Happy Friday,
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
Though we might learn something about how to face temptation by noting how Jesus faced His, that is not the principal reason the events in the wilderness are recorded. They are there so we will marvel. Jesus marched into enemy territory and did what had not yet been done by a person—he bested the Enemy. The Garden-turned-wilderness marks the spot where the Seed of Woman began to crush the head of the Deceiver. As you reflect on this, remember that He did this for you. As Martin Luther wrote about this event, “But for us fights the proper man, whom God himself hath bidden. Ask ye, Who is this same? Christ Jesus is his name… and He shall win the battle.”
Time to Start Making Plans: 2025 will mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea; 2026 will be the 250th B-day of the United States; and 2033 will be the 2,000th anniversary of Pentecost. (BTW, I know 50th anniversaries are to be celebrated with gold and 75th with diamonds. But I’m in the dark about 250, 1700, and 2000. If you know, please advise.)
WOTW: Honorable mentions go to W.E.I.R.D. (as in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic countries), the ominous-sounding prewar era (which Walter Russell Mead is using to describe today), and the Umms (those who “express a strong commitment to Jesus and a desire to be part of the church, but are not active in a local congregation.” They stand alongside the nones—who do not self-identify with any religious affiliation—and the dones—who are exiting an established religion). Full honors go to IJBOL (pronounced “eej-bowl”), which stands for “I Just Burst Out Laughing” and is being used by everyone who is anyone to replace LOL.
Modernity: I’ve been pondering the interesting—and unnerving—definition I recently heard for Modernity. It stands for the era in which people spend more time with people they are not related to than with those they are.
Israel: Israel’s failure to get around to writing a Constitution has left them with few opportunities to use IJBOL in their emails. As with most things in the Middle East, it’s complicated, and much of the reporting is skewed. This podcast does the best job of explaining my take on what is going on and why. (BTW, the situation there highlights how wise our founders were and how amazing our Constitution is. Three cheers for checks and balances).
Without Comment: 1) In this Substack article, demographer Ryan Burge notes that those most likely to attend church are well-off, married, and college-educated; 2) US credit card debt now tops $1T; 3) The Secular Humanist Society withdrew the 1996 Humanist of the Year award they had given to prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, after Dawkins described a woman as “an adult human female free of Y chromosomes;” 4) Though most church denominations are shrinking, the Assemblies of God and Presbyterian Church of America are growing; 5) This NYT piece suggests some are replacing the community, personal transformation, purpose and accountability they had at church with group fitness classes; 6) The closer you get to cities, coasts, and campuses the more liberal, secular, and blue things become; 7) Toyota claims that the “overall carbon reduction of 90 of their hybrids is 37x greater than the reduction of a single battery electric vehicle;” 8) Studies note that today’s 20 and 30-year-olds are having less sex than their grandparents did; 9) This piece suggests that up to 80% of dark web traffic is “illegal porn”—i.e., child porn; and 10) It is estimated that in the 2,000 years of the Christian faith, 70M Christians have been martyred.
IS2M: 1) IS2M that we got things mixed up. For the longest time, Westerners argued that human rights flowed out of human dignity, which was grounded on humans being made in the image of God. I might be confused, but it seems as though the new thinking is that human dignity flows out of human rights (not the other way around) and that human rights are grounded on people’s right to have rights; 2) Speaking of confusing, IS2M that we have no idea what to think about China. Some claim it’s about to collapse. Others claim its global ascendancy is certain; 3) Finally, IS2M that “elites” never own their status. Neither Ted Cruz (who graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law, is a two-term US senator, and is married to a Goldman Sachs Managing Director) nor Elizabeth Warren (a former Harvard professor, current US Senator, and one-time Presidential candidate) will admit to being elite. If they are not elite, who is? (I mean, other than Christ Church interns.)
Quote Worth Requoting: “We find time for things that are important to us. Period.” Scott Douglas, Running Times
The Buzz: David Brooks’s Aug. 2 piece—“What If We’re the Bad Guys?”—generated a lot of talk this past week. I appreciate his efforts to articulate the views of those he disagrees with. We need to listen to our adversaries until we can state what they believe (and why they believe it) to their satisfaction. As John Stuart Mill has noted, “He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.”
Resources: In this week’s edition of The Press On podcast, I have a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Phil Ryken, the President of Wheaton College. In addition to talking about beauty, culture, Higher Ed., and the Chicago Bears, we discuss ways to navigate the challenges of this moment.
Lakelight Live in Austin: I’m extending a trip to Austin to launch Lakelight Live. On Tuesday, September 12th, I’ll be speaking on how Christ-followers can best manage their relationship with the news media. Though tickets are unlikely to rival those for a Taylor Swift concert, seating is limited. If you want to learn more about Lakelight Live in Austin, click here.
Closing Prayer: Grant me, O Lord, to know what is worth knowing, to love what is worth loving, to praise what delights you most, to value what is precious to you, and to reject whatever is evil in your eyes. Give me true discernment, so that I may judge rightly between things that differ. Above all, may I search out and do what is pleasing to you; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. (Thomas à Kempis, 1380–1471)