The Culture Wars

I hate to see Christians put each other down on social media. Is defending your opinion that important? A sister in Christ responds with a reasonable, unthreatening response with a differing point of view - that was pooh poohed and labeled pitiful. Not the first time I’ve seen such. Social media at its worst.

Andy has been preaching about this very thing. When a scandal broke out in a small SC town (not Jefferson), the preacher had to preach on gossiping. Similar thing happened on a Young Sheldon episode.

Denison: Alan Noble is one of the most perceptive cultural analysts in America. His latest book, You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World, has received praise from several leading voices. His explanation of our cultural moment is unique, biblical, and empowering. Noble views our root problem as "we are each our own, we belong to ourselves." John Rawls claims: "freedom consists in pursuing our own conception of the good life, while respecting the rights of others to do the same."

Noble warns that if "we belong to ourselves," there can be no common good, only "billions of private goods." Since we have no objective means of validating ourselves with reference to objective truth or morality, we are constantly chasing the validation of others. Some have given up, choosing an "alternative space to pursue existential justification" through social media and video games, marijuana, psychiatric medications, or other drugs and substances. But the prevalence of suicides, alcohol-related deaths, and drug overdoses, and depression driven by feelings of inadequacy illustrate the pain we cannot resolve through self-reliance.

When we submit our lives to God, we experience a significance we can find nowhere else. Jesus sets us free from bondage, free from the constant desire to be enough. Now there is no image to maintain or identity to discover or create. We serve others because we wish to serve them whether they serve us or not. We have no need to justify ourselves before others because we are justified by the God of the universe. We extend grace to others because we have received grace.

For more, read Denison’s reflections.

https://www.denisonforum.org/daily-article/how-a-nine-year-old-killed-in-uvalde-shared-the-gospel/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=How+a+nine-year-old+killed+in+Uvalde+shared+the+gospel&utm_campaign=05-31-22+How+a+nine-year-old+killed+in+Uvalde+shared+the+gospel

Denison’s Memorial Day post touches on several of the same topics. 

https://www.denisonforum.org/daily-article/the-last-full-measure-of-devotion-a-memorial-day-reflection/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%22The+last+full+measure+of+devotion%22&utm_campaign=05-30-22

JEFF BRANTLEY [Wiki Bio] holds the SEC record for career wins by a pitcher, with 45 wins, tied with pitcher Kip Bouknight. Brantley was a college teammate with two would-be Hall of Famers at Mississippi State. Brantley played with Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, and Bobby Thigpen. Brantley is a devout Christian. With the Giants he and teammates Scott Garrelts, Atlee Hammaker, and Dave Dravecky were known as the “God Squad”.