In a sense, many of today’s conservative Christians have an inferiority complex.

Just mention higher education, the mainstream media, or the political dynamics of any major city in the U.S., and you’ll likely be met with a series of sighs and slow head-shakes about how rigged everything seems to be against conservative voices.

Honest academics are being attacked for speaking their mind.

The media is making lethal use of its “power to ignore.”

Many major cities in the U.S. are run by leftist administrations who dominate dissenting voices and push forward with the next wave of absurdity.

To be fair, much of this is true, and many conservative Christians do indeed live at a distinct disadvantage when they want to get their voice out. And, sick of it all, many are tired of suffering and have decided to just pack up and leave, usually heading for red states or more rural areas.

It sure seems a lot better to start over in Idaho than continue to suffer through the stupid politics and high cost of living in Chicago, doesn’t it?

Because the decision to move is a highly personal and situational one, I’m careful to refrain from making blanket statements that praise or condemn the decision universally. I’m sure moving “back to America” is exactly the right choice for many people. But it may not be the right choice for everyone.

Here’s an alternative perspective to consider.

Currently, there seems to be a dominant train of thought among conservative Christians: “escape.” We need to flee the liberal madness—so our vote actually matters, so our property taxes are lower, so our kids can have a more sane childhood. And there’s definitely a place for that.

But one train of thought I don’t seem to sense as much is “victory.”

As far-fetched as it may seem right now, the West used to be so saturated with Christianity that it was literally called “Christendom.” But before that, believe it or not, the West was incredibly pagan, both inside and outside the Roman empire. So, God has redeemed the entirety of Western culture before; why don’t we talk about that fact more in today’s increasingly paganized world?

Shouldn’t every faithful Christian aim to influence the culture around him in at least some way?

Instead of fleeing cultural corruption, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could, by the power of God, stand our ground and redeem it? Wouldn’t that glorify God?

Now, this leads us to a question that really starts to hit home—no pun intended. Can Christians influence culture better in cities or in rural areas? Well, culture is formed by people, and cities are where the people are. As of last year, 80% of America’s population now lives in urban areas. And where the people gather, there the culture is formed.

Rock bands tour in cities. Media anchors broadcast from cities. Legislators debate national issues in cities. Cities assemble masses of people whose division of labor gives them leisure time and whose proximity gives them a shared vocabulary, and they provide prime real estate for anyone who wishes to influence them.

This may very well be why cities are so important in the biblical story. God sent Moses from his rural lifestyle into a city to lead Israel to freedom. Daniel was trained in the literature of the Babylonians and influenced the world’s mightiest king—in a city.

Christ founded the Church—and immediately added three thousand new converts—in a city. Christ’s Revelation singled out seven churches for commendation and rebuke—all located in cities.

Even we Americans have the distinctive culture we do today because of Athens, Geneva, and Philadelphia, among others. Cities are where the dominant cultural wavelengths are. And in my opinion, cities are where anyone can best influence culture—and that includes Christians.

I don’t like living in cities very much, but I will likely be living in one for the rest of my life. I’m consigned to this fate because I’m passionate about shaping culture. I was recently blessed to work with a national pro-life advocacy group in Washington, D.C., and my former employers pay truckloads of money to afford the expensive real estate every year.

Why? Because cities are where culture is influenced—their team has been involved in every major Supreme Court abortion case since Roe v. Wade and has put their effort into the better part of 400 anti-abortion bills. And as I walked down the humid, noisy, marijuana-smelling streets all summer, I realized what a privilege it was to invest what little ability I have in a place where culture is shaped on such a high level.

Think about it this way: how did the progressives take over American culture a century ago?

They didn’t do it from their dairy farms.

This is not meant to denigrate anyone living in a rural area in any way, shape, or form. The decision of where to live is entirely dependent on where the Lord leads you. But I do want to push back just a little bit against the urge to instantly flee. Pray about it.

What if the Lord has mighty work for you to do in redeeming culture?

I think Christians need to be more ambitious to influence culture on a high level in mighty ways, especially when culture is starting to rot.

As Christians, it’s necessary to be culturally distinct from the world around us. But in my humble opinion, it’s necessary but not sufficient. It’s not enough to simply build our own culture—the culture war is also a fight over one common cultural battlefield.

The enemy is storming the cultural battlefields in the cities of Washington, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Let’s be careful not to only stake our own battlefields in areas where the enemy is not prevalent.

We have to meet the enemy on the field they’re currently on and beat them there.

You don’t win a war by conquering empty turf.