David Bahnsen gave the commencement address at his daughter’s high school graduation. Late in the speech his emotions began to rise, betraying the deep conviction behind his carefully chosen words.
Bahnsen is a noted author, economist, and portfolio manager. He provides financial commentary on cable news shows. He is a committed Christian, and his content reflects that worldview. His speech decried the extreme negativity pervasive in culture. Then he said, “Graduates, for my entire life, I’ve encountered two types of people: those who build and those who destroy. God made you to be a builder. When we fall outside of God’s will for our lives, outside of our created design, we inevitably become a destroyer. You will not believe the misery found in destroying things.” With emotion he added, “But you will not believe the joy that exists in building things. Choose wisely!”
The Bible reveals that God invites us into His creative activity. We are made in God’s image with a charge to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Gen. 1:26-27). That gives us a role in His grand plan for humanity – building a community of people who know Him. God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself … We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:18-20).
God’s earthly purpose for Christians in building families, relationships, businesses, institutions, and organizations is to reconcile people to their Creator. Influencing the culture contributes to that purpose. In “Restoring All Things” (2015), Smith and Stonestreet propose some questions to help you and your church find your place in this building enterprise. Here are their four culture-building questions: What is good that I can promote, protect, and celebrate? What is missing that I can creatively contribute? What is evil that I can stop? What is broken that I can restore? To that list I would add, what are the deceptions that I can disinfect with truth?
Bahnsen closed his speech saying, “I want for you a life filled with extraordinary peace and joy.” Such is the life of a faithful builder.