2.15.2020 - week 42
on the embedded ‘godliness’ of our culture and outrage culture
my friend nathan finochio recently wrote on instagram about the world system and its desire for morality without jesus. i was moved by his insights, so i adapted them here for you.
the result of 1600 years of Christianity in the west combined with information technology is a highly ethical society that desperately preoccupies itself with moralism in an attempt to distract itself from a looming consciousness of disconnection with God. christianity has had a devastating effect on the west. the western world believes in god, not the gods, but it has recently been on a philosophical journey of deconstruction, mainly deconstructing the empiricism that christianity created. the west kept God but became skeptical of His self-revelation.
this western deconstruction was first largely felt in the rejection of the church, quickly fanning out to all established authorities. it eventually rejected all authority including self. existence itself became rejected. existence was later accepted begrudgingly. but the problem is that the west is so christian that it hurts. what hurts the west the most is how inescapably christian it in fact is. it could never not be christian. it’s like a child rejecting his parents, nothing he can do can change who he came from. no matter how distorted it’s values, they are all christian at core. and it hurts the west psychologically like an angry teen raging against inevitability. it haunts the west. there is no escaping god.
with the rejection of authority and rediscovery of self and spirituality has come a new crisis, the crisis of purpose. the self is the authority and thus must be the best self possible. the self has to find who the self is, what the self wants, and what makes the self ultimately happy all while being authoritative. now add the demand for authenticity. The modern person must be:
- ethical
- purposed
- authentic
- spiritual
- authority on all of the above
they want no help from the bible, only if the bible compliments their authoritative view. they want no help from pastors, only pastors who compliment their personally chosen authoritative view. who are their guides other than self? other people they perceive as being ethical and purposeful and authentic and successful like they want to be. in the tech age, the gurus wax eloquent from their socials platforms on these ethics/purpose/authenticity from an assumed authority. young people, having rejected a classic epistemology feel the impetus from their gods to embrace and display their ethics. this is their way of pretending like they have a purpose. they feel authentic because they wear bracelets. they feel authoritative because they chose the bracelet.
everything must be ethical. every millennial wants to be ethical. but these ethics are anchored not in absolute truth, but rather trends and perceptions. the generation coming is even more painfully ethical. They will try to embrace ethical totalitarianism. this is what happens when people don’t have a real purpose but still retain a christian cultural framework. the end result isn’t a playful return to paganism; it’s a militant march to legalism. christians will be the least ‘ethical ones left very soon. we’ll be the only people eating meat and promoting liberty.
western youth are increasingly crushed by the weight of christendom. without grace administered by the scripture and the church, they simply can’t bear the burden of the morality they claim to believe in. imagine trying to be more ethical than Jesus. that’s this generation. as they grow and try to find purpose, societal gatekeepers keeping moving the moral goalposts.
they are supposed to be outraged at all times. that’s the only way they know to feel alive. When wise pastors won’t accept their faux-ethical morality, they became lonely and disillusioned.
you see, marxism is a worldview that divides all people into categories, oppressor and oppressed, victimizer and victim. in a society like ours, searching to be ethical and purposeful, marxism becomes attractive because we see oppression everywhere. we feel validated as liberators, even if all that means is ‘getting angry.’ but this isn’t reality, the world is much more complicated than marx devised it to be.
long story short … your outrage is the result of a political philosophy and the anger of man still can’t produce the righteousness of God.
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
In 2013, we started the year in a new home with a new baby in the midst of a difficult time in our church. Although we had only moved about twenty minutes from our previous home it meant figuring out the new lay of the land and how to not get lost on the way to pick my kids up from preschool. Although we lived in the suburbs of Chicago, this move was further out than we had ever lived before so all the farms hadn’t turned into planned neighborhoods yet, most had but there were cornfields and horse farms here and there. I remember vividly one winter day being tired, weary and most likely running late and as I made my way toward the highway I passed the horse farm on my right I had passed a few times before. In my eye sight this time was a beautiful white horse.
Have you ever needed {I mean desperately needed} a sign from God? Not like a handwritten note in your peanut butter and jelly or an airplane with a sign telling you the answer you need (although those both seem like they would make it very clear), but instead a sign in the midst of your everyday life to show you that God sees you and is meeting you when you can’t see much ahead. It’s like you’re running your personal race of life, you’re doing your best to not look back, your gaze is focused but you’re running on fumes and if you don’t see a “gatorade station” soon you might just fall into a puddle! That horse was the ‘gatorade station’ if you will for me in that season. I can’t remember the exact sequence, if I was reading Revelation or if I saw the horse first and then read these verses in Revelation but I couldn’t help but gain encouragement from this beautiful creature each time I saw it.
This week I came upon the same verses that brought me back, Revelation 19:11 says, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” Then as the rest of Revelation 19 and 20 play out scripture reveals to us that the evil one loses - in fact he “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
The one on the white horse WINS. That IS the end of the story. He’s conquered death. He is Faithful and True. He gets to write the end of your story no matter what it looks like right now.
I’m now in southern California where the likelihood of seeing a white horse while en-route to pick my kids up from school is slim to none. But that doesn’t mean I won’t stop looking for whatever He puts in front of me to remind me of ‘who wins!’ Sometimes it’s the breathtaking mountains or the roar of the waves, other times its dolphins showing off or a sunset that everyone’s talking about. But I believe it’s having the eyes to see what he puts in front of us to reveal to our weary hearts that He’s got the whole world in his beautiful hands and that He is victorious in the end.
cup of leadership
(a medicore poen)
i had so many ideas down of who i wanted my kids to be,
but it’s so much more difficult than i thought.
i read as many books as i could and parenting podcasts for days,
but alas it’s so much more complicated than i was taught.
i got pianos and chess sets to no avail,
if only it could be as simple as what i bought.
but somehow they know jesus and michael scott and anger in traffic
because no matter much we want it somehow be different,
like a strong virus, our impact comes from what those around us have caught.
-----------------------------------------
the other day leaving a museum, my 9 year old reid saw a homeless man and asked permission to go offer him his leftover piece of pizza. it was a beautiful little moment of grace on a day when reid definitely needed a few wins in his column, . then carter leaned over to me and said
‘dad, i would never say this to reid’s face, but he’s very generous and i’m very proud of him.’
this was an absolutely flawless execution of an office joke, from season 4:13 episode ‘job fair. i don’t think carter has seen that episode (his mom rightfully frowns on a lot of the jokes), but he has heard me say it enough that he knew it would make me laugh. somehow though, no matter how many times i tell him to stay calm, he acts how i act in traffic.
simple truth, but a true truth. your kids and your spouse and the people close to you are led more by your habits than by your words.
book review
washington black – esi edugyan
this book was tough to read. not because of the prose, which was clean and vivid. not because of the storyline, which was brisk. simply because gross prejudice and racial injustice is easier to discount than the subtle stuff. the book is about a lot of people who might be considered just or progressive, yet they are brutal just the same. it’s difficult not to see myself in this story. if you like complex fiction, highly recommend.
content this week
the fellas are back discussing the mookie betts trade, uefa champions league picks, and an all-star game preview .. follow them on instagram or watch the whole video on youtube.
in episode 3 of welcome to the war, bishop ulmer + i discuss the city of LA and its unique challenges + opportunities. been getting great feedback on these, check it out.
the next message in ‘just do it’ through the book of james is up on the podcast / youtube.
5 reasons you struggle to just do it. if you are caught in a cycle of struggle, i think it will encourage you.
verse of the week
be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the lord. see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. you also, be patient. establish your hearts, for the coming of the lord is at hand.
james 5:7-8
2 pieces of good news I saw this week
1. i attended an amazing conference this week and heard a version of this message ‘ the precious pearl of patience’ from my friend bryan loritts, it really met me and i bet will do the same for you.
2. the mac boys are buzzing about NBA All Star Weekend, i went to show them to my favorite dunk contest performance ever and realized it was TWENTY years ago. i vividly remember watching this live … anyway … trust me, you will like it.