At the annual Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Kentucky, megachurch pastor Matt Chandler said he’s “deeply concerned” that Christian leaders today are more concerned with projecting a cool image than leaning into the Word of God.
“We’ve got a generation full of pastors, Christians and leaders who stay away from the moral imperatives of the Word of God for fear of the accusation of legalism,” he said. “Like the one thing we must not be, in a day and age where we must look cool and know what’s cool and communicate what’s cool, is be legalistic.”
Chandler pointed out that the world tells us that God’s command and authority threatens our autonomy. “Is this not the day and age in which men and women think no one knows what’s best for them, except them?” he asked.
The pastor went to Romans 12:2 (“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”) and explained, “One of the ways we show we are sons and daughters of God is there’s been an inward transformation that has lead to an external, outward transformation that the world finds peculiar.”
Chandler’s message went on to warn Christians that immersion in culture could lead to an attack on your soul. “Don’t play with lions. Eventually, it will turn and it will devour. We must embrace being the peculiar people we are. I have yet to hear the story of anyone coming to know Jesus Christ because the pastor knew a little bit about Game of Thrones.”
