Culture

“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” [1]

Underlying It All

Unlike previous years, I’ve not sat down to recount the last 12 months, nor project the next 12.

What’s on my mind at the moment is more than counting––more even than fraudulent voting and attempts to steal elections.

Events coming up on January 5, then 6, could change history––history, I say. Yet there are qualitative changes afoot in our culture already––owing largely to our defiance of God––which will still need addressing. Three examples:

1. Integrity––perhaps the most fundamental of personal virtues––is still respected, yet the moral foundation on which it rests is cracking.

2. More Americans than ever are cohabitating, yet the really alarming word is that the building block of our society––traditional marriage and family––has been redefined.

3. Academic degrees abound, yet the watershed change is that places of learning have become indoctrination centers.

The first part of each sentence is true; the second portends a precipitous decline in our way of life.

Whatever this coming week holds––and we will give it lots of ink––underlying it all will remain faith and culture.

––––––––

[1] Giuseppe di Lampedusa, The Leopard (1947)
(in the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus

By Jim DeCamp, Originally written in October, 2018.

Flowing water––whether clean or impure––moves in one direction.

Martin Luther: “The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment and character.” 

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF HEALTHY CULTURE:

> Unity based on shared principles.
> Passing on of shared principles through family and education. 
> Respect for differences / defending others’ Constitutional rights.
> Honor / work ethic / courage amidst trying conditions.
> Monogamous marriage / dad, mom, kids under one roof.
> Families pulling together in hard times / new beginnings. 
> Charity / selfless service / forgiveness / good neighbor. 
> Recognized behavioral guardrails.
> Acknowledgement of Creator God / Giver of political rights and personal freedom. 
> Thoughtful, civil discourse / truthfulness / integrity.
> Respect for the rule of law. 

UNHEALTHY CULTURE:

Erosion, breakdown, or rejection of the above. 

CORRUPT POLITICS: THE FRUIT OF CULTURAL DEGRADATION

It’s tempting to jump straight to politics, yet consider that characteristics of an *unhealthy culture* are evident writ large in the attacks leveled against Judge Kavanaugh and against Senate decorum: 

> Uncivil behavior by those who disrupt hearings.
> Unsubstantiated, unverifiable allegations. 
> Dishonesty in much of the media’s reporting. 
> Lack of forthrightness by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. 
> Attacks designed to destroy an honorable judge’s name, and his family: his wife and two young daughters.
> Attempts to intimidate other fine, qualified people who are potential future nominees. 
> Adoption of a we-will-rule-or-ruin mindset. 

TAKE HEART

> Live up to the highest you know to be true.
> Your life will make a difference.
> It is enough to be faithful.

March 13, 2020

1. Politics: how we organize public life.

2. Religion: how we prioritize our own lives.

Without #1 there’s upheaval in the land; the absence of #2 invites chaos in the culture.
America needs more, not fewer, “prohibited” conversations.

August 2, 2015

An erosional remnant is a piece of the landscape that continues to stand tall while its surroundings have worn away. We drove by this one in Montana today. “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge…” (Psalm 18:2a-ESV).

We are listening to Eric Metaxas’ book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. It’s the most inspiring––and timely––book I’ve seen in a very long time. In the 1930s and ’40s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood in the strength of God, Almighty.

Erosional remnant, anyone?

[The term Lexicon, as used in seminary: dictionary of Greek and Hebrew words.]

            As the hands placed it on the crowded bookshelf for the first time, the lexicon felt somewhat apprehensive. “These are new environs for me. I wonder if my neighbors will be friendly. How will my landlord treat me?” he speculated as he squeezed his way through the first night and day.

            His landlord had just begun seminary. The lexicon didn’t expect to be used heavily at first, but was glad to have been purchased at the beginning of the first year along with other basic works. His maker had said something about being a light that could shine on God’s Word, and the lexicon appreciated the caring hands with which the landlord had treated him. He was into his second week, now, and knew that the hands would lift him into use as the need arose.

            He had seen the hands place into service his neighbors but had almost begun to doubt his own worth when his first moment came. He knew his maker would be happy as the careful hands cradled him. Here he was, being used to illuminate individual words in Scripture. The hands moved quietly but with intent. Occasionally, when his little light needed to be multiplied or focused, he noticed the hands pause, move toward each other, and rest together. This was a curious practice, and he observed it frequently in the early months.

            About midyear an unaccustomed air began to be noticed. The hands moved more quickly now and with somewhat more skill. Although called upon more frequently, the lexicon felt less able to help his landlord. The hands seemed tighter, less sensitive and in a greater hurry. The tender touch was gone. 

            Pausing less often, the hands even reached for the lexicon less frequently. From his vantage point on the shelf, the lexicon observed that the hands were restless. Fidgeting replaced facts, sloth superseded solid study.

            As the lexicon groped for a reason for his lack of use, he tried to think if he had changed.  He was just as capable of performing his function as ever; it’s just that the hands rarely reached for him anymore. Gone were the moments of rest, when one hand settled into the other. They now were like paws, clawing at one another. The work was accomplished but without the joyful touch.  The lexicon wondered what the hands were like outside the study. Far from utilizing the lexicon with care, the hands were even abrupt with the Scriptures.

            The lexicon now waits in silence. He wonders when he will be called upon again to shine his special light. He longs for those diligent, caring hands.

Jim DeCamp