By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
As the Christian faithful begin the annual celebration of their holiest days, they continue to experience a growing offense and resentment directed at their holiest symbol: the cross. It is an offense to the natural mind, which is why our path as Christians is to help people be transformed from seeing the cross as an offense to receiving the peace, power and grace of the cross.
Unlike the war on Christmas, the war on the cross has seen very few defenders in the national media. That’s understandable. Many who rally to keep the Christmas traditions of today, from a traditional Merry Christmas greeting to a nativity scene at the mall, do not know the true meaning of the cross. Therefore, their silence regarding the cross is deafening to us now.
In recent years, we’ve seen the ACLU rally to remove the cross as it is displayed in the public arena. From the cross at a San Diego park in 2006, to the city seal cross in Tijeras, N.M., in 2005, to the cross on the seal of Los Angeles County in 2004, all of which were either removed or threatened to be, this concerted effort against the cross has been slowly succeeding in removing it from public life. Those fighting to remove this symbol must either fear the cross itself or are offended by it for unknown reasons, because they chose only to remove this particular religious symbol, while others were left alone.
Today, most evangelical Christians have a deep respect for the cross and would say it is their source of strength, hope, and yes, their very salvation. The cross is the apex of Christian ironies, that a man dying on a Roman cross those many years ago can be the very essence of power, peace and joy in life, yet, throughout history Christian believers have experienced all sorts of expressions of hatred, anger, persecution and even outrage over the cross of Christ. Sir Alfred Ayer, the Oxford philosopher, in an article in the British Guardian, called the cross, “intellectually contemptible and morally outrageous.”
While several misguided groups throughout history have distorted the use of the cross – some even trying to claim themselves as Christians – today we must look at the true meaning and help educate our modern society if we are to maintain our freedom to display our holiest symbol.
I say this because if we do not act today, how long will it truly be before removing the cross carries over into our private lives and land, and yes, even into our churches? While I have a deep respect for our Bill of Rights, I also know that in recent years our country has seen activist judges legislating from the bench and even turning to foreign law for answers. This is another reason our voices and votes count in America, and evangelical Christians cannot be silent this Easter season, or at the polls in November.
We must also be aware that even some who claim to be Christians have been infected by the virus of political correctness, and therefore they declare that the cross is obsolete in this culture and the concepts of hell and judgment are merely outdated ideas.
They are not far removed from the growing effort to remove the cross. It all makes sense to a humanistic, secular and atheistic mindset, since they are their own saviors; therefore, to them, no man who died on a cross 2,000 years ago can save them. We, however, know that he did and he can and he will.
The cross is not an outdated symbol. No matter what this world believes, the truth never changes. God does not change. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the miracle of His Resurrection and the glory of His Ascension are still as powerful today as they were that first Easter Sunday morning.
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Michael Youssef, Ph.D. is the author of “15 Secrets to a Wonderful Life” (FaithWords, releases March 18, 2008) and is host of the international television and radio show “Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.”
