| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Whosoever" |
| Date: |
28 Jun 2007 01:37:23 PM |
| Object: |
Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture
Calling Christian Rebels
Christian Worldview and Culture
Like it or not, being a traditional Christian in our current culture means
being a rebel. It means taking unpopular stands on highly charged issues
such as abortion, homosexuality, and divorce. It means risking derision,
humiliation, and scorn. It means looking at the way things are and-when
they undermine the Word of God-challenging them.
Peter Kreeft, in his book The Snakebite Letters: Devilishly Devious
Secrets for Subverting Society as Taught in Tempter's Training School,
includes the following advice from a senior demon to his apprentice
regarding the person he's trying to ensnare: "Your patient, like most
Americans, is a conformist (though he fancies himself a freethinker). He
fears being different, eccentric, or (worst of all) 'a fanatic,' much more
than he fears being wicked."
It reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw recently that read "Spiritual
people inspire me; religious people frighten me." Deeply held religious
beliefs are out of fashion in America at the moment.
A recent survey shows that America, unlike Europe, remains at least a
nominally Christian country, with over 80 percent of Americans identifying
themselves as Christians. But how can that be when the culture is in such
obvious decline, and has been since the 1960s?
Imagine a mother living in the 1950s, busy raising her children, who
suddenly finds herself transported to the year 2007. She picks up the
woman's magazine on her kitchen table and blushes in embarrassment. The
headline on the cover screams out "Seven Secrets to Great Sex."
Next, in some confusion, she reads that the cover story is about how
important it is for her to put herself above her children and her husband.
Wondering if the world has gone mad, she comes across a special section
titled "Divorce: How to Share Your Children with Your Ex-Husband's New
Wife." And finally she stares in disbelief at a headline that reads:
"Abortion and Guilt: They Don't Have to Go Hand in Hand."
Thankfully for her, she wakes from this nightmare and laughs at the
impossibly ridiculous future she had conjured up.
We, on the other hand, are living the nightmare and sometimes barely
notice how out of whack things have become.
What about abortion? To call it a disgrace is an understatement. It's
estimated that every day in America, 3,700 babies are aborted, some for
reasons as simple-and repugnant-as the fact that the parents had their
hearts set on the other gender. It is unspeakable.
Or consider the state of marriage. Brides may still get married in white
gowns under church steeples, but the vows might as well read: "I
will-until I don't want to any more." Fulfillment and happiness are
worthier goals in our culture than commitment and perseverance.
Barbara Dafoe Whitehead tackled the topic of divorce in her book The
Divorce Culture. Listen to this insightful sociological tidbit: "Beginning
in the late 1950s, Americans began to change their ideas about the
individual's obligations to family and society. Broadly described, this
change was away from an ethic of obligation to others . . . and toward an
obligation to self."
This new thinking, which she calls "expressive individualism," became the
cultural norm and gave rise to what she calls "expressive divorce."
Divorce began to shed its image as a tragic last resort for a failed
marriage, and came to be seen as a journey toward greater self-awareness.
But there is now, and has been for some time, empirical evidence that, as
Whitehead writes, "divorce carries multiple risks and losses for
children," and that in most cases children's lives are adversely
affected-often quite seriously. But Whitehead's book was written ten years
ago. Is anybody listening?
And then, on a lighter note, there's television. In one short generation,
we've gone from shows like The ***** Van ***** Show, where husband and wife
***** and Laura weren't even allowed to be seen in the same bed, and The Ed
Sullivan Show, where the cameramen refused to shoot Elvis below the
waist-to shows like Sex and the City, which was literally about the sex
lives of single women in New York City.
And what about movies? One generation ago, there weren't even ratings for
movies. There didn't have to be. And while as a parent I'm grateful for
ratings ... what I really wish is that there didn't have to be any. But
what's even more upsetting is when parents decide to ignore them
altogether.
One example of this, which actually got some press coverage when it came
out a few years ago, was the movie 8 Mile. It loosely told the story of
rap star Eminem's coming of age in Detroit. It was appropriately rated R
for containing what reviewers called "very explicit sexual references and
situations," graphic violence, and "constant and extremely strong
profanity" (one particular four-letter vulgarity was apparently uttered
over 150 times).
According to the Motion Picture Association of America, the R rating meant
that anyone under 17 had to be accompanied by an adult. But across the
country, children in droves, some as young as eight years old, were
getting in to see this movie. How? Their parents were taking them! A
mother from Brooklyn, who took her 9-year-old son and 11-year-old
daughter, explained it this way: "I'm real and I keep it real with my
kids. The part that had the sex in it, I said to my son, that's camera,
baby. They are getting paid for that. He took it good. He enjoyed it."
That parent, and many others like her, actively chose not to protect their
kids. But sometimes it's not always so clear-cut. Sex is everywhere. And
if you're the parent of a teenager and you keep your eyes and ears even
half open, you're positively assaulted by it: in the graphic lyrics of
popular songs on the radio, on the pages of "teen" book series, in
clothing catalogues aimed at teens.
Recently I was shopping with my then-13-year-old daughter in a clothing
store popular among pre-teens and teens. It was full of moms like me with
their kids and younger siblings in tow. In the sitting area near the
dressing room was a prominently displayed, well-lit magazine rack full of
magazines-about skateboarding, skiing, surfing-and smack dab in the
middle-a well-known shall-we-say "men's" magazine with a prominently
displayed woman on the cover. The next store we visited-another well-known
and popular chain for young teens-had larger-than-life posters on the
walls showing carefully shot side views of girls and boys naked from the
waist up-some standing, some lying down, embracing. It was essentially
soft-core porn for the teen set.
Now listen to another bit of advice Peter Kreeft's literary demon offers
to his apprentice.
The secret is the power of images. . . . If we plant the same kind of
image in them over and over again through TV and movies, they'll gradually
be desensitized. Already, most things the last generation would have
regarded as unthinkable are commonplace on TV. . . . Nearly every single
movie that's made for young people must have a dash of nudity, no matter
how gratuitous (and of course never, never between married people.) And
every time a boy first kisses a girl, the next scene always shows them in
bed. What a triumph of image propaganda! . . .. If the sex and violence
curve continues at the current rate, we'll have Hell incarnate in their
minds in just two more generations. There's nothing, literally nothing,
these creatures won't allow.
Abortion on demand is now just a woman's right to choose.
Taking away childhood innocence is now just keeping it real.
Divorce is just another step on the road to self-fulfillment.
The words of Isaiah 5:20 come to mind: "Woe to those who call what is bad,
good, and what is good, bad, who substitute darkness for light and light
for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."
Christians can make a difference. Christians should make a difference. We
can change the culture. Maybe traditional Christians aren't the majority
in America. But it doesn't take a majority to make a difference. Sometimes
it takes only one.
I have recently been reading the new book Amazing Grace, by Eric Metaxas,
which tells the story of William Wilberforce, the British MP who, based on
his Christian faith, worked for twenty years with one goal in mind: to
abolish the British slave trade. Year after year he was voted down, and
bitterly denounced. But he persevered. He fought the culture. He fought
against what had become an accepted, acceptable fact of life. And finally,
just days before he died, he bowed his head and wept on the floor of
Parliament as the bill finally passed-and his battle was won.
I've also been reading a recent biography of Ronald Reagan that sheds new
light on the scope of his battle against another moral wrong-communism.
Like Wilberforce, Reagan refused to accept what had become the status quo:
in this case, the existence of a repressive, cruel, inhuman regime which
denied people, among many other things, the freedom to worship God. That
especially Reagan found unacceptable.
So he plotted and planned-for years. He dared to call the Soviet Union an
"evil empire." People called him a hawk, a warmonger, and worse. But all
along his goal was to lift the yoke of communism from the backs of
millions of people peacefully. And, with the help of some very smart,
committed individuals-including in no small part Pope John Paul II-and by
the grace of God, his goal was achieved. The wall came down.
Like Wilberforce and Reagan, we must stop accepting the status quo. We
must stop accepting that it's OK to kill unborn babies. We must stop
accepting the sexualization of children and the demise of childhood
innocence. We must stop accepting divorce as a rite of passage. The next
generations-our children and grandchildren-are at stake.
Opportunities abound for pursuing a culture that more closely reflects the
traditional Judeo-Christian morals and values which once flourished in our
country. As Jesus told his disciples: "The harvest is great . . . but the
laborers are few."
This article originally appeared at OneNewsNow.
Marcia Segelstein, a former producer for CBS News, is a freelance writer
and mother. She resides in Weston, Conn., and is active in her church, The
Anglican Church of the Advent in Greenwich.
By Marcia Segelstein 5/24/2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Articles on the BreakPoint website are the responsibility of the authors
and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Chuck Colson or Prison
Fellowship.
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| User: "Robibnikoff" |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
28 Jun 2007 01:53:48 PM |
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"Whosoever" <whose_92@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:11tkng.9og.19.1@news.alt.net...
Calling Christian
Wrong place, *****
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
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| User: "DH" |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
28 Jun 2007 03:07:20 PM |
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"Whosoever" <whose_92@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:11tkng.9og.19.1@news.alt.net...
Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture
Calling Christian Rebels
Christian Worldview and Culture
Like it or not, being a traditional Christian in our current culture means
being a rebel. It means taking unpopular stands on highly charged issues
such as abortion,
Ummm... no... Many of your TV preachers tell me that an anti-abortion stand
is quite popular. In fact, in polls, most people do reject the idea of
abortion-on-demand. However, if you mean an absolute ban on abortion, well,
few people are willing to risk a mother's life in an uncertain attempt to
keep a baby alive.
homosexuality,
Again, your TV preachers tell me that restricting rights to heterosexuals
only is relativley popular. In fact, DOMA-type laws do receive a fair
amount of support. In fact, the popularity of DOMA-type laws is one reason
that TV preachers are incensed that the Massachusetts legislature kept a ban
on gay marriage from going to referendum - the TV preachers were sure the
"Christian" point of view would win out.
and divorce.
Well, what do you mean by an "unpopular" "Christian" position on divorce?
Most of the divorces involve "Christians" (like Newt Gingrich) and divorce
itself is fairly popular. Just what IS the Christian position on this?
It means risking derision,
humiliation, and scorn. It means looking at the way things are and-when
they undermine the Word of God-challenging them.
In fact, your TV preachers remind me often that this is a "Christian" nation
and they do have the numbers on their side (most Americans identify
themselves as "Christian" in some way when asked).
So, just how are you gonig to be a "rebel" as a "Christian" when almost the
entire country is a "rebel" right along with you?
This has to be the lamest attempt I've seen this month for Christianity to
drape over its shoulders the mantle of "victimhood." It's laughable and
pathetic.
In AD 70 or so, Christians actually had to fear for their lives in the
practice of their faith. You people are their spriritual successors? What
a laugh.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
28 Jun 2007 03:32:48 PM |
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On 28 jun, 20:37, "Whosoever" <whose...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture
Calling Christian Rebels
Christian Worldview and Culture
Should we report this to the autorities?
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| User: "Maybe I Will" |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
29 Jun 2007 01:43:14 PM |
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<pbamvv@worldonline.nl> wrote in message news:1183062768.161479.272840@n2g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
On 28 jun, 20:37, "Whosoever" <whose...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture
Calling Christian Rebels
Christian Worldview and Culture
Should we report this to the autorities?
U MusT!
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| User: "The Rev Dr. Hugh Jarse NLAHN." |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
28 Jun 2007 02:08:24 PM |
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On Jun 28, 7:37 pm, "Whosoever" <whose...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Oh *****! I've done a crap in the neighbours' backyard again! Sorry Mom!
Did I say "*****"? *****! What an ***** I am! *****! I swore again. Damn this
verbal diarrhoea!
IFYPFY.
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
28 Jun 2007 09:11:06 PM |
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On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:37:23 -0400, "Whosoever" <whose_92@yahoo.com>
wrote:
A recent survey shows that America, unlike Europe, remains at least a
nominally Christian country
Europe always did take the lead.
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| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
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| Title: Re: Calling Christian Rebels - Worldview and Culture |
28 Jun 2007 03:26:54 PM |
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On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:37:23 -0400, Whosoever wrote:
A recent survey shows that America, unlike Europe, remains at least a
nominally Christian country,
But we're getting over it...
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
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"What the hell is an aluminum Falcon?"
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