Happy Friday:
It is written… it is written… it is written…
Jesus, Matthew 4
It’s hard to know who to trust and what to believe. The Left screams, “XYZ.” The Right sneers, “You’re crazy, and so is your Mom.” So it goes, all day long, seven days a week. Thankfully, Jesus models a way forward. When tempted in the wilderness, he met each attack with the same word, gegraptai – “it is written.” In other words, when the enemy sought to confuse and discourage, Jesus trusted the Word of God. The Bible was his first line of defense and the path down which he directed his heart. Gegraptai
Two Clarifications: I recently heard that the world is no longer complicated – i.e., we no longer face linear challenges. Instead, it is now complex – i.e., we face inter-related challenges that cascade off each other with exponential acceleration. Similarly, I recently heard that we not only need to stop waiting for things to “get back to normal,” we need to stop waiting for “a new normal” to emerge. Instead, we must accept that the last sixty years were abnormal and that “pandemics, geopolitical hijinks and empty store shelves” are what we always should have expected. The claim is, “America has just been on a sixty-year vacation from reality” but now reality is going to return. Perhaps there is some truth in all of this. And I do recognize the value of sane expectations. But that all seems a bit dark. I will remind you again, many things are going quite well, much better than in the past.
Sociology is MIA: Of course, we do have some problems so it’s worth noting that this polarized moment would be a great time for sociology to step forward with some insights about how to address them. It’s also worth noting that no one expects any such thing to happen. Sociology has become so politicized that it is not just dismissed, it is forgotten.
Without Comment: 1) According to Open Doors annual World Watch List, Afghanistan has now replaced North Korea as the country where it is the most dangerous and difficult to be a Christian. Somalia is third, Libya is fourth and Yemen is fifth; 2) Last month, Bruce Springsteen sold the rights to his songs to Sony Music for $500 million; and 3) Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its Republican counterpart raised record amounts of money last year.
Confused: I’m not surprised that USA Today published an article defending pedophilia. I am, however, confused. Where will the sexual revolution go next? It doesn’t feel over, but I have long thought this would be the last taboo.
Two Charts: I realize not everyone loves charts, but a good chart can say a lot with very little. I often enjoy Mark Perry’s charts, so here is a link to one of his more famous ones. And while I am geeking out on charts, you need to see Charles Joseph Minard’s famous chart on Napoleon’s attempt to seize Moscow. May we all learn to say so much so succinctly.
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MLK on Nonviolence: I should have included my annual link to Dr. King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail last week. To make up for my miss, I am adding this 1964 interview in which he discusses his philosophy of nonviolence.
The Church: Several responded to last week’s mention of Charles Malik’s seven intuitions with suggestions to expand his list. As you may remember, I noted that in his 1982 book, A Christian Critique of the University, Malik argued that seven institutions make up society – the family, the church, the state, business, education, the professions and the arts. I then noted that since the book’s publication, the state and business had gained influence, but the family and church had lost it. All told, four new institutions were nominated for addition to Malik’s list: medical/healthcare; labor & trade unions; charitable & non-profit sector and sports franchises. There is food for thought there. All I will add is my standard line that if the church doesn’t do her job, the other seven (or eleven) institutions do not have a fighting chance – especially the family and state.
Christianity in the Public Square: In this First Things piece, Aaron Renn argues that secularization in America entered a third phase in 2014: 1) During Phase One – which he labels the Positive World and says runs up to 1994 – the church was viewed as a force for good; 2) During Phase Two – The Neutral World, which ran from 1994-2014 – Renn says American society was largely ambivalent about Christianity; finally, in Phase Three – which began in 2014, Renn says the church has become understood to be a threat to the public good.
Closing Prayer: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer)