Happy Friday,
They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
Psalm 106:20
Not long after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, the Jews “forgot the God who saved them,” worshipped the image of a bull, and started asking, “God, what have you done for me lately?” Sin is stupid like that. Should your heart start wandering, redirect it towards the cross, where Jesus bore the wrath of God for your sin. That is a well-trafficked claim, but it’s one we must always keep top of mind.
Without Comment: 1) Chick-fil-A is launching a streaming service (no word if it will broadcast on Sundays); 2) Strbx—which now sells more sugar than coffee—moved up the date of its fall Pumpkin Spice Latte to Aug 22; 3) The US birth rate is near record lows, but the fertility decline is not uniform: 100 religious adults will raise 208 children, while 100 non-religious ones will raise only 147; 4) The average NFL franchise is now valued at $5.1B, up 14% from last year; and 5) 53% of US women over the age of 65 are divorced, widowed, or never married, compared with 30% of men.
Men: Speaking of US men, around 80K died from fentanyl in ’23, which is more than the 55.2K US men killed during 20 years in Vietnam. I’m seeing reports that more men now die “deaths of despair” than women die from breast cancer.
Huntington > Fukuyama: Though their arguments were more nuanced than most understand, it looks like Francis Fukuyama’s suggestion that the West’s victory over communism marked “the end of history” was wrong. And that Samuel Huntington’s claim that we were marching towards a “clash of civilizations”—principally between the West and radical Islam—was right.
WOTW: Honorable mention goes to two German words: unbehagen (the deep dissatisfaction many feel with themselves) and sehnsucht (our longing for something beyond this earth). Both are difficult to translate but important. I’m also recognizing a sudden spike in boundaries, mostly because it’s being used in place of morals. Full honors go to nervicited (coined by a nervous and excited first-grader before her first day of class).
Speaking of Sehnsucht: C.S. Lewis wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
Clean Up: I heard from a few when I cited Luke 6 when I meant Luke 9 or misspelled juristocracy juiritocracy. I heard from MANY when I expressed envy at the resilience of the Clintons and DJT. For the record, I agree that resilience is not all we need in our leaders, nor do I think it alone qualifies one for sainthood. My admiration of their ability to get back up was not meant to affirm all they have done. Let me also say that in the face of this criticism, I’ve decided to follow the example of Putin and keep publishing the Update.
Reprint the Button: When William F. Buckley, Jr. ran for Mayor of NYC, one of his campaign slogans was: Don’t Immanentize the Eschaton, which was a very Buckley way of saying, “stop expecting government to deliver utopia.” I’d wear that button today. I’m not suggesting God’s children stop trying to care for widows and orphans or otherwise campaign for the welfare of the city in which they’ve been planted. Indeed, we must not grow weary of doing good. I’m for lessening our expectations and not our efforts. I’m also for focusing more on what we—i.e., you, the local church, and the big C church—can do and less on what we expect of the state.
Overheard: Between the politics, the assassination attempt, the Ukraine offensive, and our inability to return our astronauts from space, the summer of ’24 is making a name for itself. Not a “Summer of ’68” level name just yet, but a name all the same.
Tony Dungy: Last week, Lakelight hosted Tony Dungy for a talk about how his faith impacted his coaching. You can listen to Faith, Family, and Football here.
Resources: Last weekend’s second message in the Afterlife series was on death. I promise you it’s more hopeful and helpful than you expect. Also, those who avoid thinking about their death do not keep it at bay; they just end up fearful of smaller things and lessen the punch of the Gospel.
Are You Ready? BTW, if you click here, you can download the “Are You Ready?” packet we prepared as a handout. This checklist is designed to help you organize your personal, financial, and legal matters for those you leave behind. Think: here is my list of passwords, and the key to the safety deposit box is in my sock drawer.
Closing Prayer: May God the Father, and the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ, build us up in faith and truth and love, and grant us our portion among the saints with all those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for all believers, for kings and rulers, for the enemies of the cross of Christ, and for ourselves we pray that our fruit may abound and we be made perfect in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (Polycarp, 69-55).