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A Choice of Culture
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.”
(Matt. 6:22, NKJV)
Have you ever been so busy with your daily agenda that you don’t stop and consider the reason you are here? It is so easy to get into the daily routine: wake up, clean up, dress up, fill up, off to work, do your job, come home, catch up on family matters, deal with crises, take time for hobbies, pay bills, recreation, take the kids to soccer, etc. Life becomes a series of tasks that fill time. The choices we make become the sum of our lives, our attempt to express who we are. Sometimes we fill our time to avoid the emptiness we feel. We try to create meaning in our lives by associating with certain people, by accumulating material possessions, with our career, and how we spend our free time. The choices we make create a powerful momentum that begins to control us instead of us controlling it. Over time our choices define us. Individually the sum of these behaviors identifies who we are. Collectively they become our way of life, and as a whole, characterize who we are as a nation.
The culture is changing before our very eyes. Culture is defined as: “the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time.”[1] Our culture is constantly shifting. The interaction of daily rituals, habits and practices affect how we get along with one another and build community. Have you noticed significant changes in our society? Have you seen a difference in how we relate to each other?
We need vision to comprehend the significant events occurring in American culture that affect our family, our government and even our local church. We need to see what is happening!
The American culture is distinct. We are marked by our wealth and our freedom. By far, we are the wealthiest nation on earth.
“The gross domestic product (GDP) of the U.S. is larger than the next two biggest economies combined, which is China and Japan. The U.S. economy out produces the combined economies of over forty-seven poor nations, which account for 53 percent of the population of the world. These forty-seven nations include China and India. But on an individual scale, just how does the income of the average American compare to the average income of the poor of the world?
In 2000 the per capita income of the U.S. was 360 percent higher than the world’s average per capita income (CPI). The U.S. boasted a CPI of $34,100 while the average world CPI was $7,410 (measured in international dollars). This does not give an accurate picture because the world’s average CPI includes the U.S and the other wealthy nations of Europe”.[2]
This wealth is fueled by our method of government. We are a democracy in the form of a republic and the system we use to manage economics is capitalism. Since 1804 our Gross Domestic Product Per Capita has grown from $1,069 to $42,675 in 2008. 74% of this increase came between 1904 and 2008.[3] No one would argue that this enormous increase in wealth has changed our personal fortunes and way of life.
Our freedom has also impacted our culture. While state and federal laws restrict absolute freedom, our Declaration of Independence states clearly that human freedom was designed by God:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
This “pursuit of happiness” includes freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to own property, freedom to establish businesses, and choose our recreational activities, etc.
This bold declaration makes America distinct. We can create wealth and we have the freedom to enjoy it. But, how has our culture been affected by the enormous increase in wealth and the unparalleled freedoms we enjoy?
Because of the increase in prosperity, Americans have experienced many changes to our way of life especially since 1904. Our economy was dramatically altered in the first half of the 20th century by the industrial revolution. For hundreds of years the horse and buggy was our primary mode of transportation. Now it is a nostalgic reminder of simpler times (except in Amish country). Assembly line manufacturing spurred productivity and increased wealth. At the same time, credit made it possible to “buy now and pay later.” Home mortgages made it possible for millions to invest in real estate and single-family housing. The arrival of the space age in the late 1950s and early1960s had a profound impact on the latter half of the twentieth century. Today, road maps are being replaced with GPS (global positioning systems) devices that give us directions. Cell phones and satellite hook ups are replacing telephone lines and cable. Space exploration expanded the development of commercial products such as firefighter suits, cordless drills, smoke detectors, ear thermometers, and durable asphalt.
By far the most significant new technology is the computer. This technology has affected transportation, communication, manufacturing, the way we work and the way we play. Computer advancements raise productivity by allowing us to communicate when we want and to whom we want, worldwide, in a matter of seconds. We can see events in real time happening thousands of miles away. While traveling I used to have to stop my car and use a pay phone to make business calls, but now I can accomplish as much as I did in my office while driving or waiting in the airport. These improvements in productivity, along with changes in financial regulations allowing for significant increases in credit, led to enormous growth in personal wealth and physical prosperity.
When I was growing up in the sixties, six children along with my Mom and Dad lived in a three-bedroom house; my two brothers and me in one bedroom, my three sisters in another, and Mom and Dad in the third. All the rooms were small. The bedrooms were no bigger than ten by ten and the house had only one bathroom. Imagine six kids waking up at the same time scrambling to be the first through the bathroom door! Even so I have fond memories of living in a family enveloped by love as many people did and do today. The size of the home didn’t really matter, but with the economic boom of the last 40 years, many became accustomed to more.
From a wealth standpoint, there are definitely differences in our culture from forty years ago. We have bigger homes, a car for every driver, motion activated games you play on your TV, computers, Wi-Fi, and cell phones. The accumulative effect is an appearance of prosperity.
But there’s another perspective to consider when we think of prosperity. If we are going to really “see” what is going on in our culture, we may need corrective lenses. Whereas many people have seen a great increase in monetary wealth, our moral prosperity is on the decline. Since beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior[4] have become relative, it might be difficult for some to even measure our moral capital.
40% to 50% of married couples divorce. Twice as many as in 1960. The divorce rate among Christians is now the same or higher than the broader culture[5]
More than 1 million children a year see their parents’ divorce[6]
There have been more than 52,000,000 legal abortions since 1973- Over 840,000 in 2006[7]
In 2006 an estimated 20.4 million Americans aged 12 years and older used illegal drugs. This represents 8.3% of the U.S. Population[8]
The U.S. ranks first in the world in lifetime use of cocaine and marijuana by a factor of four. The higher a person’s income the more likely they are to use cocaine and marijuana.[9]
As of July 2003, there were 260 million pornographic images online, an increase of 1800% since 1998. Americans rent 800 million adult videos a year. Nearly one in five videos rented is an adult film. Hollywood produces 400 feature films; the adult movie industry churns out 11,000.[10]
In a sample of programming from the 2001-2002 television season, sexual content appeared in 64% of all TV programs. Those programs with sexually related material had an average of 4.4 scenes per hour. Talk of sex is more frequent (61%) vs. overt portrayals (32%). 1 out of every 7 programs includes a portrayal of sexual intercourse.[11]
According to the U.S. Department of Justice 797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day. 58,200 children were the victims of non-family abductions.[12]
There are approximately 375,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S.[13]
The national debt is $13.7 trillion and expected to rise to 19.6 trillion by 2015[14]
While our monetary prosperity has generally improved, our moral clarity has faltered. Formerly considered shameful, practices such as abortion, homosexuality, and the use of pornography are now promoted as human rights. Homosexuality, the distribution of condoms along with the rejection of abstinence as a form of birth control (i.e. promiscuity is okay, just don’t get pregnant), and abortion are taught as positive life choices in our schools. In many states parental consent is not required for minors to have an abortion. Discourse in the political arena is often uncivil and many discussions succumb to degrading or belittling their opponents.
Recently a friend of mine ran for state office. His opponent put out commercials implying my friend was under investigation for sexual harassment. Defamation for the purpose of gaining power is not an isolated occurrence, but it is often the norm in many political campaigns. Negative advertising is a powerful influence. The new standard is to use skewed information to sway elections even if the information we receive is false.
Rival political factions battle for supremacy even if it means interfering with our freedoms.
In 2010, we have a government divided with a Presidency and Senate controlled by Democrats and the House of Representatives controlled by Republicans.
Democrats believe in a big government with many entitlements for the citizenry, while Republicans believe in limited government and promote individual self-reliance. Both believe their way is better.
There is an ongoing battle between those that believe marriage is between a man and a woman and those that believe in same sex marriage. Five states and the District of Columbia now allow same sex marriage. An appeal is pending in California on this issue.[15]
Obama Care seeks to move the nation into health care controlled by the federal government. Recently President Obama attempted to force religious institutions to provide contraceptives in their health care plans violating religious freedoms and conscience guaranteed in the constitution.
Abortion remains a divisive issue that stirs much emotion and deeply divides our country
The disposition of millions of illegal aliens tests our sense of moral responsibility
The military is required to allow homosexual men into their organization
Many other issues divide this nation including; physician assisted suicide, rich vs. poor, gender roles, race, etc.
There is no question that our moral boundaries are being challenged and pushed to the very edge.
We have become a nation that has lost its moral compass. Our nation was founded on set of moral principles based on our faith, and as a result great material prosperity followed. As our moral prosperity has declined, consider the impact on our material wealth.
In 2012 unemployment is over 8% nationally and higher in some states.
In 2010, forty-six states face budget deficits totaling $191 billion.[16]
As a result, the federal government sent them money it didn’t have to lend.
Our real estate market has collapsed.
150 banks have failed in 2010 through November.[17]
What a mess! How did we get to this point? What is driving this chaos? Gird yourself. We are at war! We are in a battle encompassing not just what we “see” in the natural but with what is happening in the spiritual realm. To fight in this war, it is important to recognize the true nature of the conflict and who the combatants are. You must decide whose side you are on. Even if you don’t feel you have enlisted, you are still a soldier and the focal point of this clash. There is no middle ground. There are two sides in this fight and neither side will compromise. We must choose which side we will represent and get equipped for battle!
Every battle begins with at least two divergent points of view. Before you can choose which side you are on, you must understand the conflict and the consequences of the outcome. Each side hopes to influence people and affect what they believe because belief compels behavior. Even God takes that approach. Scripture says our lives are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). But neither side in the culture war can force your choices. The tactics are subtle. One side wants to keep you uninformed; the other side wants you to know clearly what is happening so that you can make knowledgeable choices. One side uses deception to keep you in the dark; the other side offers the light of truth. Deception is itself a weapon often used to argue that absolute truth is a fallacy. The strategy is to make you a prisoner to an egocentric ideology whose boundaries never end. The opposite strategy is to teach the vast arena of truth and the freedom it brings as we remain within its boundaries. You would think that boundaries make you a prisoner, but the very opposite is true.
While deception and accusations are key tactics of one side, the other side uses foundational principles sourced from truth and conscience to make its case. The stakes are significant. This war began many thousands of years ago in the paradise-garden God created. Under His guidance and government, we were the intended caretakers. The present-day spoilage and destruction we see all around us came through the influence of Satan, who is the author of evil.
What we face is a fundamental clash between good and evil. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan are in conflict. War is being waged on two fronts, personally and nationally. It is difficult for many people to choose sides in this battle, because good and evil are defined differently by the different sides. Just as camouflage is used in physical warfare so evil uses camouflage in this war. For example, some may wonder how a loving God could condemn anybody to a place like hell. The implication is, if there is a God, He must not be genuinely good. Sometimes the camouflage leads intelligent people astray because they are unaware of the difference between the two combatants.
Satan presents himself as an angel of light. He disguises himself as wise, and although he is clever, he is foolish. He is like a double agent. But God gives night-vision to followers of His truth to discern good from evil and stand against the enemy whose purpose is to get us to believe a lie! We will either be overcome by the arising evil in our society or we will overcome it with knowledge of the truth.
We must understand the strategic nature of the war to win the personal battle being waged within each of us and which ultimately affects our entire nation. The most important strategy we can take in this battle is to know God through His Son Jesus Christ. If we do not have a personal relationship with Him, we are susceptible to the influence of the author of evil.
When we do not get to know someone, it is very difficult to trust them. If people make a statement to you about someone who you do not know, how do you know if you are being told the truth?
Because each side in the war between good and evil has an author, the first place to start is to get to know who these authors are. The Author of Good[18] is the Creator of the universe. He created everything from nothing. He designed all of creation and called it good.
“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”
(Gen. 1:31, NKJV)
Using His power, He formed the heavens and the earth, created all life and put mankind in charge of what He created. He communicated clearly who would live and who would die. When Adam did not listen to God and was separated spiritually, the Author of Good put a plan in place to bring about restoration by demonstrating His power over life and death to show mankind that His Word was true. By raising Jesus Christ from the dead, He made it clear that He and He alone determines the nature of the relationship with those He created. He makes that same power available to transform the lives of those who believe and trust Him. He manifests His power to unlock the shackles of addictions and open the prison doors of fantasy and delusion! He both lifts us up out of emotional valleys and brings down mountains of trouble.
God’s power is mighty enough to overcome evil’s hold on us. The sacrifice that Jesus made for us is the highest form of love ever seen. It is in the death and resurrection of Christ that the fullness of God is expressed. Not only did he communicate who really had the power over life and death, (that life and death goes beyond the physical realm) but that he could be trusted. Who else would willingly go through crucifixion to pay a penalty for someone else? He wanted a restored relationship so much that he endured that suffering to see us back in the place He had in mind from the beginning of creation. The amazing thing is He did this not just for those that knew and loved Him, but for those that put Him on that cross.
In contrast, there is an author of evil. He stepped into the perfect world designed by God and to this day continues his attempt to destroy it and us by promoting lies.
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.”
(John 8:44, NKJV)
His mission is to kill, steal and destroy! (John 10:10)
Jesus Christ is our Commander in Chief in the war between good and evil. One of the most important things He did was to address the lack of knowledge about the Creator. We gain a key insight from His response to the mob who was putting Him to death. His executioners were doing something evil that they thought was good. Notice Jesus words to His Father:
“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
(Luke 23:34, NKJV)
Jesus has compassion for those overcome by evil. He knows they do not understand what they are doing. If the mob had really known God, they would not have acted in such an evil way. (1Cor. 2:8)
The word rebel comes from the Hebrew word “Marah”. The primary meaning of the word is to disobey. It signifies an opposition motivated by pride.[19] Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “one who defies and seeks to overthrow the authority to which he is rightfully subject.” Satan rebelled against God and wants everyone else to rebel the same way he did. He has been effective in his mission through lies and deceit. Our sin nature hates to submit to anyone other than ourselves. Is it possible to truly experience God and His love, know our destiny in Christ and still rebel against Him? I believe Satan did. Hebrews 6:4-6 tells us that once someone is enlightened and then falls away, we cannot renew them to the truth. (God is the only one who can renew us. e.g. David from his sin with Bathsheba) Clearly then, it is possible to experience God and yet rebel against Him. But there are many who haven’t come to know Him yet. Because of the lack of knowledge about the Creator, they don’t honor His authority. And then, because of their rebellious nature, they simply reject Him without question or examination. In other words, they don’t care to have the personal relationship that God desires to have with all of us. Without the knowledge that comes from the pursuit and then increase of that personal relationship, we remain in that state of rebellion and separation.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
(Phil. 2:5-8, NKJV)
Jesus lived in the presence of God, the place of perfection, the House of God. In heaven, there was no evil, no suffering. There was only pure love, pure peace and pure joy! Then He left that perfect environment to enter a corrupted world. Of course it had been a perfect world at first, but it became corrupt as evil influenced its inhabitants to worship false gods, even including themselves. His leaving heaven could be likened to a multi-billionaire leaving his mansion to go live in a maximum security prison where the inmates are shackled with a confused way of thinking demonstrated by their behavior and living in a place where they can’t get out. They are living on death row!
Why did he do this? He did so to open our eyes, provide a means of pardon from the prison and to offer a sound mind to us all. He did it to free us from our death sentence. (John 3:16)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
(Luke 4:18, NKJV)
Evil tries to hide the truth from us and keep us captive through a lack of vision. It is like being in a prison cell with the key to the cell door in your pocket. The guard knows he can’t keep you there but makes you think that he has the key to let you out. Of course, he never will. Jesus came to announce the good news of the Kingdom of God. This gospel was to inform people that they could have a personal relationship with the Creator Himself and become His children! If we submit to God’s authority, we will be co-heirs with Christ and a member of His household complete with an eternal inheritance and a role in his government. Since a kingdom is a realm with one King, God, the Author of Good, as the creator of man has the right to rule over him.
The author of evil came into God’s good creation and does everything he can to captivate people to a way of thinking that is opposed to truth. In the beginning, he confused man by twisting the truth and deceiving him into thinking God wasn’t necessary. It is like saying that now that you have been given the beautiful new Maserati, you no longer need the engineer and designer to teach you how to drive it and care for it. (We will explore how he did and does this in a later chapter)
When Jesus came into the corrupted world, this place where confusion about what is right and wrong was the norm; He planted seeds of truth, revealing the Author of Good’s way of living. It was important for the inmates to know that the Author of Good wanted a restored relationship but it was conditional on them believing what He sent Jesus to teach.(John 3:16) Because there were so many different types of people in the corrupted world, Christ’s teaching affected each one differently. Today, some of the inmates are completely void of any knowledge of God and like it that way. They will not listen to Jesus because they fully believe the lies of the author of evil.
Some in the prison have a heart for the Author of Good and receive Him when they hear of His ways and see through personal experience that His ways are good. Unfortunately they don’t press into a deep trusting relationship and so when they experience hard times, are persecuted, or have felt the emotional effects of Satan’s work, they blame the Author of Good instead of recognizing the real problem: the author of evil and their own choices. They are unable to bear persecution, or they are more concerned about what others think than what God thinks. This causes them to fall back into their misguided way of thinking and evil behavior.
There are some people in the prison who love their environment. They have achieved status and wealth, and while they are able to hear the Author of Good, they do not want to learn His ways because the false prosperity they have acquired is more alluring and gives more immediate pleasure than the sacrifice that Love (unselfishness) requires.
The last group in the prison has a heart for the Author of Good; they have an intimate relationship with Him and can understand the truth (His instruction) as they apply it. Because of their response, they are brought to a right way of thinking evidenced by their unselfish behavior. Their soul and body come into alignment through the relationship they have with Him in their spirit. They begin to behave and feel the way they were designed and are even able to point others to the way out. (Mark 4:14-20)
The work of the Author of evil is to deceive, to keep us from the Truth. In effect, deception and its appeal to our pride caused us to lose our “right mind”.
Jesus had a right mind. Father created everything through Him, and only He can teach you how to properly discern good from evil. Jesus is both the Commander in Chief of heaven’s armies and of fallen mankind. He is the redeemer and He came to crush the author of evil.
“For this purpose was the Son of God manifest: To destroy the work of the evil one.”
(1 John 3:8(b), NKJV)
Clearly, Jesus’ purpose is to get us back into our right minds by confronting and destroying what evil has done to His perfect world. In the perfect world that was “in the beginning”, we were subject to the Author of Good. We were taught His ways. But Evil entered the scene and tempted us to rely on our own wisdom. Since that time our opinions have clouded what is real, what is good.
The author of evil did not create anything. He observed what God did and offers his opinion of how God’s creation should work. Evil has nothing to stand on but the opinion of its author. On the other hand, God created the heavens and the earth, and His Word is their foundation. All creation stands as a testimony and a witness to His invisible attributes. (Romans 1:20)
What we have are two perspectives: evil that is based on the opinion of a created being and Creator’s Word. Which do you think has a future?
Since you are a soldier in this war, the first step in getting equipped for the battle is to receive the vision only Jesus can give. We must see things through our night vision glasses. When we can see in the dark (what is really going on), we are looking through spiritual eyes. Jesus wants to show us the “deep things of God”. As we receive the “mind of Christ”, we will begin to see both what He saw and what He sees today. (1 Cor. 2:7-16) He saw a mob that did not know God. His attitude toward them was compassion. His mission then and now is to redeem and to restore the relationship with God that had been lost to mankind. We now have access to the Author of Good in order to re-establish among men His perfect way of life!
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