David Brooks wrote an insightful op-ed piece in the New York Times on June 30, 2015, entitled, “The Next Culture War.” He began the article by writing, “Christianity is in decline in the United States.” However, his main point is that Christians need to refocus their energies in areas where they can actually make a difference.

This has been our consistent message from the beginning, namely: No matter how we got into the current situation, the only solution is to disciple our way out. Making disciples is God’s designated way to release the power of His gospel on every problem we face – whether poverty, racism, abortion, same-sex marriage, ISIS, corruption, government ineffectiveness, federal deficit, or you name it.

There’s a wonderful illustration in the social sciences about a villager who goes down to a river one day for water. The villager spots, and rescues, a drowning baby floating down the river. The next day the villager returns, and there are two drowning babies floating down the river which, again, he rescues. The next day there are four, and the next day there are eight. So the villager recruited other villagers to join him at the river’s edge to rescue drowning babies. This went on day after day after day, but no one ever asked, “Why are the babies in the river?”

If we go back upstream to find out why we are having so many social, moral, and even fiscal problems, we will in virtually every case find a man who failed because he didn’t know how, or have the power, to do the right thing – which is exactly what discipleship teaches and trains.

Treat the symptoms, of course. But most of today’s solutions are like trying to reset broken bones with band aids.

“Disciples making disciples – starting at home” is the only proven way to win this, or any, culture war. If we really want to win “the next culture war,” let’s make disciples. It’s the one thing that will most make a difference 20 years from now.

Until every church disciples every man…

Patrick Morley, PhD Founder and Chairman, Man in the Mirror