I agree with Chuck

Today's Breakpoint article from Chuck Colson laments the fact that the latest Gallup poll reveals that for the first time in history a majority of Americans do not find same sex relationships "morally objectionable." This has dramatically turned around (crossed the fifty per cent mark) since 2001.

Colson correctly identifies popular media as the factor which has formed public opinion here. I have (regrettably) watched more television in the past three years than I probably did in the previous thirty, and I am astonished at the flagrant agenda which tv dramas have in pointedly promoting moral acceptance of same sex relationships (and other acts formerly believed to be too immoral to reference in public).

Says Colson:

"The elite molders of opinion have done their job well. We live in a world where moral qualms about homosexuality are regarded as bigotry. Today it requires more courage, as well as strength, to swim against the cultural tide and express any reservation about homosexual relationships.

But swim we must. What is true has never been a question to be decided by polls or popular opinion. Truth isn't "democratic"-it's something that God has written into the very fabric of nature.

Of course, that idea is even less popular than our beliefs about same-sex relationships. We in the West have elevated autonomy, which literally means "self law" into our highest value. Now listen to me folks, this is going to be a wake-up call. The tide has turned against Christian in the culture because we haven't been doing our job in the church. Culture matters. Politics follows culture. That's why we've got to start making a better case."

I'm writing here to the church, so I don't want to hear any comments from those with no dog in this fight:

Snatch your children's minds from this culture! Raise them to think (and behave) counter-culturally. If your congregation is not providing reasonable alternatives to the popular culture, find one that is (or start a new one).

Do not sacrifice your child (and the future of the church) on this altar of Molech:

"We need to socialize our kids by letting them see all the same entertainment that the neighbor's children and their school friends are conversant about. We don't want them to feel left out. We want them to be popular." (translate: "cool").

If this is the way you raise your children, do not be surprised when they reject Biblical (minority) values. It's that simple.

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

In a week full of bad news for the things I care about (private school enrollments are down, tuition tax credit scholarship providers are alleged to be unethical, misleading justifications for socialized health care abound in letters to the editor, etc.), I was betrayed not once, but twice - by people supposedly on the same side of these issues.

These were not broad-stroke, generalized betrayals, they were personal to me. These were not the usual (liberal, God-hating) suspects, they were colleagues I have worked shoulder to shoulder with for several years.

I can't say it didn't affect me emotionally. I went on about my business, but was constantly distracted by the annoying buzz of this memory in the back of my mind (for someone who already suffers from tinnitis, any additional "buzzing" is almost unbearable).

But there were the unexpected redemptive moments, as well. Make no mistake: we live (even at the worst of times) on the other side of redemption - and Christ's victory on the cross over Satan, death, and hell has changed everything. I will carry on in the causes God has given me to fight for. I will trust in His redemptive power, even when I see no positive results in front of my eyes. He does not owe me any additional reassurance or benefits.

The rainbow yesterday was enough to remind me He is there, and He is not silent. It's that simple.

Everything matters...to those who see with Heaven's eyes

I just hope I can state this one simply enough.

A few weeks ago I was back in Georgia, and on my last day there, I drove to the town where I went to college and walked the paths of my old school again. I was surprised that I felt more curious about seeing the new buildings than taking a walk through the older, less changed part of the campus.

Even with all the new glamor, and there was plenty, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia and warm memories. It was, for most of America, a chaotic time to be in college. Young men were being drafted and shipped off to Viet Nam, some returning in body bags. Racial riots wracked many cities, and older values were being questioned and rapidly set aside. Experimentation with drugs reached even to our very rural campus.

Most of that did not touch me at all. The academic side of college was not very challenging for me (this was not a selective school), and my teacher scholarship did not necessitate my having a campus job, at least a paid one. I threw myself whole-heartedly into a cause, the same one for which I am still passionate: Christian discipleship. The preferred venue at my school was the Baptist Student Union, and we could truthfully boast that we were the largest student organization on campus during the years I was there.

I want to describe the kind of nostalgia I feel when I think back on those days. We were terribly idealistic. We sang our songs with fervor, and engaged in every project with reckless abandon - whether it was winning the campus skit night (we always did), or raising the most money for summer missions of any college in the state (we were usually in the top five, in spite of being smaller than most). We were well represented in summer misson volunteers, state BSU officers, workers at camps and conference centers, and every other way that we could legitimize ourselves as loyal sons and daughters of the denomination. Inspired by an incredible campus pastor, John Caylor, we were certain that we would make an enormous difference in the world beyond college.

Here's the part that is hard to explain. We did go on to do amazing things. I know many wonderful stories of where these friends have been and what they have done. And yet, those things are an infinitestimally small part of God's great church and work on this planet. But the little bit that we did - which seems huge to us - does matter terrifically in God's economy.

We did not change the world, or conquer time and space. But it was all unquestionably important, and it was worth the journey.

O, the simple joys of the journey - both the magic, hopeful springtime and the quiet autumn of reflection! O happy songs of our youth, and peaceful reflection of advancing age! O beauty! O wonder! O joy! God was in it all, and He still is!

Kinder, gentler Marxism

This title is not original with me, but comes from one of my favorite writers, Gene Edward Veith. Two of his books that made a great impact on me were Postmodern Times and Reading Between the Lines, and I recommend them both. Of course, I also appreciate that he is an advocate for classical Christian education, and that he currently teaches at Patrick Henry College.

In an article by the title quoted above in the May 9 edition of World magazine, Veith takes to task Eric Etheredge of the New York Times for downplaying President Obama's leftist plunge by labeling him a "social democrat" instead of "socialist." In his insightful article, Veith "reads between the lines" to dissect the etymologies of all these terms, showing us they they are really cut from the same piece of cloth.

My favorite quote comes near the end: "Social democrats are not communists, but their Marxism is evident in their belief in class struggle. Thus the vilification of "the rich" over against "working Americans." Also Marxist is the project of redistributing wealth, the use of state power to seize control of private property, and the overarching secularism that rejects the past in favor of a materialistic progress."

Here's the simple part: we can't respect private property if we believe the state is God. The true God (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - that one) gave "gifts unto men," and made individuals to be stewards, not governments. And we can't reject silly notions like "class struggle," if we believe that the only purpose of life is material gain while on this planet.

It's not about who dies with the most toys. It's about glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. It's that simple.

You can have it both ways

Some friends of mine (actually former students) have been discussing the implications of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)in regard to how we spend our time. Specifically, their debate regards the large amount of time they spend reading and discussing theology. Is that an appropriate activity, they ask, in light of the imperatives of the Great Commission?

Since one of the two imperative verbs in this passage is "teach," I would contend that it matters terrifically that you teach the right stuff. And therefore, it's important to be knowledgeable (thanks to books) and articulate (helped by debate). So far, so good.

The other imperative verb is "go." Since most of the world is either "down and out" or "up and out," I don't see how we can avoid folks who need the gospel. But we do have to go with our eyes and hearts open to see and feel the needs of the world around us. It's usually sin that hurts us there, not having spent too much time in books. It makes me think of Mark 1:15, "repent...and believe the gospel."

It's simply "both-and," not "either-or."

On healthy skepticism

Tonight I watched the writers' commentary on the movie "Night at the Museum." I was curious to see what the writers had to say about the process of taking a very short children's book and turning it into a full length feature. I didn't learn much about their writing process, but their commentary did raise another thought.

At one point, the writers start a running gag about how antiquities, which are obviously of some value, get into American museums, or any museum outside the country of origin. I suppose we would like to think that there is some sort of gentlemanly deference among international scholars that says "Oh, you take it - more people will appreciate it there." But why should Egypt yield its treasures from the tombs, or Mexico their Mayan artifacts, or Peru their Incan remnants? The writers just bluntly said, "I expect we stole them." Then, poking fun at their own idea, they start joking about our sending lots of money from the sale of the museum tickets back to the conutries of origin for further exploration and research.

But I had never asked that very question before, and I think it's a good one. In classical Christian schools, we say that one of our goals to to train students to be good "crap detectors." The main point we make is that we should question assumptions.

By the way, other than this insight, I didn't find the writers' dialogue very intelligent, and I don't recommend wasting your time viewing it (I stopped it halfway through the commentary). And I became increasingly irritated about other museum "assumptions" that I had already questioned long ago. The scene with the cave men is a great example, since there is no objectively indisputable support for such a period in human history. See the first chapter of G.K. Chesterton's Everlasting Man for a good discussion of this.

But don't forget...(and it is so simple):

Ask questions.

Rising Up and Calling Her Blessed

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
Proverbs 31:28

It was a joyous Mother's Day, but not so much for the little treats we gave to Linda. And not even so much for what we said directly to her (Askew men aren't famous for speaking their emotions with ease). It was just watching the fruit of her patient mothering in their lives.

During our leisurely Mother's Day lunch, Ethan told us a funny story about the lady who wouldn't turn down her hearing aid while he was running the sound board at church this morning. Ethan learned to think of his faith in terms of service to others...from his mother.

We video-chatted with Samuel, Aimee, and Noah and were able to wish Aimee a happy Mother's Day. Samuel is faithful to call us because he learned to care about family...from his mother.

Later, Michael and Timothy sent us the riff track from a sci-fi movie they have been spoofing. (When it's completed, I may post it on this blog). They have always felt free to explore their creativity, encouraged by...their mother.

And I, her husband, praise her also. It was a blessed day.