HISTORY IS ACCELERATING to its prophetic fulfillment at a dizzying speed. The seasonal pace of the agricultural world in the age of kings has been transformed across time into the modern age, which clearly rests progressively on first the seventeenth century incipient Age of Enlightenment, then the Age of Industry, followed by the Age of Technology, and then the late-twentieth century Age of Information. The continuing metamorphosis, Christians might better say the metastasis, of the evolution of civilization now finds us in the massively blurred twenty-first Age of (Dis)Information.
Some of the current issues are due to not-so-simple self-deception or unwitting misconceptions; some are a result of deliberate lies, but the resulting sum of confusion has separated the mind of man from long-cherished and hard-won truths. The prophet Isaiah long ago said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light. and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isa. 5:20) Jesus, who said of himself “I am the truth” (John 14:6), also warned, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” (John 7:24).
When we attempt to judge in the sense of wise consideration, if we see facts only on the surface, or distorted by a lens of our own bias or that of others, we become victims of the lie. Jesus teaches a lesson using the metaphor of the organ of sight. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:22-23, Luke 11:34-35)
The eye is only one of the five gateways into the center of our being, and all must be carefully guarded. That which passes in affects that which then comes out. Jesus also instructs us in this. “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” (Mark 7:14-15, Matt. 15:11)
The first quarter of the twenty-first century has been a time of rising global unrest. The crushing need of masses of dispossessed people has led to unprecedented numbers of people crossing borders seeking safety and the basic necessities of life. As it always is, the rich are richer and the poor are poorer, but now the sheer scope of these issues are exponentially different than in previous times. Governments strain to meet the basic needs of people, even as so-called leaders bicker and contend with one another for political advantage. And as they continue in their escalating patterns of division, angry voices cry out their needs-based personal truths in a global cacophony. All is permeated by dissension, confusion, and is without vision. Scripture warns, “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint.” (Prov. 29:18).
The inevitable result is lawlessness and a culture in crisis. This can and does affect us, and our concern in such times becomes preservation and safety in numerous ways. One great concern is to maintain our peace in God; to swim in the toxic pool of the surrounding culture will only eat away at our flesh—we understand the metaphor.
The apostle Paul offers an objective faith-based view from outside the fray. “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Cor. 2:6-10) This view is not a view locked in the moment, but which considers both the moment and the long trajectory of God’s redemptive purposes throughout the history of man. Paul also offers this, certainly more encouraging and to the point in times of chaos and confusion. “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:12-13, 15-16)
And this is the only view, this view from above, that will give us wisdom and balance in this Age of Confusion. It is the view that brings clarity to confusion, and brings truth to bear upon the lie. It is tempting to enter into the drama of the passions of principle that swirl in the crisis culture. It is not as if we don’t have opinions, hopefully those based on clear moral principles. Our law enforcement friends have an appropriate anecdotal maxim: “Never wrestle with a pig. The pig just likes it, and you’ll both get muddy.”
Detractors might accuse us of too much passivity, or of being complicit by our seeming silence, but it’s impossible to be heard in the middle of the mob. Max Ehrmann offers this advice: *“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly.” Reinhold Niebuhr similarly suggests, **“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” This scripture may capture the necessary core of the delicate balance between an attitude of gratitude and a vital purpose set in equal balance: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6)
Q. Where, when, and how can I be most effective for the cause of Christ?
*Max Ehrmann, “Desiderata” – 1923. A partial quote.
**Reinhold Niebuhr, “The Serenity Prayer” – 1932-33.
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