Daily Verse | Mark 13:37
“What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'”
Monday’s Reading: Mark 14-16
Happy Monday! My parachuting school practices with 55-gallon black garbage bags while telling us to “roll like bananas.”
We live in a culture that is increasingly hostile and shows collective pathological gratification in the devaluing and destruction of others based on dubious moral claims and outright lies. We see it expressed in the violence of the BLM and Antifa movements, the cancel culture — and also in the hostility in the stands between fans of opposing teams.
NFL: Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens
NHL: Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken
NFL: Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams
MLB: San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t recall seeing fights this regularly between fans. There’s always been taunting, yelling and the occasional hat-flicking, but these are hard-core bare-knuckle brawls. And many of them include women, as in this altercation between Carolina Panther and Minnesota Viking fans:
I’m no sociologist, but I think these outbursts, along with the near-anarchy of Burn Loot Murder, Inc. and Antifa, are evidence of the coarsening of our culture: the loss of self-control, the application of force to trivial matters, the lack of compassion and the devaluing of human life. It is quite barbaric in some cases.
I’ve heard some commentators say that a lot of this is the result of pent up frustration over being locked down and being otherwise restricted during the Chinese Panic Plague of 2020. On the other hand, maybe people are just showing their true selves. Or maybe both.
Whatever it is, our culture is displaying a sickness — and not just the Peking Pox variety. We’re showing a soul sickness.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Of course, the Bible doesn’t leave us without hope. It also goes on to describe what a life led by the Spirit of God looks like.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
What this implies is that our culture is not, generally speaking, led by the Spirit, i.e., we are a post-Christian society. I know most of us are aware of that, but I think it’s worth reiterating that whereas we still have with us the accoutrements of days gone by (e.g. the bas relief portrait of Moses in the House chamber that has hung there since 1950), they are mostly meaningless symbols to contemporary society except as irrelevant artifacts of an era long gone.
I used to say we were coasting on the fumes of our Christian heritage, but I don’t think even the fumes are with us any more — we’ve rolled about as far was we can go with the kinetic energy of our spiritual ancestors.
For believers, this presents a more difficult — but more illuminating — environment in which to demonstrate Christian character. Those who demonstrate love and joy and peace and the like will stand out like stars against a night sky.
The era in which we live is not ideal, but embrace it without ignoring the dysfunction, and watch for where God is at work around you. Who knows but that you were born for such a time as this?
Really good. Thank you always for your insight Dave.
Thank you Carol