HOW SHOULD BELIEVERS MAKE SENSE OF AMERICA’S CULTURAL CRISIS?
During a weekend back in March of 1979, I went from being a drinking, partying sinner, to excepting the salvation of the Lord, that He provided for me on the Cross of Cavalry. I remember having a bag of mamajuana in my sock, and going home and flushing it down the toilet, and then following that up by dumping all of my alcohol down the sink. The next day, I went to work and began to share my testimony with two Christian ministers, one whose name is Rev. Ray Allen and the other named Rev. Rudolph Lott, both of whom would become great friends and mentors, who took me under their respective wings, and both began to encourage and challenge me to start my Christian journey by becoming a “student of scripture.” I remember how they would both challenge me almost daily, in ways that would motivate and inspire me to study and stir up my ever-increasing hunger for God’s Word.
In large part however, because of Rev. Allen and Rev. Lott, in just a few short weeks of my conversion, I went from someone who would make a beeline to the liquor store on payday, to someone that would make the local Christian book story his first stop. During these early days of my Christian experience, Rev Lott gifted me with his personal copy of Survey of The New Testament by Merrill C. Tenney (that I still have by the way). But it was shortly after that, when he gifted a copy of The Great Dispensational Truth by Clarence Larkin, and Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth, that I developed a special passion for the study of Bible Prophecy. Even after a number of people including some ministers, were telling me to stay away from Revelation, I became more and more captivated with the study of prophecy the more I studied.
But what really took me over the top, was when I began to connect the prophetic dots of fulfilled prophecy, with actual secular history. In other words, prophecy by its simplest definition, is “history written in advance,” or “prewritten history.” To make a long story short, it was actually when I began to develop a passion for the study of what God’s word has to say about future events, or the recording of major historical events before those events would actually occur, and when I began to observe the amazing historical precession in which past prophetic fulfillments were so providentially and precisely orchestrated and fulfilled, not only did my passion for God’s word grow even more, but my overall worldview or belief that the bible is the divine word of God, and that it should be the only source for faith, doctrine and practice for the believer became forever solidified.
The Apostle Paul actually encapsulated this argument when he made the following historically encompassing, prophetic observation to the believers in Galatia: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba Father” (Galatians 4:4-6).
To put it simply, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, crucified on Calvary’s cross and rose again, it was not just by some random point in time in which God decided to send His Son. But rather it was after centuries of providentially orchestrated historical alignments, such as for example, the known world primarily having Greek as the common language because of Alexander the Great, which made it much easier to spread the Gospel because of Greek being the common language that everyone understood.
Or the Romans being the dominate power in the first century, who constructing roads throughout the empire, which had the unintended consequence of making it much easier for those early disciples to spread the message of the Gospel because they could travel on Roman roads that were originally intended for troop transport and for the movement of trade goods. These, as well as other similar historical events, were a direct fulfillment of Daniel chapters 2, 7 and 8 specifically.
In other words, Jesus was not simply born on some random or arbitrary date. Instead, it was when the “fullness of time had come," meaning that once all of the prophetic stars so to speak, were all aligned, or when all of the prophetic I’s were dotted and all of the prophetic T’s were crossed, and when everything that God had been providentially orchestrating since the Call of Abraham back in Genesis 12 were aligned, through the use fallen, flawed, sinful and depraved human beings in order to bring about His plan, God then said that now the fullness of time has come, to send my Son into the world THE FIRST TIME.
What Does all of this Mean for us Today?
Among bible prophecy students and teachers, there unfortunately has been a wide array of interpretations about various aspects of prophecy teaching, which sadly has been the excuse that most Christians have used as justification to steer clear of bible prophecy. However, the one question that most bible prophecy teachers and students once had, in which there was broad agreement, was, “why is America NOT listed in the bible, either directly or indirectly, among the pantheon of End Times Nations?” Every nation such as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Babylon [Iraq], Persia [Iran], Gog and Magog [Russia], the Kings of the East [likely Asian Countries like China], and so forth are all specifically identified in scripture when it comes to end time events.
However, in spite of America becoming the greatest economic and military power in history, and the greatest friend to Israel, unless you can make the case that America is the Babylon [which by the way, is not a good thing], mentioned in Revelation 17, then there is no mention of America anywhere in scripture. Which begs the million-dollar question, WHY? The answer that many scholars have wrestled with is that, could it be possible America as we know it, simply won’t exist. Does God have America on a short leash? Is America’s days numbered? Are we being conquered from within? Will America be conquered without a shot being fired from a foreign enemy? Are we under divine judgement?
In years past, the idea that the country that rose to become the leading economic and military power in history, the country that won the second world war against the German’s and the Japanese, the country that was first to put a man on the moon, and later won the cold war, could no longer exist, was a concept that was unfathomable just 20 years ago.
Sadly however, if the current direction and state of affairs and the rapid pace in which events are unfolding are any indication, the signs are pointing to some very ominous outcomes. Which brings about the ultimate question which is, what should be the response and reaction of the Christian Church in America? Should we be allowing our narrative to be framed by the secular media, or should our narrative be framed by the world of God?
Normally, you would think that if you are a Christian, the answer to that question would be obvious. Of course, transforming our minds to be aligned with scripture should be the believers default setting. But unfortunately, especially when it comes to issues of politics and culture, because of the ever-increasing onslaught of information that we receive from a multitude of sources including the media, schools, academia, pop culture, pro sports leagues, and all of the various social media outlets, somehow the dictates of scripture have been lost, or at the very least, severely watered down.
So again, what should believers think about the state of the culture, and what should be the response and reaction of the Church in America today? How should we view the many cultural, social and economic controversies that plague society? Is the problem just as simple as, America is just “systematically racist?” Is police brutality against blacks the problem? Is “income inequality the problem? Is the problem just as simple as, America just now simply beginning to suffer the consequences of slavery? Could any or all of these be at the root of America’s problems?
How about some of the other term du jours that we are inundated with such as, progressive, justice, inequality, fairness, microaggression, or white privileged? Are these the problems that we as Christians should be preoccupied with? Should these be the topics that should dominate the messaging from America’s pulpits? In this series of lessons on religion and politics, I will explore these and other questions from a biblical perspective, as well as identify and examine the contrast between a biblical worldview and the worldview that has been dominating the narrative for the past several years.
The Biblical Truth is that We are Not Fighting Against Flesh and Blood
First of all, as believers it must be understood that ultimately, Satan, sin and the Adamic fall are at the root of all the worlds sickness, disease, and all other societal conflicts. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). Here, Jesus was pointing out the fact that the actual conflict against humanity was actually being orchestrated in the spirit realm before it was ever manifested in the natural. In other words, there are demonic forces unseen to the natural eye, but yet are just as real as the natural people and things that we physically see every day.
Paul confirmed this when he said: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph.6:12). “The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). Here, Jesus was pointing out the fact that the actual conflict against humanity was actually being orchestrated in the spirit realm before it was ever manifested in the natural. In other words, there are demonic forces unseen to the natural eye, but yet are just as real as the natural people and things that we physically see every day. Paul confirmed this when he said: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph.6:12).
It is evident that The Holy Spirit through Paul wanted to convey to us that although we live in the natural physical realm, our true enemy resides in the spiritual or unseen realm. However, possibly the most familiar but yet descriptive example of this are the accounts given in the Book of Job. The Bible says that Satan stood before God and accused Job of only being righteous because of the hedge of protection that God had around him. Satan went on to insinuate, that if God were to remove the hedge of protection from around Job, that he would subsequently curse God to his face.
Consequently, God gave Satan “limited permission” to test Job by taking away the things that were precious to him: His servants, livestock, house, and most of all, his sons and daughters. Nevertheless, The Bible says, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22). This account goes on to reveal Satan’s difficulty in accepting Jobs victory. He went before God a second time in order to accuse Job once again. This time he suggested to God that if he would allow him to afflict the body of Job, then he would surely curse God to His face.
God once again granted Satan permission to test Job. However, this time he was only permitted to afflict his body, but he wasn’t allowed to take his life.
Subsequently Satan, “Smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” (Job 2:7). However, in spite of this incredible ordeal, Job was still able to say, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live” (Job 27:6). How wonderful it would be if all God’s people could strive to grow to the point where we can endure the hardships and trials with the same determination, fortitude, and tenacity that was exemplified by Job.
However, it appears that the Lord saw fit, for the benefit of all generations to come, to test Job in this way and then to record the experience in a book in order that people throughout history could learn this very important revelation about the inner workings of the spirit realm. The account of Job teaches us that whatever difficulties and trials we experience in this life they were first “orchestrated in the spirit realm before they were ever manifested in the natural.” It is therefore important that we learn from the experience of Job, that Satan is the originator of all sickness, disease and destruction among men.
The fact of the matter is that the Bible makes it clear that not only is Satan the originator of all sickness and disease, but he is also the author of all the death and destruction the world has experienced and is now experiencing. To underscore this concept, let us hear what the writer of First Kings has to say in the account recorded in 1Kings 22:19-37. According to the Bible, Ahab had been receiving false predictions from his prophets concerning the outcome of the Battle against the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead.
Then Micaiah (The True Prophet of God) decided to reveal to the King the true vision from God regarding the battle’s outcome. He says: “Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold the Lord hath Put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee” (1Kings 22:19-23 KJV).
According to this narrative, Ahab chooses not to adhere to the voice of God, instead he listened to his lying false prophets who were being influenced by a lying demonic spirit and went to the battle and was subsequently slain there. This example is another clear demonstration of how the events that led to the death of King Ahab were first coordinated in the heavenlies before the battle ever transpired here on earth in the natural world. There are many other examples in the Word of God that illustrates the operation of Satan and demonic spirits on the Human experience (See: Daniel 10:1-21 or example). There are also, many other Biblical examples concerning spiritual warfare that I won’t deal with here; however, I will be referring to later in this series of lessons.
Nevertheless, it is important that you understand that the foundation of this study, is the fact that at the end of the day, the “root of the problem” is that we are in a spiritual battle and not a black and white battle. And that our “adversary the devil” is coming like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour.” And the only way to wage a triumphant battle is to first recognize who the real enemy is, and to identify his strategies. Or as the Apostle Paul pointed out in his second letter to the believers in Corinth, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, or we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV).
In short, it is only when we have an understanding or a mental framework of the enemy’s tactics, can we effectively go on the offensive using the weapons of war God gave us which is the Word and the Spirit of God. Consequently, the purpose of this series of lessons will be to uncover the “subtle satanic plot” to orchestrate the breakdown of our society, and to give the believer insight that you sadly won’t get from the normal sources of information.
A Cultural Tug of Wars
Now with all of that as an introduction, when it comes to the subject of religion and politics, it would be the understatement of the century to point out the obvious fact that, we are living in a time of acute political and even religious polarization, that has exacerbated every election cycle by a 24-hour barrage of candidate advertisements on every communication platform. Racial tensions, political unrest, as well as divisiveness over hot button and polarizing issues such as: immigration, abortion, the police, the economy, the education system, the role of Government, gay rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, professional athletes kneeling for the National Anthem, the Constitution, debates over first and second Amendment rights, Republican Vs Democrat, Liberal Vs Conservative, Trump Vs Biden, and on and on it goes.
Just stop and think for a moment. In just about a four-month period, in the midst of all of the already seething political divisiveness and cultural polarization, America has gone from what many economists admit, was a season of extremely robust economic and job growth, with record low unemployment, including record low minority unemployment.
But in just four months later, we are experiencing the economic and social ramifications of a worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, during that same 4-month period, not only do we have over 40 million newly unemployed Americans, but we are seeing waves of rioting and social unrest all across the country that was triggered by the death of African American George Floyd by a white police officer. And that is on top of all of the other already seething societal divisiveness that has already been confronting America for years.
More specifically, in America today, we are arguably experiencing, from the standpoint of just the sheer volume of divisive issues, one of the most polarizing political, cultural and societal dysfunctional periods in our history or at least since the pre-Civil War era. Today, America is divided on just about every imaginable cultural, sociological, religious, political, and financial front including race, the role of religion, the role of the Federal Government, the Constitution, sexual orientation, the use of the military, taxation, education, energy and so one. Astonishingly, this divide has become so wide, that many are going as far as having heated debates and confrontations over something as fundamental as what constitutes a family.
However, this divide was never more apparent than it has been since the 2016 Presidential election, in which America experienced arguably the single most socially and politically divisive and polarizing presidential elections since the election of Abraham Lincoln. On one hand you had the prospect of electing the very first female President on the heels of the very first African American President; while on the other hand, you had the billionaire businessman and reality TV personality with absolutely no previous political experience. When the results broke that the underdog billionaire Donald Trump had shockingly defeated Hillary Clinton, a firestorm of divergent emotions erupted around the country.
Emotions that ranged from jubilation and relief to outright hysterics, with many going as far as believing that the world as we know it is coming to an end. A large portion of the African American community for example, feared that the days of slavery were about to return, while others feared that we were about to enter into another Nazi regime. Protests of, “Not my President” erupted around the country, and calls for impeachment were already being made even before the inauguration.
So, why all of the divisiveness? Why all of the wide range of emotional reactions? Why is there so much division even in the Christian community? How did we get here? Shouldn’t the Church be the “light that shines on a hill?” If not, why not? In short, what in the world is really going on? What should be the believers view of politics? And how should Christ’s Church view and react to the culture war that is taking place in America and-around the world? Let’s begin to explore these questions by first defining our terms.
Culture Wars
First of all, when we use the phrase, “Culture war,” what exactly does that mean? Simply stated, the idea of culture wars refers to the struggle between two sets of conflicting ideas and moral values. As it relates to modern American political thought, this clash or conflict of ideas and values are considered by many to be traditional or “Conservative” versus those ideas considered being liberal or “Progressive.” These conflicting ideas involve principles that are relative to the many ideological and philosophical arguments and viewpoints that one believes to be true about various issues that include, society, life, culture, politics, race, and religion, as opposed to others with different viewpoints. (1).
The expression culture war entered the vocabulary of United States politics with the publication of Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by James Davidson Hunter in 1991. Hunter perceived a dramatic realignment and polarization that had transformed United States politics and culture, including issues such as: abortion, federal and state gun laws, global warming, immigration, church Vs state, First amendment interpretation, privacy, recreational drug use, the makeup of the Courts, homosexuality, and the definition of marriage and family.
At the heart of the culture war argument,” Hunter writes, “Was that American public culture was undergoing a realignment that, in turn, was generating significant tension and conflict. These antagonisms were playing out not just on the surface of social life (that is, in its cultural politics) but at the deepest and most profound levels. Thus, underneath the myriad political controversies over so-called cultural issues, there were yet deeper crises over the very meaning and purpose of the core institutions of American civilization. Behind the politics of abortion for example, was a controversy over a momentous debate over the meaning of motherhood, of individual liberty, and of our obligations to one another.
Behind the contentious argument about the legal rights of gays and lesbians was a more serious debate over the fundamental nature of the family and appropriate sexuality.” (2)“Was that American public culture was undergoing a realignment that, in turn, was generating significant tension and conflict. These antagonisms were playing out not just on the surface of social life (that is, in its cultural politics) but at the deepest and most profound levels. Thus, underneath the myriad political controversies over so-called cultural issues, there were yet deeper crises over the very meaning and purpose of the core institutions of American civilization. Behind the politics of abortion for example, was a controversy over a momentous debate over the meaning of motherhood, of individual liberty, and of our obligations to one another. Behind the contentious argument about the legal rights of gays and lesbians was a more serious debate over the fundamental nature of the family and appropriate sexuality. (2)
Ultimately, people on the competing sides of this cultural conflict use many of the very same terminology such as: justice, human rights, civil rights, liberty, equality, fairness, tolerance, respect, inclusiveness, and so on. Sadly however, the competing sides of the culture war differences, have markedly different concepts on what those words actually mean and how they should apply in our daily public life. Regardless of one’s perception or which side of the conundrum you may be on regarding America or its politics, the one fact that was made abundantly clear during the 2016 campaign is that there is a serious cultural, ideological and philosophical tug of war going on for the future of America.
At one end of the philosophical rope are those who think that America is increasingly on a death spiraling path of becoming a secular nation. And a complete secularized America would essentially mean that religion will no longer have any significant social and cultural significance in society, which in turn has helped to lead us to a society where faith has lost much of its cultural authority, which in turn has caused the Church to have little or no social and cultural impact and influence.
Those pulling on that end of the cultural rope, hold to the view that the only way to reverse, or at least slow down this disturbing trend is to align with the Republican party which is perceived to be friendly towards faith and safeguarding or “Conserving” the Constitution and particularly the First Amendment which assures freedom of religion.
Those on the “conservative” end of the rope, are those who believe that the Bible and divine providence are at the root of America’s founding and that we must return to and “conserve” those founding principles and motivations if the country is to survive as we have known it. Those who maintain this perspective, go on to assert that just as in biblical times, when it came to the birth and miraculous growth of America, God providentially chose to work through flawed and sinful men who just like all of us, who were all products of the Adamic fall. And it was these flawed Adamic individuals whom, in spite of all of their flaws, God nevertheless providentially used them in order to fulfill a much greater purpose in the founding and forming of America.
Those who have this worldview, believe that just like in the historical cases of Greece and Rome, and the events surrounding and leading up to Christ’s first coming, or “when the fullness of time had come,” God providentially orchestrated the founding and growing of America for a specific purpose, which is ultimately will have laid the historical and global framework in which when the “fullness of time will come,” the Trumpet will sound, the Rapture to take place, the anti-Christ will be revealed, and the end time tribulation will commence.
However, at the same time, there are those on the other end of the philosophical rope who reject any suggestion that America has any sort of providential founding, and instead view America simply as a “racist, bigoted, homophobic, xenophobic and misogynistic country,” that only came to become this great economic and military power because of slavery and exploitation. And because of this fact, American needs to be “Fundamentally transformed” into a more secular or “Postmodern” country where socialism replaces capitalism, where reality is a “social construct,” and where truth is a construct that depends on one’s personal cultural paradigm in which words like inclusion, fairness, tolerance, and acceptance have become code words that are actually intended to undermine God’s word and make Christianity obsolete.
Adding to this cultural conundrum between these two sides, is the fact that those who reject the idea of America being formed by an act of Divine providence, almost unanimously point to the fact that because many of the framers who pinned the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were slave owners, thereby viewing their writings and statements such as, “All men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” as being written by hypocrites, thereby negating any possibility that they could have been providentially used by God as instruments in which He used for a much greater, providential and prophetic purpose for America.
And then of course, there are those who are in the middle of the rope who embrace certain elements of both sides of this argument and who are attempting to pull both ways by advocating some of the secularist’s positions on one hand, while still embracing some traditional biblical values and paradigms on the other hand. In other words, there are those who on one hand, believe in the socialists advocation of social reforms such as, more control and regulations from by the Federal Government, guaranteed free college and free health care, while at the same time, reject the secularists advocacy of such ideas as redefining what constitutes a family, and ideas of “Gender identity,” and other non-biblical secularist policies that are advocated under the heading of “the progressive agenda.”
Sadly, the toxic tone and extremely partisan nature of our political system, along with the mostly one sided narratives from all of the purveyors of information and narrative shaping such as, the media and pop culture personalities, discourage many Christians and Pastors from studying what the Bible teaches about what should be the believers mindset on issues pertaining to government, as well as, taking the time to consider just how the Word of God should inform one’s view of culture and politics from the perspective of a biblical worldview.
But what in my opinion, is the most troubling problem of all, is the fact of how and why a large majority of Church leaders, black and white alike, are adopting the world’s narrative of what exactly is the nature of societies problems, and the world’s narrative of how we should respond to it.
To put it more bluntly, far too many Christians and Church leaders are getting more of their worldview, or their narrative framing from CNN than they are getting it from the Word of God. In other words, they are allowing the mainstream media, either consciously or sub-consciously, to dictate what the narrative should be instead of the Bible. And that is providing if they have even been seriously engaged with the issues at all.
Thus, it is no surprise that withdrawing from the political engagement has become a temptation for many Christians in the pew. After all, at the end of the day, if God is sovereign and controls the heart of the king (Prov. 21:1), many will ask themselves, do we really need to get involved in the messy world of politics? And because of the fact that political engagement can be so divisive, shouldn’t Christians abandon politics and direct their energies toward more spiritual pursuits?
The problem with that line of reasoning is that regardless if believers are engaged or not, and regardless if Christian leaders are getting their marching orders from the Word of God or from CNN, the consequences, the impact and influence of politics and legislation on the culture, regardless if it is pertaining to issues of taxation, education, race, energy, regulations, immigration, new government programs, foreign policy decisions, First and Second Amendment decisions, Judicial appointments, and so on, are all going to have a direct or indirect impact on every single American, believer and non-believer alike FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
Now, I will be unpacking this issue of “The Law of Unintended Consequences” in the next couple of lessons, but for now, what is even more disconcerting than the lack of political understanding and engagement among God’s people, and what actually prompted me to begin this series of articles, is the irrational and undiscerning mindset that says that everything that we are dealing with currently, such as, all of the race issues, the crime, and even including the impact of a WORLDWIDE pandemic and the subsequent fallout, is either all Trumps fault, or it is all because of “income inequality,” or “systemic racism spearheaded by Trump.”
All of these narratives, especially the “it’s all Trump’s fault narratives, presupposes that we didn’t have race issues and crime before 2016, or that Covid-19 is the first and only pandemic that we have ever had. Furthermore, how this secular narrative has been so embraced by many in the Christian community including many Christian leaders and Pastors, without any critical or rational thinking, or biblical discernment is the most disconcerting aspect of all. Because for the believer, if we do not have a biblical paradigm or perspective on the world, then it will not be possible to have discernment of the “signs of the times.”
To bear this out, Jesus made one of His many sharp reprimands to the Pharisees and Sadducees (who where the religious rulers) after they attempted to challenge Him by asking Jesus for a sign from heaven. Jesus had been performing miracles and signs, healing the lame, the blind, the sick, and twice feeding thousands of people with a few loaves and a few fish. (These signs are recorded in the two previous chapters Matthew 14 & 15).
The Lord proceeded to give them a stern reproof when He rebuked them with the following criticism: “He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed” (Matthew 16:2-4 KJV). Notice that He calls them “hypocrites” and “an evil and adulterous generation.” They can discern the sky and predict the weather, but they can’t observe the signs of the times.
There is a lesson in this for all of us today who profess Christ. Are we looking at the world around us with open and objective eyes? Can we see most people seeking God? Or are the majority drifting away from him? Do we observe many following righteousness? Or are the many becoming more and more godless, walking the dark and heathen ways? Do we discern the signs of the times? Can we mark what is Satanic and what is of Christ? In short, are we viewing the current culture wars, economic crises, pandemic, racial tension, and the overwhelming political polarization through a biblical lens, or through a secular lens? And especially when it comes to the area of politics, voting and our overall engagement with the culture, how do we DISCERN what we should believe and which direction we should go?
So, Where Do We as Christians Begin and What and How are We to Think? Answer: It all Begins and Ends with the Battle for Worldviews!
Most people presuppose that the problems in America are social, racial, religious or economic. While on the surface it is easy to see why people could probably make those arguments, however contrary to the mainstream narratives, when you look at the big issues that we face more in depth and think through the issues more critically, you can make the case that the polarizing ideological and philosophical differences that we face in American culture and politics are not so much sociological, racial or political, but rather the differences in worldviews.
This is especially insightful when you consider the fact that our ideologies don’t just occur in a vacuum, but they are the result of our worldview. In other words, your worldview will dictate your beliefs and your beliefs will then dictate your behaviors, responses, reactions, emotions, and choices in any given situation. And then those behaviors, emotions, reactions, and choices that we display to the various stimulus we face, will ultimately testify to our worldview.
Worldview defined
In the simplest terms, our worldview can be defined as, a mental framework of ideas about the world and about life, the lens or the glasses or the filter through which one views and interprets the world around us, a comprehensive conception of the world through a specific viewpoint, your personal concept of reality, a theory of the world used for living in the world, the ideological framework which shapes a person’s view of reality, the overall perspective in which one sees and interprets the world and events. In short, our worldview can be succinctly seen as a collection of beliefs about life, religion and culture held by individuals or by groups, a philosophy, or the presuppositions that influence our outlook on life and how we perceive the world we live in.
To put it even more simply, your worldview can be seen as a set of glasses that you look through to bring what is happening in the world into mental focus. If you like computers for example, you can think of your worldview as your operating system, the thing that converts your life experiences into the ones and zeros that your mind understands. Your worldview in other words, is your gut-level, instinctive responses to basic philosophical questions about life, the world, religion and politics, as well as the basis for your reactions to events and life’s circumstances. A comprehensive worldview is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the individual or society’s knowledge and point of view. The beliefs, values, and behaviors of a culture stems directly from its worldview.
To put it more succinctly, “Your worldview is the basis for everything. It is the basis for how we see the world, what we think the world is, the decisions we make, the behaviors that we will choose, the responses to other people’s behaviors, all stem from your worldviews.” The word of God points out this aspect of human nature on several occasions, for example: “Out of the heart the mouth speaks,” (Luke 6:45), and “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This is also why Paul challenged the Christians in Rome to “be transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MINDS” (Romans 12:2).
Case in point, as I alluded to earlier, how is it possible for two intelligent, individuals who both love God can be so radically different in their conclusions on certain issues? For example, how is it possible that two people can hear any number of the hot button words that dominate our narrative such as, “equality, fairness, inclusion, and justice,” but yet adopt two radically different interpretations and understandings of what those words mean and how they should apply in our political and social structure. Or, from a religious perspective, how can two bible believing Christians, look at the same passage of scripture such as Matthew 25:31-40 for example, but yet, arrive at two radically different interpretations and applications?
Well, the answer is simply that it is all about our particular system by which we interpret the world, or in the case of interpreting scripture, known as our worldview, or the lens in which we view the world, or thru which we interpret scripture. In other words, every one of us, whether consciously or subconsciously have default presuppositions that have been programmed into our minds over a lifetime of sensory inputs, from an ever-increasing barrage of sources, that influence how we think, our outlook on life and our perceptions of what is right and what is wrong.
Whether educated or uneducated, religious or non-religious, rich or poor, black or white, male or female, good or bad, liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, Catholic or Protestant, evangelical or charismatic, we all have a belief system or way of looking at the world that influences how we think, how interpret life and how we react to various stimulus.
Putting it another way, an individual’s worldview is your “big picture," your harmony of all your beliefs about the world, your way of understanding reality and your basis for making daily decisions. This insight, therefore, makes your individual worldviews extremely critical in effecting our individual decisions and destinies.
This is something that can never be overstated. Everyone has a worldview even if you do not recognize it or cannot explain what it is. It describes our search for answers to life’s most important questions. Your worldview affects the way you look at every issue of life including Life, death, politics, religion, parenting, education and so on. And as I stated, your worldview glasses affect how you view certain events and how you respond to them. If your worldview glasses have the correct prescription, then you will see the world accurately. If they have the wrong prescription, your view of the world will be distorted.
A smorgasbord of ideas
Worldviews are so much a part of our daily lives that whether we recognize it or not, we see, hear and react to our worldviews every day. In fact, on a continual basis, we are faced with a smorgasbord of worldviews, all of which make claims concerning truth. And whether we are cognizant of it or not, whether consciously or unconsciously, we are all challenged to sort through this assortment of worldviews from a plethora of sources.
For example, movies, television, the media, the entertainment industry, sports figures, music, magazines, newspapers, government, public education, academia, science, art, family, friends, co-workers, social media followings, and your religious affiliations if any, all either directly or indirectly have an impact on our worldview.
In other words, all of these sources, whether we realize it or not, have an impact and influence on how we view the world, and how we view and react to the most polarizing elements of culture, religion and politics. And if we ignore their significance or their impact on how we think and understand the world, we do so at our own detriment. In simpler terms, our worldview is a view of the world and a view for the world.” The proper worldview helps us by orienting us to the intellectual and philosophical terrain about us.
Imagine for example, an apple sitting on a table that is seen by several people. A botanist sees the apple and his immediate inclination is to classify it. A grocer sees the apple as an asset and his first inclination is to sell it for a profit. A child sees the apple as lunch or a snack and eats it. In other words, how we look at any situation is influenced by how we look at the world in general or the lens through which you view the world in any given situation.
In short, while we tend to debate many of the particular issues that have kept us so divided, the elephant in the room, or the true debate that has gone pretty much under the radar, is much more of a worldview debate than it is a debate about our given or particular pet topic. In other words, rather than debating a particular political or religious disagreement, the more significant or practical question that should be considered is, what is the worldview, or the philosophical and ideological perspective that brought you to your particular conclusion on a given issue in the first place?
Finally, and most importantly of all, what are the long-term consequences of our worldview, or the decisions that we make, not only as individuals, but as a society at large? In this first of a multi-part series of lessons on Politics, Religion and a Biblical Worldview, I touched on a hodgepodge of related topics just as an introduction to the study. In part two of this study, I will begin to examine this idea of a biblical Vs secular worldviews in our politics and culture more closely and more specifically. I will also explore some of the consequences of past legislative decisions that impact us today, and why Christians in particular. need to be more informed and engaged.
The Culture War, www.Culture-war.info.
James Davidson Hunter, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America Basic Books 1991.
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