A steady bearing I see is the rising dominance of the philosophy, now increasing with each successive generation, which gives supreme significance to emotion, to the sentimental exhibition and outward appearance of good – while steadily diminishing the priority and importance of firm, unyielding values, absolute truth, and substance of character. Alarming. The church, which ought to be the bulwark standing firm against this tide of relativism, is rather participating whole-heartedly in this steady reversal of proper order. We applaud those who elevate humanity, who appeal to our emotion – without rightly testing the substance of their words and character against THE Word of God. Shame on us. We must pay heed, lest we are actually endorsing the spirit of the age (the anti-christ spirit), which above all things seeks to deceive by tempting our sentiment rather than our judgement. We are called to endorse a Kingdom which is yet to come – the values of which stand in such stark contrast to those of the world, that they are certain to incite anger and hate in those who are un-renewed.
The Danger of Assumptions
One of the most divisive things we can do is make assumptions about the feelings and motives of someone else (or worse, an entire group) – particularly someone we don’t see eye to eye with. Let’s strive to have the humility to push delete on our assumptions, and actually listen to those with a different perspective. We may learn something we didn’t know. We may find more common ground than expected. Sometimes we may not, but at least we’ll understand one another as people, rather than just “opponents”.
Alton Sterling
Good morning. I’m sorry that so many are hurting right now, and I feel grieved. I know what it feels like to be crushed under a weight of grief that threatens to eat you alive, perhaps more than most. I’ve had so many thoughts running through my head in response to recent events – and because of that, I’ve felt the need to stay silent, pray, listen, and ponder. But now, I need to get some of these thoughts together. What follows is an odd assortment of reflections that have come out of my prayer and contemplation. They’re in no particular order. Some of them may be offensive to those who are unwilling to hear a perspective that differs from their own. As a last disclaimer – I really hate continually referring to people based on their skin color (i.e. African Americans, White Americans, etc.), as I think in many cases it just promotes the escalating sense of division. That said, I really don’t know how else to candidly discuss these matters, given the present situation. Without further ado, here goes.