WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

This is an answer to the 4 part series which asked, “Why is it that people are more comfortable inviting people to church or just doing a good work than in sharing their faith in Christ with others?

and

an accompanying thought on the to the original posting that initiated the question, “When Did We Start Confusing Community Service With Evangelism?”

“¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore,… ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

(Ephesians 6:13, 14a-15)

I have spent five postings now discussing the issues of evangelism.  The original article called, “When Did We Start Confusing Community Service With Evangelism?” is still getting quite a few hits.[1]  In fact it is the most hit and discussed of any of the writings.  It also spurned the follow up question which I originally meant to be one posting, but turned into four separate articles asking, “Why is it that people are more comfortable inviting people to church or just doing a good work than in sharing their faith in Christ with others?”  The conclusion on the first question was that community service projects do not automatically translate into evangelism, but then again neither does a trip to the grocery store.  At the same time our summation of the issue of doing good works over really sharing our faith had four thoughts to them:  There is public pressure not to share;[2] There is the fear of others reactions when we do;[3] There are those who are lazy and disobedient;[4] and There are those who are lost within our church walls and have nothing to share.[5]  Evangelism is a struggle, it is a war, and it takes everything we have to make sure that we are in that constant mind frame that we are all called to be evangelists while we are not all gifted to be evangelists.

So from here where do we go?  What should we do now?  Evangelism can be as easy as ABC and yet it can be a complicated thing as well.  Evangelism is a multifaceted issue.  There is no one in their right mind who can truly say, “This is evangelism.  This is sharing the faith.  This is witnessing.”  Whatever you wish to call it, nobody can say this is what it looks like.  However, there are some identification markers that you and I can see that lets us know what it is not.

Identification Marker (IDM) 1: It is personal

We cannot get away from this marker and it is possibly the most important one.  We can also call it being a witness.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus speaking with the apostles before His ascension noted, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Before we go much further with this allow me to clarify something.  When Jesus tells the apostles the they would receive power from the Holy Spirit He is not talking about what many of our Pentecostal brethren think.  He is speaking in a very historical context.  The Holy Spirit was going to come and give them the power to share the gospel and live holy lives before God.  If you read the accounts in Acts this is what you see.[6]

Second, the ideas of the locations (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest part of the earth) have nothing to do with the applications which are commonly given to it.  Many times we are told that Jerusalem is our home city, Judea is our state, Samaria is our nation, and the remotest part of the world is the mission field.[7]  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Two things need to be observed:  1) This is Dr. Luke’s outline for the letter; and 2) Jesus is speaking in a historic mind set.[8]  If we look at this verse in proper perspective we understand that we are a part of the remotest part of the world right now.  The last thing to note is connected with our first thought on this verse, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses…”  This is the key.  We are be His witnesses not preform His witnesses.  It is a state of existence, not an act to be shown.  Being a witness is who we are; therefore it permeates all that we do.

Identification Marker (IDM) 2: It is intentional

This IDM shows that the desire for personal evangelism is something that the person places at the forefront of their minds.  In other words this is a conscientious act as a result of realizing who they are.  Paul asks something in Romans that has been quoted a couple of times throughout this series, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”[9]  The context of this passage has Paul talking about Israel being the chosen people but many were not “true Israel” because they did not believe.[10]  Then he begins discussing how that Gentiles (non-Jews) who have believed where “grafted” into the Kingdom by grace.[11]  In the middle of this discussion Paul drops these series of questions.  His concern is that the people of Israel will die eternally, meaning they will go to Hell, if someone does not share their faith in Christ with them.  There has to be an intentional mindset.  The Christian community through the local churches as a result of individual conviction needed to reach lost Israel with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What was true for Paul should be true for us.  We should be intentional about our lives.  What we say, how we live, where we go, what we see, how we respond, ect.  It is all based on who we are and to Whom we belong.  We cannot escape the fact that evangelism starts with the individual with an intentional mindset.

Identification Marker (IDM) 3: It is a community effort

We cannot escape this either.  More strong churches grow as a result of a deep commitment from individuals who share the gospel with friends, family, and neighbors, but churches still need a corporate plan for reaching the community as a whole.  Billboards and events where people are practically walking billboards do not cut the cake.  Neither do websites, publication materials, newspaper advertisements, mission bake sales/fund raisers, or anything else that may be used to promote the local church.  Why?  Because what we do is never about the organization or local church we are affiliated with.  Evangelism is about the Kingdom of God.  The local church is what God uses to build His kingdom and disciple others to continue the work.  I have had only one person in thirty years of ministry asks me about a t-shirt that advertised the church I attended.  The world is overwhelmed with “t-shirt” advertising.  People just simply do not pay attention to it anymore.  I am not saying that any of the above mentioned items cannot play a part, but this is not evangelism.

Churches have to be mindful of their community around them.  What can a church do to reach out to those living around them?  This is a struggle that churches have been involved in since the beginning.[12]  I would warn churches and church leaders not to confuse what is going on in Acts 2:37-Acts 6 as community service.  It is not!  What is happening is an internal matter.  They are taking care of their own.  Jesus stated in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  In other words taking care of those who are in need within our churches can have an evangelical effect.  It will be felt; however community service is not an expected outcome of what is being demonstrated by the Jerusalem church.

Dr. K.P. Yahannan the founder and international director of Gospel for Asia stated, “The battle against hunger and poverty is really a spiritual battle, not a physical or social one as secularists would have us believe.  The only weapon that will ever effectively win the war against disease, hunger, injustice and poverty in Asia is the Gospel of Jesus Christ...Fighting this powerful enemy with physical weapons is like fighting an armored tank with stones.”[13]   Dr. Yahannan looks at poverty and the issue of poverty as a work of Satan not circumstances.  It can be the results of giving into sin and spiritual darkness, therefore the idea is that the light of the Gospel is needed.

Allow me to use The Refuge, Friendship Baptist Church Mesquite’s mission in Terrell, Texas as an positive example.   The two young missionaries, Darren Lemons and Todd Cox, who are heading this up, have done a very well rounded job at the work they do.  Remember that in the second article I noted that I was at a community event working with The Refuge.  I noted that I felt more like a walking billboard than anything.  However, behind the scene a lot of work had been put into the efforts by Darren and Todd.  On that day of the community event Darren and Todd received several leads and are working on following up on those leads.  Also, they have two apartment ministries going on right now where they are leading Bible studies once a week.  And that does not include the home based Bible studies they are leading.  Couple all of that with the contacts they have made with the Chamber of Commerce and other various organizations in order to help people with any needs that may come their way.  These young men and their families are also in the process of training those involved in their work to establish The Refuge as a church so that they learn to have the same kind of mindset.  The purpose is to build the Kingdom.  They are doing a great job and it is a work well worth the support.  If you are looking for something to help, this ministry is worth every penny and effort.  Go to their website http://gototherefuge.com/ for more insight.

On my side let me share with you a failure that I have made on this scale.  At Halloween Friendship Baptist Church Mesquite always puts on an “In Stead Of Party.”  Of course I do not celebrate Halloween, rather I celebrate Reformation Day, the day in 1517 when Martin Luther hung the 95 Thesis on the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  So since our church does not recognize Halloween an alternative is put into place for the children of the neighborhood.  In the fall of 2011 I was in charge and decided that we would do a Trunk or Treat theme.  Because of the way things were set up it didn’t work as well as I had hoped, but it worked to some degree.  The failure was that while I had tracks and hand outs at the sign up table, I didn’t have them at any of the individual events.  And of course of the 250 people that came on our campus, only about 100 made it to the sign up booth.  So basically we did community service with very limited outreach.  Next year, if I’m still at Friendship, things will be different. 

The point I want to make is that no one is perfect, but the intent has to be there.  You can’t just go to an event or put an event on and hope that people will see why you are doing it.  Evangelism, the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ verbally and in literature, must be the one thing you and I are attempting to do.  Sharing the Gospel must be at the very center of what is going on, not the event itself.

One thing to remember about reaching the community is that it cannot be just one thing or another.  It needs to be a consistent effort.  Also, you cannot just do “community service projects” there needs to be soccer/basketball camps, youth outreach events, vacation Bible schools, backyard Bible clubs, ect.

Identification Marker (IDM) 4:  It needs to be at the center of every message from the pulpit

No church of Jesus Christ can allow itself to be distracted from this.  The Gospel must be at the very center of every message that comes from the pulpit.  Not just happily placed at the end in order to give an invitation, but it must be the very heartbeat of what is said, sang, and done.  If a pastor, or guest speaker, hits the subject of tithing, the Gospel can easily be presented here.  What about family life?  Or dating? Or living for Jesus?  Or being a good Stewart?  Or learning to forgive?  Or learning to deal with people honestly?  It doesn’t matter if you are teaching from Genesis 1:1 or Revelation 22:21, the Gospel must unequivocally be what the message revolves around.  If the Gospel is missing from the message, then the messenger has failed to deliver what was shared to them in the past.  And if the church continues to allow it to happen they have fallen into darkness and are no longer a church of the Living God, no matter what name they claim to have.

In 1^st Timothy 4:13 Paul writes to Timothy, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”  Later in 2^nd Timothy 1:8-9 Paul continues to encourage Timothy by stating, “⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.” (Bold highlights mine)  The point on both passages is that the Scriptures are to be publicly taught and proclaimed, which means the Gospel is to be proclaimed at the same time.

Identification Marker (IDM) 5:  There is a concern for the lost worldwide (Missions)

This last marker shows the extent of concern for the lost.  Working both in the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Missionary Association of Texas (BMAT) as well as the Baptist Missionary Association of American (BMAA) I hear a lot about we need so many church plants and missions started a year in order for the denomination(s) to survive.  Or I hear we are losing our Christian influence in America, and they go through the process of giving a litany of things which need to be done.  First let me say that both thoughts are true.  If we don’t do more church plants and expand then our denominations will die.  I also agree that if we are not involved in our culture on every level we will lose our influence and watch society plunge into immediate darkness.  However I do not believe that this is the idea behind what Jesus wants or what He was commanding.  I am tired of hearing about what will happen if we don’t do this or that in regards to missions and church growth.  We act as if the future belongs to us.  We talk as if we don’t do something the churches will cease to exist.  May I say with full authority and complete confidence that this sounds more like church growth seminars speaking and not Christ.  The churches have been around since the days of Jesus.  Paul writes and says that Christ is the head of the church.[14]  Therefore the future belongs to Him, what we should be worried with is not the size, scope, future, or influence of our denominations, but our concerns should be for the lost.  Unfortunately we have become full of ourselves rather than full of the Spirit of God.[15]

We as churches should be involved in mission evangelism because we want people to come to Christ and then to teach them the way of the cross as a way of life.  It should not be for those who have been hurt by established churches, or for a particular class of people (poor or rich), or for an age group.  These people will be swept up in the net of evangelism as we move forward in reaching the lost.  The priority of missions is to reach the lost in an area where the Gospel is not available or where a people group is established, but a church that speaks their language is not.

Final Thought

These may not be the only identification markers but I think they are the bigger ones.  My question to you is how concerned for the lost are you?  Are you personally willing make an effort to share the good news with them?  Pastors do you and the church that you under-shepherd have several things in motion to reach the lost on a personal and mass bases?  Is the Gospel being proclaimed in every message?  Are you as a church member or pastor burdened for the lost worldwide?

Allow me to share one last story that sums it all up.  Back in 2008, I was the Minister of Education at Ferguson Road Baptist Church in east Dallas where Dr. Wayne Wible is the pastor.  We had been meeting with the Southern Baptist Convention of Texas (SBTC) for several months regarding kick starting church growth through evangelism.  We were the first to take part in what is called the Ezekiel Project which was meant to help churches in decline.  When we came to the end of the sessions the leader of the Ezekiel Project asked Dr. Wible a series of questions.  The questions were designed to lead to a point.  The leader reached into his brief case and pulled out a demographics report.  We had already received one from Dallas Baptist Association (DBA) and before that I had created one just on simple research.  All three reports matched in detail and numbers.  Ferguson Road was a church in decline and the income base, while consistent, was not strong.  The leader pointed to several numbers that indicated if the church wanted to survive it would need to target some of the younger, high income homes and families in the area.  I will never forget what happened after that; he asked Dr. Wible what we wanted to do, who was it we wanted to reach.  Dr. Wible simply looked at him and said, “The lost.”

Let me know your thoughts,

His Servant Together With Him,

Steven Swaim
President and Founder, Be Devoted Ministries

(All Bible quotations are from the NASB)

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[1] http://bedevotedministries.blogspot.com/2012/03/when-did-we-start-confusing-community.html

[2] http://bedevotedministries.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-is-it-that-people-are-more.html

[3] http://bedevotedministries.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-is-it-that-people-are-more_05.html

[4] http://bedevotedministries.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-is-it-that-people-are-more_18.html

[5] http://bedevotedministries.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-is-it-that-people-are-more_30.html

[6] Acts 2:1-4, 14-36; 4:5-12, 31; 13:52

[7] http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/abounding-grace/read/articles/reaching-our-world-13474.html This teacher is an example of this mislead thought.

[8] I. Howard Marshall. The Tyndal New Testament Comentaries-Acts. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI. 1980. Pgs. 60-61

[9] Romans 10:14

[10] Romans 9:6

[11] Romans 11:17-24

[12] John Fuder, General Editor. A Heart For The City.  Moody Press, Chicago, IL. 1999. Pgs. 55-56 (On a personal note, if you are looking at a ministry in an urban community I would advise this book as needed reading.)

[13] K. P. Yahannan. Revolution In World Missions: One Man’s Journey to Change a Generation. Gospel for Asia, Carrollton TX, 2004.  Pg. 29.

[14] Ephesians 1:22-23

[15] Ephesians 5:18

It’s Beginning To Look Like What?

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 6 `AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.' " 7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." 14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."

16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 18 "A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE." –Matthew 1:18-2:18

Every Christmas since I became a Christian there has been one controversy or another. In fact I didn’t even know that many of these controversies regarding Christmas even existed before I became a Christian. But in Ephesians 2 the apostle Paul makes it clear that before we come to know Jesus Christ as our Savior we are dead in our trespasses and sins. As usual this year is not any different then that of the last twenty-five years. This year’s war has been with the state of Washington and its governor. But the reality is that this hostility started much earlier. In recent history this struggle started thirty years ago when the educational intuitions made the decisions to stop having “Esther Break” and started having “Spring Break” a week or two before Esther. This was a subversive way of denying deity through the observation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the battle still goes back further than that. During the late nineteenth century Christians found themselves struggling against a new enemy call “Commercialism.” This was the illegitimate child of the free enterprise system set up by our forefathers. Even then the battle of Christmas goes back further. I could spend pages talking about the different battles Christians’ have fought dealing with Christmas but the truth is that Christmas has never been held as something wonderful by the world. The world loves the idea of a small innocent baby in a cute manager setting. They love the idea of getting gifts full of play things and singing happy songs. They love the sounds and glittering lights and the parties, please don’t forget the parties. The world has done everything from attempting to highjack it to totally doing away with it, but history notes that these actions have occurred from the very start.

In Matthew 1:18-2:18 we read that the original Christmas story is received with less than a glorious thought. At first in Matthew 1:18-25 when Joseph, the future husband to Mary, heard the news of Mary’s pregnancy he was less than enthusiastic. In fact 1:19 brings out that he even thought about having a private divorce and moving on with his life. It wasn’t until he is given a revelation by an angel of the Lord in 1:20-25 that he changed his mind and accepted what was happening as the divine will of God.

On the other hand the news was received with the same lukewarm attitude by King Herod in Matthew 2. When it is revealed to him by the magi what was going on, his handling of the situation was much different. According to chapter 2 verses 4-6 he first verified the information from the religious leaders regarding what Scripture had to say about the matter. Then in 2:7-9 he subversively tells the magi to find the Child so that he can worship Him, even though his plan was to kill the Child. Do not get this story wrong when he sent them out to find the child many scholars believe that Herod had spies in Bethlehem waiting for the magi to arrive in order to kill the Christ child. This is the reason many believe that 2:9b-12 possibly happened at a much later time and some place other than Bethlehem. It is believed and agreed by most commentaries, both old and new, that 2:9b-12 happened around the second year of Jesus’ life possibly in Nazareth. Many of the reasons for this are because of the fact that the star always showed in the east. Nazareth is to the east of Jerusalem while Bethlehem is to the southwest of Jerusalem. Also, the use of the Greek word for “Child” in 2:9b can mean infant to five years of age. Verse 16 in chapter 2 also notes that Herod’s orders included children two years old and under. Regardless of the where and when the magi encounter the Christ child, they leave the country through an alternate route. Because of this Herod becomes indignant (2:16) The word used for “anger” means fits of passion. He was enraged over what had occurred. In line with his history of killing and assassinations he sent a small army, possibly from the fortress Herodion which was only about five miles from Bethlehem. This fortress overlooked Bethlehem and would have taken no time to get to Bethlehem in order to carry out the horrible orders of King Herod. Orders to kill, “…all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.” (2:16) On that night the blood ran like water through the streets of Bethlehem. To the glory of God and by His divine protection Joseph moved his family from wherever they were to Egypt until the danger had passed (2:13-15, 19-23).

So as we can see this war against Christmas has always been going on. It is nothing new. It wasn’t filled with parties, flashing lights, lots of toys, tree trimming, declarations, happy songs, and cool romantic nights by a warm fire place. This conflict has always been going on and it will not end until the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Until then the sinful soul of humanity will constantly and consistently deny the virgin birth. If people do not deny the virgin birth, then they cannot deny the vicarious death on the cross. If they do not deny his death on the cross as a substitutionary act then they have to come into agreement with their guilt before God as a result of their own sinful nature. If they do not deny his virgin birth and substitutionary death on the cross they cannot deny His resurrection. If they cannot deny His resurrection they must conclude that God became a man and met humanity in its inhumanity face to face. Now humanity is caught in a dilemma, they must repent and believe or some day face judgment before the very One they deny. The truth is deny it or accept it the Child in the filthy manager who was being hunted by sinful mankind will one day be the Judge Who will condemn all who deny Him as Savior.

Where are you? What stand are you taking? How do you feel about who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for all of humanity? The answer to these questions could very easily affect your eternity.

Have a Merry Christmas,

Steven

THE CULT OF SELFISM AND THE POST-MODERN WORLD

This is part 3 of a 6 part series from an essay which I entered into an essay contest. Over the next several days we are going to be looking at the cult of selfism and postmodernism from a historical, philosophical, sociological, and theological angle. I promise not to get to deep into the subject but get ready to start looking at our culture from a totally different viewpoint. Today I wish to look at the philosophical aspect of how postmoderism and the cult of selfism took over our culture.

How do they relate?
(Philosophy)
The widespread cult of Selfism was basically born from the philosophy of Post Modernism or as some would call it “Ultra modernism.” Postmodern thinking has two basic components: community and language. In terms of community the postmodern thought is not the idea of traditional community, but bracketed community. Community based on age, technological knowledge, style, privilege, status, a cause, or even ideas, but rarely is it based on family, neighborhood, ethnic status or religion. The postmodern community maybe someone who lives across town rather than around the corner causing a loss of connectivity with the surrounding population. Because connectivity is lost in terms of relationship based on close reliability then the community factor which is longed for is not fulfilled. Mobility and freedom to move about as we wish is more important than knowing who it is who lives next door to us. I have experienced this through the years by talking to my peers about needing to belong to a local church. Universalism has overtaken the philosophy that people no longer associate the need of belonging to a local society. It is an inquisitive desire to know people from a distance so that the ugly wart of Selfism cannot be readily seen by those around us therefore we cannot be identified to this cult.
Because community has been redefined there is a loss of base regarding the past and passing generations. Connection is lost so the past is either forgotten or ignored. This shows up in no other place strongest than in the Christian religion. At one time the strength of many local congregations across American was the fact that there may have been three or four generations who belonged to that church. This connection and community was starting to be lost by the Great Generation who began to dabble with mysticism and existentialism. As has already been discussed this was taken up by the peace movement of the “Baby Boom” Generation and embraced. Now the tapering off of the “Great Generation” and the embracing of the “Baby Boom” Generation has given birth to a religiously irreverent and ignorant society which has lost and ignores history.
That leads to the second thing the post modern movement claims for itself, language. The reason for ignoring history and not connecting to community regarding past generations is because there is no absolute truth. Where as one generation questioned truth this generation does not even question it, we just do not believe in it. There is a contradiction which will be seen later, but my generation and the generations directly attached to it have no strong, hard core belief in absolute truth. Truth is what you make it therefore what seems right to me is what I choose to do. Since there are no absolute truths then the law regarding running the traffic light on red does not apply. It does not seem right to make me wait two minutes at a light when I can “safely” go through it. Or as the story illustrated before, if someone won’t let others be with the person they want to be with then they can end the life of those who stand in the way of their happiness. The cult of Selfism protrudes most strongly from postmodernism in this area.

Next we will look at the sociological effect it has had on our culture.

THE CULT OF SELFISM AND THE POST-MODERN WORLD-Part 2

This is a continuation of a 6 part series from an essay which I entered into an essay contest. Over the next several days we are going to be looking at the cult of selfism and postmodernism from a historical, philosophical, sociological, and theological angle. I promise not to get to deep into the subject but get ready to start looking at our culture from a totally different viewpoint. Today I wish to look at the historical aspect of how postmoderism and the cult of selfism took over our culture.

Where Did This Begin?
(History)

There are a number of places we can start with to find out where this cult originated. In the third chapter of Genesis it talks about the fall of humankind into sin and what it would do. While this cult has belonged to humankind since the beginning of time, recently it has come to the place of preeminence not just in the American society but worldwide. Maybe it’s the fault of the internet, rock & roll or country music. It could also the fault of television and movie entertainment. Blame the retailers and their lust for money and greed or the lack of parental involvement or even the educational system. While these may have played some role the reality is that it belongs with a general flaw and belief systems which were originally spawned by the generation of the Second World War, the Great Generation. This generation began to pick up on eastern mystical religion after the war because of the disillusionment with the status quo of life. They had experienced two traumatizing worldwide events, the Great Depression and World War II. Couple that with the existential movement which began only a generation before and there is a boiler waiting to explode.
Out of that generation starting in 1941 until 1964 or 1968 (depends on who you read regarding sociology) came the “Baby Boom” generation. This generation is composed of over 80 million people. It quickly became the most consumer based group in the world in history. It was also viewed as a generation which could and would spread the American dream to the world. A problem with this was found in a little Southeast Asia country called Vietnam. When this generation recognized the size and force they could exhibit they chose to protest against the war and began to question established authority. This generation bought into the eastern mystical cults for more than the “Great Generation” and mixed it with the “if it feels good” philosophy which would dominate their generation. This is the generation which starts to allow the glue to come apart in the fabric of society. By doing this a fire was being built which would have an impact like none other.
From the “Baby Boomer” generation came the “Baby Buster” or “X-Generation” born mainly from 1964 or 1968 and ending around 1982 or 1988. This generation was at one time regarded as a quiet generation but came into it’s own during the technology revolution of the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s and began to exert its muscle squeezing out the “Baby Boomers” based on sheer knowledge. That in culmination with the “Y-Generation” and the “Millennial Generation” began to make strides toward domination in business, ethics, law and entertainment which the “Baby Boom” generation had not imagined. These are the generations where violence and amoral beliefs begin to unfold. It has now gone from a “feel good, me generation” to an “it’s only about me” generation. Therefore if a person does not like it, they may choose to kill in order to end the turmoil. The cult of Selfism which began with the “Great Generation” is now reaping what was sown.

Next time we will be looking at the philosophical side of this phenomenon.

God Bless,

Steven

THE CULT OF SELFISM AND THE POST-MODERN WORLD-Part 1

The following is the part 1 of a 6 part series from an essay which I entered into an essay contest. Over the next several days we are going to be looking at the cult of selfism and postmodernism from a historical, philosophical, sociological, and theological angle. I promise not to get to deep into the subject but get ready to start looking at our culture from a totally different viewpoint.

Introduction

On the morning of March 1, 2008 a family was woken up to a horrifying situation. Their sixteen year old daughter’s boyfriend and a friend broke into their house with the intent to commit a mass murder. Before the event was over the mother would lie dead of gunshot wounds along with the thirteen year old son and the eight year old son stabbed to death. The father lay playing dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head and two in the back. He quickly crawled out of the house as the two young men set it on fire to cover the evidence. The father dragged himself almost three hundred yards to a neighbor’s house for help. A mile down the road was an eighteen year old woman and the sixteen year old girlfriend waiting in a car to pick up the two murderers. In less than twenty four hours all were in custody and the sixteen year old girl’s father was in the hospital recovering from his physical injuries. Normally, this would not even be something that I would pay attention too except to pray for the family and for those who committed this horrible crime. I would probably give enough respect to the story to wonder why such an action had occurred then move on. This time the situation took on a new meaning because I work with a distant family member of the eighteen year old young lady who drove the get-a-way car.

On the surface we could speculate that the reason for the murders was over a sixteen year olds fascination with a nineteen year old man. The fact that the families wanted the two to split up because they felt the daughter was too young. We could rationalize that raging hormones had something to do with it. Or maybe a misguided belief that if the family was out of the way they could spend the rest of their lives together. All of these theories and thoughts may be true or it maybe more hideous, more involved or something which has taken a culture by storm and is now invading the very nature of our society. While the above reasons are true I have come to believe that such actions are the result of belonging to the religious cult of Selfism.

God Bless,

Steven