In other words, democracy (“the power of the people”) requires that the people be worthy of the power entrusted to them. But the “will to power,” the perennial temptation to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5), is ever with us. And it undermines our democracy at every turn.
In a world in which everyone and everything is superficially connected online, where there are an estimated 30 billion more cameras than people, and where “influencer” is an actual job title, style is easily confused with substance and fame for faithfulness. It’s one of the many (and there are many!) forms of what C.S. Lewis called “chronological snobbery.” Theologian J.I. Packer described it as the assumption that “the newer is the truer, only what is recent is decent, every shift of ground is a step forward, and every latest word must be hailed as the last word on its subject.”
What are critics of religion thinking about this national response to the collapse of NFL player Damar Hamling? According to Swaim, “They will consider the whole pray-for-Damar episode a mass expression of some irrational atavistic impulse. ... Let the fans ‘pray’ if that’s what gives them comfort, but it changes nothing.”
In one sense, I agree with them.
Today could be the most significant Christian holiday that Christians know about the least. Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, was set aside in the Church calendar to remember the visitation of the Magi to the infant Jesus. The day’s name comes from a Greek word that means “manifestation.” Through these strange visitors, God’s gift of Himself to the world was first made manifest to the wider world, and we are given a glimpse of the fulfillment of God’s promise that through Israel the rest of the world would be blessed.
I’ll admit, my initial reaction when I realized that I would need to write about the second anniversary of the Capitol riots was somewhere between “not this again” and “I just don’t care.” That’s not to say that the breach of the Capitol lacked significance or was in any way an appropriate or moral response to the 2020 election. The truth is that most Americans think what happened that day was wrong, but far fewer think it is worth continuing to dwell on or investigate going forward. So, if that’s the case, why am I writing about it today?
In short, it’s because it provides a good opportunity to think about a larger cultural question that continues to impact all of us, regardless of our political affiliation: Why is it that we so often feel the urge to push views to the extreme?
Attempts to bypass the need for human presence and to receive pleasure at the press of a button may seem to work for a moment. They may even earn millions of YouTube subscribers. However, in the end, we will be left lonelier than we were when we found them appealing in the first place. That should probably trigger chills, not tingles.
Imagine a world in which everyone lived by the truth of God’s word. Imagine the personal and corporate righteousness that would result. Now imagine the consequences for a world in which each person and nation loved their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:39) and treated others only as they wished to be treated (Matthew 7:12), to cite just two biblical truths. How would this change the war in Ukraine? China’s threats against Taiwan? Crime in your city? Conflict in your home?
To be Christian, especially in this confusing cultural moment, requires the intentional cultivation of our minds. An exemplary model of someone who took this calling seriously is James Clerk Maxwell.
Let’s not make a category mistake with our souls this year. No matter how advanced our technology becomes, bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari is right: we will never find lasting happiness through temporal comfort and convenience. And let’s avoid an association fallacy that confuses formal religion with a personal relationship with our Maker.
There is a good reason the Church doesn’t talk about sex to singles very often. The Bible is clear that sex is an act exclusively meant for married people and talking about it too much to singles can cause unnecessary stumbling blocks or discontentment. But the Bible is also clear that sex is a beautiful, God-given gift.
For singles to not talk or think about sex for so long, then eventually get married and immediately be expected to welcome sex as a significant part of their lives, can be very damaging. The Church can easily do more to prepare singles for marriage and even use the topic of God-designed sex to encourage singles, regardless of if they ever marry.
Here are three consequences that I’ve seen from the Church seldom mentioning sex unless it’s in a negative light:
