Well, good afternoon. Open your Bibles to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. Today we are going to be continuing the series that we started several months ago now at this point, examining the modern social justice movement. Specifically, this is going to be kind of a continuation of what we looked at last time, examining the twin ideologies of critical race theory and intersectionality. Although I guess if you watch MSNBC, it's not really needed anymore. We've been told reliably the last couple weeks that critical race theory doesn't actually exist, which I guess is comforting. I've read a lot of books I didn't need to read. While they're informing us that doesn't exist, they've also been telling us it's only taught in universities. And that while they're teaching it in universities when it doesn't exist, it's also only teaching history. So we shouldn't complain when they're teaching our six-year-olds as well. So I guess that's the bright side of the picture. But we're continuing to look at this aspect of the modern social justice movement. And today, I want to look at How should we respond to this as Christians? What is our response? Last time, we looked at what these ideologies are. Today, we want to look at what we should do in response to this movement. But first, let's look at Colossians chapter 3, and I'm going to read the first 15 verses. Colossians chapter 3. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth, for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these things, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth, Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him." And this is the key. Where? Where in Christ? There is neither Greek nor Jew. circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body and be thankful. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you have done an amazing thing in giving your son to be the savior of the world. Lord, we thank you that we have tasted of his good gifts of salvation. We thank you, Lord, that you have been merciful to us when we did not deserve mercy. We thank you Lord that in Christ there is abundant grace, grace greater than all our sin, greater than all the sin of all the world. We pray Lord that as we consider these worldly ideologies, these Theories and worldviews that seek to drive us apart, seek to cause division. Lord, may that not be so in your church. May you hold us together in that perfect bond of unity. Lord, may you guard your church, guard this people here. Help us, Lord, to understand and help us to be able to respond in a way that pleases you. In Christ's name, amen. So as I said today, I want to look at how do we respond to the modern social justice movement, particularly the issues of critical race theory and intersectionality. Last time we looked at those two core doctrines of the modern social justice movement, and I want to Briefly summarize what we looked at last time so we are all on the same page again as we get started. So first, a brief summary of critical race theory. Critical race theory or CRT is a development and an application of what is called critical theory to race relations in the United States. Critical theory is a worldview derived from Marxist thought. It is not merely an analytical tool It is a worldview derived from Marxism that divides the worlds into categories of the oppressed and the oppressor. And in this worldview, the oppressed are automatically granted moral superiority and thus are truly virtuous if we are to actually uncover what it means for there to be racial reconciliation. The goal of this worldview is to create conflict. Do not make any mistake about this. The goal is to create conflict. Critical theory develops from conflict theory, which is the idea that these groups must oppose one another until we reach a utopian state. The goal in critical race theory is to awaken the so-called oppressed classes and marginalized people so they can be provoked into action in order to overthrow the existing structures of society. Critical race theory, which began as a legal theory in the universities and in the academy, has the goal of uncovering what they assume are the racial prejudices that exist in our institutions in the United States. And last time, we summarized the main tenets of critical race theory as these four things. First, ordinariness. Ordinariness or normality. That is, racism is normal and ordinary. It is the way that every society, including ours today, functions. And it is ultimately inescapable, except through the work of social justice as they define it. So that's a first core tenet of critical race theory, that racism is normal, it's ordinary, it's inescapable. Second, convergence theory. And this is the idea that oppressors, whites in this case, only allow non-white people to have rights and privileges when it is beneficial to the white oppressive class. Thus, all the progress that we see that has occurred since the Civil War and since the Civil Rights Movement, all of that has actually just been a smokescreen. It has been no progress at all. It has actually merely upheld and propagated white supremacy rather than ending it. So convergence theory. Third, anti-liberalism. That is, when we say liberalism in this case, we're talking about the old traditional liberalism, the idea derived primarily from Christian philosophy as well as Enlightenment rationalism that's marked by an emphasis on individual rights, ownership of private property, the idea of meritocracy, that people deserve positions of power based on merit, not based on their family or things like that. Critical race theory is opposed to these ideas. It is an anti-liberal ideology. All these things, according to critical race theorists, are merely tools of the white supremacist oppressive class. And fourth, social constructivism. This is the idea that knowledge is based on one subjective experience in conjunction with those around them that share the same social class or same social group. And the purpose of this is that this socially constructed view of reality is used to build a new social narrative that drives the group's interaction with other groups. And it drives their motivation in seeking political power, in seeking corporate power, all these things. Thus the conclusion of social constructivism is that if a group perceives itself to be racist, or sorry, if a group perceives itself to be oppressed on racial categories, then they are oppressed. If they perceive it, it's so. No matter what another group says or no matter what the facts may indicate. If they feel it, it's true. So those are the four tenets of critical race theory. Now, second, Last time we also looked at intersectionality. And what is intersectionality? It is basically taking the same principles of critical race theory and applying it to other categories other than race. So applying these same principles to elements of identity such as gender, sexuality, body size and shape, disabilities, etc. Intersectionality supposedly is intended to examine how individuals can experience different and even overlapping oppression from majority groups based on differing elements of their identity. So, for instance, a black man is oppressed in his blackness, but he is privileged in his maleness. But a black woman is oppressed in her blackness and oppressed in her femaleness. And so on and on it goes, not just those categories but others, on and on, dividing into smaller and smaller niche groups until you have these small little pockets of isolated people who self-identify as being part of these groups, ultimately in a sad, never-ending race to see who can claim the most oppressed identities. And we may ask, well, why would anyone want to do that? Well, remember, in this ideology, the more oppressed you are, the more virtuous you are, the more moral authority you ought to have. And so those who have overlapping oppressor identities need to be quiet, just listen, and hand over any power you may have to those in oppressed categories. And that is why we have this drive for claiming more and more victim status, because that grants them greater moral superiority. Now, both of these ideologies, critical race theory and intersectionality, ultimately conclude that the only reason for differences in outcomes, because remember that's what the modern social justice movement is going for, equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity. The only reason for differences of outcomes, whether it's talking about wealth or happiness or health, the only reason for any differences among social groups is prejudice and hostility from those in power toward the oppressed. Therefore, the oppressed groups must receive special privileges in order to be put on even footing in outcome. And the privileged must be discriminated against. so that they no longer are privileged. All in the name of equality. So with this basic recap of these concepts in mind, I want us again to consider how do we respond to this ideology as Christians. And I think that to be able to fully respond to these things, we need to do two things. First, we must understand and we must point out the destructive consequences of critical race theory and intersectionality. We have to understand how this destroys everything it touches, and we have to be willing and ready to point it out. And secondly, we must understand and obey the biblical teaching on equality, justice, and impartiality. So first, we must understand and point out the destructive consequences of critical race theory and intersectionality. And I want to look at this in three settings, so to speak. The destructiveness to individuals, the destructiveness to society, and the destructiveness to the church. Firstly, the destructive nature of critical race theory to the individual. At the individual basis, you have only two categories of people in critical race theory. You have the oppressed and you have the oppressor. And it is destructive to both. Firstly, it encourages a victim mentality in those who have been labeled the oppressed. It creates a victim mentality. in those labeled the oppressed. A foundational aspect of CRT, as we looked at a second ago, is the unending, inescapable reach of racism. The oppressed are always oppressed and victimized no matter what they say, do, or think until the current system is overthrown. How damaging is this idea to those who are considered part of these groups? This will create, and it does create, a kind of paranoia with those who adopt this worldview. So they are constantly on the lookout for the hidden white supremacy that is unquestionably always at work around every corner. If you always believe that you are being discriminated against, and you're constantly on the lookout trying to find the ways that you are oppressed, how likely are you to put in the actual effort needed to change what may be going wrong in your life or in your family or in your sphere of influence in society. Constantly finding insults and hostility and prejudice in every interaction with those of another social group can never improve your situation. Constantly seeking to find how you have been wronged will only lead to you considering yourself a victim. It will not help you ever find a way to better yourself, to better your life, or to make a better world for your family. If you're constantly told that no matter what you do, you are a victim, no matter what you do, you are oppressed, how can you How can you function if that is what you are told every day? How can you possibly take the steps needed to change what needs to be changed? If one is always a victim, no matter what their choices are, why would they take responsibility for personal decisions? And this, I think, is one of the most devastating effects of this ideology. It robs people. of taking responsibility for their own choices. Those who adopt this ideology and they see themselves as perpetually oppressed abdicate any responsibility for their actions as an individual and collectively as groups. Nothing is their fault. They're only a victim. They cannot take responsibility because they are constantly the victim. And if you say, if we try and correct them, and if you tell the person who claims to be a victim of all these oppressive actions, if you tell them, well, you could have done this, you should have done this, you shouldn't have done that. If you point out all these things where they've made bad choices, now you're victim blaming. And so what hope is there? for the people who are labeled these oppressed groups. It offers no hope. It only encourages a victimhood mentality. Secondly, it encourages an unjust shame in those labeled the oppressor. If you tell the other group that they are forever and always racists and white supremacists, even if they feel no racial prejudice, what will be the outcome? Are we really going to have unity and reconciliation? Those who adopt this system, and they are identified as a part of one of the oppressive groups, if they're constantly hearing these things over and over that no matter what they do, they cannot escape being an oppressor, how much will that burden their conscience? How much will that harm them? with these accusations and slander leading to greater and greater shame and ultimately self-loathing. And I think we've all heard the stories, at least most of us have, of even young children going to school and coming home and asking their parents, am I a bad person because I have light skin? Or people in college, young white men in particular who go to college and they are told that they're evil simply because they're white and male. And they hate that they have white skin. They're ashamed of the body God gave them. How destructive is this? And if you think I'm being perhaps overdramatic, I assure you I'm not. For example, in February of this year, Coca-Cola had an employee training session on whiteness and its employees were encouraged to quote-unquote, be less white. And what does that mean? Well, being less white was defined as, well, be less oppressive, be less arrogant, be less certain. I have to ask, are you certain I should be like that? Be less ignorant and be more humble. And so if this is what it means to be less white, then what are we to understand being white entails? Well, obviously the conclusion is that white people are oppressive, arrogant, unjustly certain, ignorant, and proud. And if you're white, then that's simply who you are by virtue of the skin God gave you. And if you adopt this ideology and you're reminded of that day in and day out, what is going to be the result? unjust and inescapable shame and self-hatred. And it's evil. It's absolutely evil. In the book, Cynical Theories, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay observe Quote, it is bad psychology. These are not Christians, so bear with them, but they make great observations. It is bad psychology to tell people who do not believe that they are racist, who may even actively despise racism, that there is nothing they can do to stop themselves from being racist, and then ask them to help you. It is even less helpful to tell them that even their own good intentions are proof of their latent racism. Worst of all is to set up a double bind, like telling them that if they notice race, it's because they're racist. But if they don't notice race, it's because their privilege affords them the luxury of not noticing race, which is racist. And so those in these oppressor categories, if they adopt this worldview, they're being told, no matter what you do, You cannot escape being oppressive. You are racist no matter what you actually think, feel, or do. What will that do to the individual who believes this? It will destroy them. Secondly, we must recognize the destructive nature of critical race theory to society. And there are so many things I could have gone into here but I want to focus on one thing because it kind of encapsulates all of it. Critical race theory in society creates a new segregation. It creates a new segregation. Rather than creating unity and reconciliation in our society, this ideology causes a de facto segregation, where even if not actively enforced, there is a segregation in practice, if not required by law or statute. If the critical race theorists are right about the social groups in society and how they are irreconcilably divided into these two categories, how can there be anything but segregation? The division and splintering caused by this worldview necessarily leads to social groups dividing and seeking their own safe spaces. Why would someone who views themselves as oppressed by the white majority want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary with a white individual? Or on the other side, why would someone shamed into believing that their white skin inherently makes them evil and irredeemably racist ever want to be around their quote-unquote victims? Would it not be better to separate so as not to contaminate them or accidentally oppress them or offend them with microaggressions? So there is this de facto segregation of groups wanting to separate, but then this de facto segregation is also made explicit in some cases, often by rules and regulations of institutions of higher learning as well as by local governments. This is sadly becoming more and more common. particularly as more events are designed and labeled as black only or BIPOC, B-I-P-O-C, black indigenous and people of color only events. For instance, just last weekend in the city of Seattle, the Discovery Park hosted a quote-unquote BIPOC beach walk and they stated on their Twitter post advertising it, explore Discovery Park through an interactive beach walk to appreciate nature in a way that is culturally responsive to your experience as black, indigenous, or people of color. Open to anyone who identifies as black, indigenous, people of color. Universities, corporations, and even local governments are doing this. And it's not just weirdo places like Seattle. All in the name of creating safe spaces, free from the presence of whiteness. You only have to type in the letters BIPOC, BIPOC only, event into your search engine, along with the name of any university you can imagine. And I almost guarantee you, you will find at least one event, if not a series of events, that have occurred there in the last three to five years. And sadly, this isn't only in left-leaning cities or states. One of the most reliably read states in the country is Alaska. It's only voted once for a Democratic president since it's become a state. And in June, a local youth center made some headlines by holding a teen BIPOC-only event. And examples of this could be multiplied into the hundreds in virtually every state of the union. This ideology necessarily divides. It creates a new segregation. Thirdly, we must recognize the destructive nature of critical race theory to the church. If critical theory does this in society and it creates that segregation, what will it do to a church? It will have to do the same thing, because it is a worldview that touches every part of what you believe. If you adopt this worldview, you cannot take it piecemeal. It is all or nothing. And so what happens when it's brought into the church? Well, sadly, it's not only the pagans and the secularists who are guilty of this new segregation. In 2018, which I don't know if anyone else feels like this, but to me 2018 feels like a lifetime ago. It's been a very long three years since then. But at the Gospel Coalition 2018 conference, an event was held sponsored by a discipleship ministry called The Legacy. which was labeled the Legacy Women of Color event. So this was not only just for women, but specifically non-white women on a conference supposedly all about the gospel. In his book, Woke Church, Eric Mason argues that not only do the perceived racist institutions in our society need to be torn down, but simultaneously, distinctively black institutions need to be created. So the all white system needs to be torn down, but all black systems need to be raised up. And he's not just talking about secular institutions. The book is Woke Church. He is talking about even ecclesiastical institutions. He says, quote, I fear that if we partner with whites, they will find a way to subjugate blacks and make us dependent on them in a way that kills our freedom. Mason has also previously called for distinct black and white spaces at the Lord's Supper. Others have argued for the inherent goodness of all black churches while claiming at the same time all white churches are inherently wrong and evil. Some claim that if your theological reading is not balanced among ethnic groups, then obviously that betrays your latent racism. If your library at home is mainly comprised of dead white men, well, clearly you are a white supremacist. Never mind the fact, and it is a fact, I will argue with anyone who says it's not a fact, it is an absolute fact, that if you want to be good at theology, you will read mainly dead white guys. Okay? That's just simply a fact. The church, for historical reasons, was basically locked into Europe for the better part of a thousand years. Europe, in the Middle Ages, pretty white. the best theologians for the better part of a thousand years. White guys. Not because white people are better at theology, but because of how history worked out and where the church was and where the greatest minds in all of Christendom lived. They lived in areas where it simply was the majority of people were white. And so when I read Calvin, Owen, Watson, Edward, Sproul, Piper, any of these guys. I'm not reading them because they're white. I'm reading them because they knew and loved God. That should be the motivation for your reading, and don't let these so-called evangelicals tell you otherwise. On and on we could go about the destructive consequences of critical race theory, especially in the church, but hopefully this Just touching these three things, the destructive nature to the individual, destructive nature to society, and the destructive nature of critical theory to the church, have given you a glimpse of what this ideology does to every place and everything it touches. So, that is what this ideology does. What do we do? What do Christians do? Well, in order to properly respond to critical race theory and intersectionality, we must understand and obey what the Bible says about justice, about impartiality, about unity, and then simply about what we are as human beings made in the image of God. Biblical justice is defined as equal treatment under the law to be just God's sight just apply the law in a just way is what I mean the law must be applied impartially I'm not going to belabor this because I've talked about this a couple times already in previous ones but again just to to get it in our minds over and over again if you read God's law It is not just an offhand remark once or twice. It is over and over. God absolutely forbids applying his law in different ways to different groups of people. You do not apply the law in one way out of respect for the rich. You do not apply it another way out of pity for the poor. Crimes were to be punished equally no matter who committed the crime. That is justice. That is civil and criminal justice in God's sight. The law applies equally no matter the societal status of the criminal. And why does God's law require this impartiality? Well, it's because all human beings are equal in their nature and in their dignity. We are equal in nature because we all come from the first family, Adam and Eve. all human beings trace their lineage back to that first family. We are equal in our nature because we all come from the first husband and wife. And we are all equal in dignity because we are all equally image bearers of God. God made man in his own image and gave man dominion over the earth as an expression of that image. And that image, though marred and damaged in the fall, did not go away. It was not erased. That is the basis of civil rights. That is the basis of why we ought to treat people justly because every person is made in the image of God. Every person reflects the image of his creator or her creator. God gave man a unique dignity when he first created our parents and set them apart from the rest of creation. He gave them his image and gave them dominion. But ultimately, God has laid out the foundation for real reconciliation, real unity in the gospel. We've been in the book of Revelation and One of the most glorious pictures is in the book of Revelation. And John tells us that men from every tribe and tongue and people group all around the throne, a multitude that no one could number from every part of this globe, all before the throne of God, worshiping the one who sits on the throne because he has bought them with the blood of his son. That is real racial reconciliation. All people united in the worship of the one true God because they have been bought by the blood of Christ. And so men and women of all races, ethnicities, whatever division you can think of, equal in our nature, equal in our dignity, and equal in redemption for those who are redeemed. And so the church is to be a place of unity. It is to be a place of unity. Have you ever thought how the church is the undoing of the Tower of Babel? Man's pride and rebellion against God's commands brought about the dispersion of mankind and the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel. What happened at Pentecost? People from all these different nations and languages brought together to hear one message, one gospel about one savior. That's what we're still doing today. The church is the undoing of Babel. All those divisions broken down, brought together into one universal holy church bought by the blood of Christ. Man's divisions are ultimately all undone by the cross. And God hates any attempt to divide what he has united. So let's look again at Colossians chapter 3. Paul is teaching about what does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be a church? He starts out, if then you were raised with Christ, in other words, you have received this new life in Christ, what is the result? Well, you should seek the things that are above, seek the things of heaven, seek to submit your will to your Father in heaven. But he goes on, what does he say? Verse eight, but now you yourselves are to put off all these Anger, wrath, malice, and the New King James renders that blasphemy. I think it probably should be slander. It's the same word in Greek. Put off all anger, wrath, malice, slander, filthy language out of your mouth. Is there any greater summary of what results from critical race theory than anger, wrath, malice, and slander? That is the fruit of critical theory. We are to put off all these things. Why are we to put off these things? Well, because we are to do these things since you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him. The old you has died. You are a new creation. If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. That is what he is saying. You are being renewed in the image of him who created him. You're being renewed in the image of Christ himself. You're becoming like Christ. As we heard this morning, the gospel that saves also is the gospel that teaches. The grace that comes and pulls you out of the kingdom of darkness also makes you into the image of Christ. It makes you more like Jesus. And how do we become more and more like Jesus? What does it look like to become more and more like Jesus, putting off all these things? And in verse 11, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. What do we have here? We have several different couplets, pairs of two things that To put in our modern vernacular of when we're combating critical race theory, we could say these are racial divisions, Greek and Jew. Circumcised or uncircumcised, religious divisions. Barbarian, Scythian, political. Slave or free, social. All these divisions broken down, done away with in the church. The most fascinating one, I think, is the pairing of barbarian and Scythian. All these others are antitheses. Greek and Jew, they're opposites. Circumcised, uncircumcised, they're opposites. Barbarian, Scythian, not opposites. Scythian was an emphasis and even a step further. The Scythians were not cultured as opposed to barbarians. The Scythians were the barbarians of the barbarians. These were the most feared, hated people in all of Asia Minor. These were a vicious, bloodthirsty, warlike tribe. People in Colossae had probably suffered at the hands of the Scythians and their raids into the Roman Empire. People in this church may have lost loved ones to the hands of the Scythians, either through their swords or through their slave chains. And what does Paul say? Those divisions are gone. They're gone. How can they be gone, Paul? These divisions are so essential to who we are as Romans. They're done because you have a greater master. They're gone because of Christ. Christ is all and in all. Christ is everything and in everyone in the church. That's what he's saying. Is all and in all. He is everything and he is in everyone in that church. So it doesn't matter if your father was killed by a Scythian raider, the converted Scythian who sits next to you at the Lord's Supper is your brother. He has been forgiven by God. How can you not forgive him? Every event, every individual in the church is to be viewed through the lens of Christ and every event is governed by his sovereign hand and every person redeemed by his blood. That's what it means that Christ is all and in all. And so if that is true, What do we do? Paul says, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which you were called in one body and be thankful." Critical race theory hates all of that. The social justice movement hates the idea that we would bear with one another, that we would forgive. The modern social justice movement, critical race theory, intersectionality, they are built on unforgiveness. And rather than being thankful, they want you to be covetous. They want you to look at what others have and wonder why you haven't got it. There is no thankfulness in these systems, only grievances. So if all these things are so, that we read here in Colossians 3, what do we do? How do we respond to critical theory? Well, first of all, we reject any and all calls to label a group oppressed or oppressor merely on the basis of their skin color or their history. Rather, we call people to obey God. You may not show partiality. Repent. of your partiality. Seek true justice. Seek real reconciliation. We call those who are truly oppressive to repentance and obedience to God's law. We call those who are oppressed to look to the God of justice who saves the oppressed and establishes true justice in his law. We resist the new segregation that the modern social justice movement tries to enforce. Instead of seeking to isolate into separate groups, we happily and gladly see the image of God in each person we meet, and we love one another from the heart, and we live at peace with all men as far as we are able. We rebuke those who try to bring this ideology into the church. The cross is the place where all these distinctions that the world loves are removed and there is one body, one new man, united in Christ. We cannot allow these ideologies to come in. We live in such a way that our woke neighbors see how much better God's ways are. God's ways are the best ways. And if we truly believe that and we truly live out these things, we truly obey Colossians 3 and the other passages like it, then the failure of critical race theory and intersectionality and this dark, dirty, hateful worldview will be made all the much plainer. It'll be so clear, set against the bright, beautiful design that God has given us in his word. We obey what God says, we love one another, we forgive one another, we see Christ in our brothers and sisters. We put away all sinful anger, partiality, and division. And then we invite those who are caught up in this destructive ideology, we invite them to lay it down and to come to the one who truly brings reconciliation and justice. We go to those who promote this evil and we say, you want reconciliation? I do too. Come with me and I'll show you the one who brings reconciliation. You want justice? Well, let us bring you to the God of justice. The one who one day will make all things right, but now extends to you the hand of mercy. repent of building your own kingdom of victimology and grievances, turn to Christ and come to the kingdom of light and life in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we do. Let's pray. My father, we thank you for your word. Thank you, God, that you have given us everything we need. Oh, Lord, help us to not be held captive by these false ideologies. But Lord, may we seek to know you. May we seek to live according to your word. And God, may you be gracious. To your people, be gracious to this country, Lord, we pray that this evil. Would be overthrown. Lord, may you bring true unity to your church, and may your church be blessed in this world and make your gospel known. Lord, help us to be faithful. Help us, Lord, to put off all these sinful things and to walk in love toward others and toward you. In Jesus' name, amen.