TO DIE OR NOT TO DIE — THAT IS THE QUESTION
- May 29
- 2 min read
COMMENTARY
By David W. Virtue, DD | www.virtueonline.org | May 29, 2026
Most pastors and priests are cowards. They will speak of sin in the abstract, in safe generalities, but never name it.
When did you last hear a priest rail against materialism? You won't — because his biggest financial supporters are wealthy parishioners whose money keeps the lights on. Rail against pride? Never — not when personal success is the American sacrament. Mention homosexuality? Expect to be denounced as homophobic, uninclusive, and bigoted until you repent of your supposed prejudice — or your congregation walks. Address women's ordination? You'll be told you're excluding half of God's creation, never mind that the Church declined to embrace it for two thousand years. We have progressed, after all. It's the enlightened 21st century. And always remember: when people leave, the plate empties — and possibly your salary with it.
Adultery is the safe target. Easy applause. But when did you last hear a preacher take on what Jesus actually said about lust in the heart? Not a word from the pulpit. Philip Yancey wrote about it. Your pastor won't.
I call this spiritual cowardice.
What is truth worth? Is it worth compromise? Scorn? Unemployment? God has promised to make a way for those who stand for truth — even when you can't see one. You've preached dozens of sermons about trusting Jesus with your soul, your salvation, your future, your daily bread. Now you're being tested. Do you answer with silence?
C. S. Lewis saw it clearly in The Screwtape Letters: "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."
No one ever said dying on a hill was pleasant. Jesus didn't. He that would lose his life for my sake and the gospel will find it.
Churches that refuse to die on hills will die anyway. The liberal American church, in all its manifestations, is dying precisely because it compromised on human sexuality. Inclusivity, false compassion, and therapeutic affirmation were deemed more important than the plain scriptural truth that God created human sexuality as a male-female binary. That bargain is now on full display.
One day you will stand before the Creator of the universe and give an account of your stewardship. The only question is whether your answer will survive His scrutiny.
END
Snow Rider thrives on a sense of progression. With every playthrough, players react a little faster. They observe a little better. And they remain a little calmer as the speed begins to pick up.
I was very involved in Episcopal churches in the northern Virginia suburbs near Washington DC for many years. I was not a Christian when I began attending. After conversion and salvation I stayed extremely active in evangelism, prayer, Bible study, children's ministry, missions. The key in any Church is sharing the gospel, conviction of sin, personal discipleship. The Church is a hospital for sinners (like me). The problems in the world are the product of sin. There will be no healing without first coming to the cross in repentance.
David, the trouble with many preachers is that they stay with biblical exegesis and have little or no application. The churches that are growing deal with the human condition with all its challenges and failings. Every preacher should read Carl Trueman's book, THE DESECRATION OF MAN (see my review on Amazon or at tedschroder.com.
Almighty and everlasting God, who alone workest great marvels; send down upon all bishops and curates and all congregations committed to their charge, the healthful spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly please Thee pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.
O Almighty God, the Giver of all good gifts., Who of Thy divine Providence hast appointed divers orders in Thy Church; Give Thy grace, we humbly beseech Thee, to all those who are called to any office and administration in the same, and so replenish them with the truth of the doctrine and endue them with innocency of life, that…
David has put his finger on a question every priest, pastor, bishop, and Christian must eventually answer: What am I willing to lose for the sake of Christ?
Every age has its forbidden truths. Every generation faces pressure to remain silent about something. The temptation is rarely dramatic. More often it arrives as a quiet suggestion to soften the message, avoid the controversy, or wait for a more convenient time.
Yet the history of the Church was not written by those who sought comfort. It was written by saints, martyrs, confessors, and faithful pastors who understood that Christ never promised safety, only faithfulness.
The irony, as David observes, is that a Church willing to surrender truth in order to survive…