Looking in All the Wrong Places (Crossroads 20/3/20)
People are looking to the government to be their saviour. Communism is the system of government which becomes for the people the “nanny” state. The government is your family and the government is to look after you.
The western world has taken a different direction. A direction which places family at the heart of society. But as the breakdown of the family unit in the West continues, slowly but surely we, in the West, are moving closer and closer to idealising the Socialist/Communist system of government. There are many reasons for this, but one sure reason is the breakdown of the family unit.
Under the Judeo-Christian worldview, families were strong and society had a fabric of norms which were considered the “rule”. This is before the postmodern narratives kicked in and told us that all truth is relative and that virtually anything now goes. As Aeschliman rightly points out, however, “when you relativise the absolute, you absolutise the relative”. The high divorce rate and fatherless households, despite objections to the contrary, are proving a real problem for society and this is just the tip of the iceberg. It was not so long ago, that society would be horrified to think that “drag queens” could be invited to influence children in public libraries.
Most people want what the Christian worldview offers – grace, mercy, forgiveness, structure, clear differentials between right and wrong. Yet, they want the form but not the content. They want the shell but not the yolk.
A Christian society can only be Christian when people want the content, not just the shell. Many people long for a coherent society where the majority of people can be trusted and they can live in freedom and safety. Yet, they are happy to jettison the very thing that brought and established the wonderfully free society that we have enjoyed. That kind of society, however, is disappearing as the majority of people abandon the content.
To counteract the unravelling of the social fabric people are looking more and more towards the government to “save” our society. This becomes the natural outcome of societal breakdown. Consider the Coronavirus! It affects all people whether rich or poor. We are depending on the government for help and to an extent they can help but as much as the government can do they also are merely human.
I would argue that our greatest dilemma has to do with our standing before God. The government can’t help you with that one. Neither can being religious (the show without the sincerity). The postmodern paradigm will not and cannot save any society let alone an individual. The mantra of “diversity” has brought us no closer to a unified society and some argue that it has taken us even further from it.
Jesus said “I am the way (to God) the truth (revealer of God) and the life (the giver of quality and quantity of life). He went on: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He claims to be the ultimate Saviour of men and women. If you want to see a possible future for yourself, then I would urge you to consider the claims of Jesus. If anyone would be interested in learning about the claims of Christ, please contact Echuca Community Church, 0428 826 174.
Looking in All the Wrong Places (Crossroads 20/3/20)
People are looking to the government to be their saviour. Communism is the system of government which becomes for the people the “nanny” state. The government is your family and the government is to look after you.
The western world has taken a different direction. A direction which places family at the heart of society. But as the breakdown of the family unit in the West continues, slowly but surely we, in the West, are moving closer and closer to idealising the Socialist/Communist system of government. There are many reasons for this, but one sure reason is the breakdown of the family unit.
Under the Judeo-Christian worldview, families were strong and society had a fabric of norms which were considered the “rule”. This is before the postmodern narratives kicked in and told us that all truth is relative and that virtually anything now goes. As Aeschliman rightly points out, however, “when you relativise the absolute, you absolutise the relative”. The high divorce rate and fatherless households, despite objections to the contrary, are proving a real problem for society and this is just the tip of the iceberg. It was not so long ago, that society would be horrified to think that “drag queens” could be invited to influence children in public libraries.
Most people want what the Christian worldview offers – grace, mercy, forgiveness, structure, clear differentials between right and wrong. Yet, they want the form but not the content. They want the shell but not the yolk.
A Christian society can only be Christian when people want the content, not just the shell. Many people long for a coherent society where the majority of people can be trusted and they can live in freedom and safety. Yet, they are happy to jettison the very thing that brought and established the wonderfully free society that we have enjoyed. That kind of society, however, is disappearing as the majority of people abandon the content.
To counteract the unravelling of the social fabric people are looking more and more towards the government to “save” our society. This becomes the natural outcome of societal breakdown. Consider the Coronavirus! It affects all people whether rich or poor. We are depending on the government for help and to an extent they can help but as much as the government can do they also are merely human.
I would argue that our greatest dilemma has to do with our standing before God. The government can’t help you with that one. Neither can being religious (the show without the sincerity). The postmodern paradigm will not and cannot save any society let alone an individual. The mantra of “diversity” has brought us no closer to a unified society and some argue that it has taken us even further from it.
Jesus said “I am the way (to God) the truth (revealer of God) and the life (the giver of quality and quantity of life). He went on: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He claims to be the ultimate Saviour of men and women. If you want to see a possible future for yourself, then I would urge you to consider the claims of Jesus. If anyone would be interested in learning about the claims of Christ, please contact Echuca Community Church, 0428 826 174.
Pastor David McAllan