — these pressures can affect us physically, mentally and spiritually. So, earthly things need to be taken seriously. Ignoring them will not make the problems go away.

Instead, we should face today armed with the Word of God. The Scriptures have several verses of encouragement for Christians in such situations: God’s Word takes these temptations seriously and encourages Christians to keep the faith. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The Scriptures are very realistic about the trials and evils Christians will face in the world. They are also very realistic about the hope that Christians have in a God who can work all these things, even the bad stuff, toward our good. “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28).

Since we know this, we can live our lives not out of fear, but out of thanks and love. We do not behave as the world does. “All of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8–9).

On an individual level, we are called to live this way not only when times are good, but also when they aren’t. Renn discusses this in terms of Christians being “obedient.” We are called to live as God wants us to live, not just as we see everyone else doing (Acts 5:29).

Collectively, as congregations, districts and a Synod, the LCMS is uniquely blessed. Our history begins with our Lutheran ancestors striving to be faithful, even to the point of moving and starting over elsewhere. Once settled in America, they did not assume that others would do the work of raising up the next generation for them, so they set up not only churches, but also schools.

As a result of this work of our forebears, still today the LCMS has many schools across the country — in fact, we have the second-largest parochial school system in the country, after the Roman Catholics. This kind of “ownership,” as Renn calls it, is a great asset in the Negative World. Running our own schools means that we are in charge of what our children learn, not reliant on someone else to teach them for us. These schools may also provide a shelter for others when they realize the Negative World, and the “freedoms” that it offers, don’t produce the fruits they were promised. When we are faithful to God, we shine as light in a dark world (Matt. 5:14–16).

Light in a Dark World

Most importantly, in our churches we must continue to boldly proclaim the Word of God: both Law and Gospel. This is how God strengthens us and brings others to faith. This is how God calls out to a sinful world — with a call to repentance and the forgiveness and salvation found in Christ. If we give this proclamation up in our churches, schools and individual lives, we have nothing to offer the world except another opinion.

Again, the future of the church is not in doubt. However, even Luther pointed out that there is no guarantee that the church is going to exist in any specific location (like your town) forever. Luther compared the preaching of the Gospel to a rain shower, which falls in one place for a while, then moves to another. If we do not find it valuable and don’t prioritize handing it down to our children, it will pass on.

As a Synod, we need to think about how to carry on in a Negative World. How do we prioritize our dollars and efforts to make ourselves more resilient and take more ownership? How can we draw our top talent to preach and teach, rather than watching them go after other careers? How do we be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” while operating in a Negative World (Matt. 10:16)? Our answers may be different than 40 years ago.

Let us pray and work to fight the good fight here and now in this Negative World — which is still the world for which Christ died.

This article originally appeared in the February 2025 issue of The Lutheran Witness.

Cover image: Getty Images.