Breakpoint

The three-digit number 988 is quickly becoming as much a part of our shared life as 911. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national hotline that provides 24/7, free, and confidential mental health support to anyone in need. Within the first year, 5 million contacts were responded to. The numbers are staggering, and the hotline continues to find high-risk populations, including indigenous people, people with disabilities, and rural men.

But this remains a culturewide problem. From 2021 to 2022, the suicide rate increased by 2.6%. Christians have a significant role to play in offering hope. Parents, teachers, pastors, and other mentors need to be equipped to spot vulnerable young people and to connect with them, ultimately pointing them to Jesus Christ, the source of all hope. The "Hope Always" course featuring Dr. Matthew Sleeth is available online, can be accessed anytime, and can be studied alone or as part of a community committed to providing healing to hurting neighbors.

Go to educators.colsoncenter.org for more information.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

A few years ago, my colleague Dr. Glenn Sunshine wrote an introduction to one of the greatest works of Christian antiquity, Athanasius' On the Incarnation of the Word. Athanasius (born in Alexandria in the 290s) is best known for defending the divinity of Christ against the heresy of Arius, who taught that Jesus was not equal with God the Father but a lesser, created being. Arianism had gained significant ground in the Church, but Athanasius fought to preserve the biblical view that Jesus is "in very nature God." In the process, he became known as Athanasius Contra Mundum: "Athanasius Against the World."

In his introduction, Dr. Sunshine describes Athanasius' teaching:

"[T]he Image of God made it possible for us to know the Word of God; with sin the Image was defaced, and we lost the knowledge of God. But since the Word is the perfect Image of God (Col. 1:15), He was able to renew that Image in us, and by His life, works, and teaching to renew and restore true knowledge of God. His works of power revealed Him as the Word of God, the Lord of all Creation and thus the one through whom true knowledge of God comes."

That the Word of God came, not just to live, but to die for our sins is another important theme of On the Incarnation:

"How could He have called us if He had not been crucified, for it is only on the cross that a man dies with arms outstretched? Here, again, we see the fitness of His death and of those outstretched arms: it was that He might draw His ancient people with the one and the Gentiles with the other and join both together in Himself. Even so, He foretold the manner of His redeeming death, 'I, if I am lifted up, will draw all men to Myself.'"

By becoming fully human, the incarnate Word of God draws fallen human beings to Himself, forging them into a new humanity:

"He manifested Himself by means of a body in order that we might perceive the Mind of the unseen Father. He endured shame from men that we might inherit immortality. He Himself was unhurt by this, for He is impassable and incorruptible; but by His own impassability He kept and healed the suffering men on whose account He thus endured. In short, such and so many are the Savior's achievements that follow from His Incarnation, that to try to number them is like gazing at the open sea and trying to count the waves. One cannot see all the waves with one's eyes, for when one tries to do so those that are following on baffle one's senses."

On the Incarnation can speak to the heresies of our time, too. For example, Arianism lives on in Mormonism, the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, and any teaching that denies the Trinity. It also is reincarnated among those who label Jesus as merely a good teacher who came as an example for us, but not as our Savior.

C.S. Lewis famously encouraged his readers to balance the reading of new books with old ones. As Dr. Sunshine reminds us in his introduction to On the Incarnation, Lewis wrote this in his own introduction to Athanasius' work:

"Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light."

So, Lewis said, "The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books."

On the Incarnation of the Word is an especially helpful read during Advent and Christmastide, when we celebrate again the coming of the Incarnate Word of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Kasey Leander and Dr. Glenn Sunshine.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Since the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israel, there has been a noticeable increase in antisemitism in America. John and Maria will look at the reasons. Some are claiming that abuse is more prevalent in marriages involving evangelical men. Is that true? And a new theory claims homophobia can be blamed on a faulty translation of scripture.

Segment 1: Rise in Antisemitism

The World and Everything in It: December 1, 2023

The Global Resurgence of Antisemitism

Israel, Hamas, and Just War: Interviews with Joel Rosenberg and Eric Patterson

Segment 2: Evangelical Marriages

The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey

Prepare the Way of the Lord – Advent 2023

Segment 3: Homophobia in the Bible

Did Christian homophobia come from a mistranslation of the Bible?

What Would You Say? videos

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, died this week at age 100. He was the last of a controversial group of leaders from the Watergate era.

Chuck Colson once described that at staff meetings,

"Kissinger would always be the last one to arrive. And he would sit down at the end of the table and say, 'Mr. President, the decision we are going to make today is going to change the whole future course of human history.' I mean every day of the week for five days ... we thought we really were doing things that were of great significance. And in many respects, I suppose, looking back, they were."

Chuck was right. Nixon, after all, signed Title IX, supported the desegregation of schools, and provided aid for Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Kissinger, Nixon, and Chuck are reminders that in His providence, God uses even people with deep flaws. They are also a reminder that we will all, one day, meet God. Will we be ready?

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Since October 7, the world has seen a resurgence of antisemitism, open and raw. In America, this has come especially from institutions of higher education though also from secondary schools and at city council meetings in Oakland. In New York, highschoolers brandished signs that read "keep the world clean" with an image of a Star of David in a trash can.

If anything, the past few weeks should put an end to our decades-old illusion that history won't repeat itself. Looking back on the horrors of the Holocaust and the historic sickness of antisemitism, we asked questions like, "How could anyone, let alone an entire culture, be overtaken by Jew-hatred?" Many assumed that kind of evil could never happen again. We now know that assumption to be wrong.

According to University of Massachusetts professor of criminology Arlie Perliger, "The U.S. is currently experiencing one of the most significant waves of antisemitism that it has ever seen." This wave predates the October 7 massacre that initiated the war between Israel and Hamas. In 2022, "[i]ncidents of harassment rose 29 percent compared to 2021; acts of vandalism surged 51 percent; and physical assaults jumped 26 percent" to an average of 10 reported incidents a day. The week after Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli civilians, antisemitic incidents tripled compared to the same week in 2022.

Even among historically high immigration numbers in those countries, the immediate plight of Palestinians in the Middle East can hardly explain attacks in Europe, Russia, Africa, and America. This contemporary crisis is the latest chapter of a hatred that goes back centuries, even millennia. Today, what's often called the world's "oldest hatred" is found at both ends of the political spectrum. We certainly should not overlook the power of envy. Setting aside the irrational claims about Jewish wealth over the centuries, a simple glance at Nobel Prize winners displays the cultivating power of Jewish culture.

While envy might explain some of the insanity, there's more to it. No other groups have faced so many attempts at eradication by so many: Persians, Romans, Crusaders, Nazis, and Islamists. How did the Jewish people survive when history is filled with tribes, nations, and peoples that endured for a time, only to disappear, some with barely a trace of evidence that they'd ever existed? The Jews were already an ancient people by the time of ancient Rome. Yet they remain, though what was considered at the time to be an eternal empire is now a relic.

A Christian worldview offers additional resources by which to understand historical developments. Beyond sociological and anthropological realities are unseen ones. Whatever one's views of the end times, the Jewish people embody the promises of God to redeem His world and destroy the works of the devil. They are a painful reminder to Satan that his spoiling efforts to mar God's good creation will inevitably fail in the end, and that he will be defeated. The prince of darkness can never win his fight with heaven, but in defiant desperation, he incites people to commit evil and inflict pain, especially on those through whom God works His redemption.

The Jews are also a tangible reminder that humanity's story is not ultimately a tragedy. They are a link to the apostles and the prophets, to King David and the deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Even when rejecting the Messiah that fulfills God's promise to them, they're a reminder to the world that God wins.

Especially as we approach Advent, the continued existence of the Jews is a powerful witness of God's faithfulness to His world and to His promises. These promises, given in Eden to our first parents and reaffirmed in Revelation to the saints, declare that He is making all things new, and that nothing, even the insatiable hatred of hell itself, can stop His restoration of all things.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Timothy Padgett.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

When it comes to public controversies, a handful of phrases have become de facto "conversation stoppers." One of these is "scientists say ..."

Well, last year, a quantum physicist named John F. Clauser won the Nobel Prize. If anyone has earned the right to make debate-stopping claims about science, it's a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. However, according to The Washington Post, Clauser does not believe humans are facing imminent extinction due to fossil fuels. This view puts him at odds with what the Post calls the "scientific consensus," implying that he's lost all authority as a scientist.

This is the danger of the postmodern habit of making truth claims dependent on the community that makes them. "The science says" isn't a mic drop if a scientist says something else. Consensus, even scientific consensus, should not shortcut the pursuit of truth. A better and more honest approach is the scientific method, in which our theories and ideas are constantly questioned and tested to discover what is true.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2010, has a distinct reputation different from baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials. Exactly what the differences are and why they exist is a growing area of interest in research. For example, a new report from the American Enterprise Institute's Survey Center on American Life analyzes data collected from a survey of baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z about their experiences during adolescence. One finding is that Gen Z—or Zoomers—are less likely to hold a part-time job, attend religious services, have a romantic relationship, and use drugs. They also spend more time online, are more likely to identify as LGBTQ, and report being more lonely than previous generations.

One factor behind these differences—and a defining difference itself between Gen Z and the adolescent experiences of previous generations—is the role and use of technology. Gen Z has never known a world without social media and smartphones. Seven out of 10 Zoomers report using social media daily (a number that still seems suspiciously low), and 56% of Gen Z adults report playing video games in the past week.

Though increased social media and video game use does not necessarily mean that less time is spent with friends, it typically does. So, it is unsurprising that Gen Z, as a whole, reports greater loneliness and less time spent with friends during their teen years than older generations.

Gen Z is also more progressive in political views and more likely to identify as lesbian, bisexual, gay, or trans than previous generations. Today, almost one in four Zoomer adults identifies as LGBTQ, which is about five times more than baby boomers. Additionally, about four in 10 identify as politically liberal, while only 26% identify as politically conservative. Given that virtually every social media platform champions LGBTQ images, behavior, and ideology and that LGBTQ ideology has become a defining creed of left-leaning politics, this is not surprising. Individuals who identify as LGBTQ are celebrated, especially online, whereas those who dissent from the reigning sexual orthodoxies are easily reported and often, quickly de-platformed. Having grown up more online than outside, Zoomers' politics, values, and loyalties have been shaped by the narratives preached in their social media worlds.

At the same time, Gen Z avoids some of the risk-taking and moral vices of older groups. Perhaps because they spend so much more time online, only 32% of adult Zoomers reported drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or smoking weed as a teenager, and only 56% reported having a boyfriend or girlfriend. Also, only 58% reported having a part-time job, the lowest number of the four generations surveyed. While less substance abuse is certainly better, when considered along with fewer part-time jobs and romantic relationships, this is likely not due to better morals but to an overall aversion to even healthy risk-taking.

Finally, though Zoomers are the least likely to attend religious services, the common thread to church attendance across all generations continues to be family life. For all generations, the majority (68%) of those who grew up in a two-parent household, participated in religious life during adolescence, whereas those growing up in a single-parent household were less likely to attend religious services (53%). Among older generations, less troublemaking and risk-taking often coincided with more participation in religious services, but that statistical link is broken when it comes to Zoomers. Whereas 71% of baby boomers attended religious services during their teens, only 52% of Gen Z attended religious services during theirs.

Gen Z's generational differences indicate that a shared way of life consisting of both physical presence and family life deeply matters. Unless these things are recovered, decreased religious observance and increased loneliness will only continue. Human beings, no matter the generation to which they belong, are embodied beings. None of us are our avatars, our online personas, or our social media feeds. When our lives are stripped of tangible connections with our neighbors, our neighborhoods, and our families, we lose sight of many things that matter.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Jared Eckert.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

A week before Thanksgiving, the World Health Organization declared loneliness a new public health crisis. While it's great that global leaders are recognizing the dangerous social and even physical risks of social isolation, this crisis is anything but new.

The WHO's new declaration will lead to more research into the detrimental effects loneliness can have on our health and a new "Commission on Social Connection," to "promote social connection as a priority and accelerate the scaling up of solutions."

Bureaucracy-speak aside, any successful efforts to "promote social connection" must take into account what it means to be human. We aren't defective machines or problems to be solved. We are persons created in the image of God, made for connection with Him and with one another. We need families. We need dads. We need to be the kind of people who bear with one another, even across distance and relational tension. This means we need hearts of flesh that only God–not statecraft–can give us.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

A few years ago, when professional athletes were criticized for kneeling during the national anthem, it wasn't always because critics disagreed with the cause that athletes were claiming or because of the irony of multi-millionaires denouncing the nation to which they owed their success. Many fans just didn't want to see football turned into yet another stage for political activism. Even when a cause is just, healthy societies have spaces where differences can be put aside in pursuit of a common experience, whether it's something as trivial as a televised sporting event or something as important as forming the next generation of civic leaders.

High school debate has long served this second role. The National Speech and Debate Association is the largest league of its kind in the nation. For nearly one hundred years, it has trained students to reason and speak effectively about issues significant to people and society. According to its Wikipedia page, the NSDA serves more than 140,000 students and coaches each year. It would be reasonable to think that the debaters who rise to the top of this league have become masters of reason and argument, able to speak persuasively on a range of topics. That is no longer the case.

In a clip that recently went viral, the final round of the NSDA's 2021 Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky featured two young women of Team A, one of whom identifies as transgender, and who apparently decided they would win the round by "out-woking" their opponent. They began the round by refusing to debate the resolution, which was about the costs and benefits of the International Monetary Fund. Instead, they highjacked the forum to protest the plight of transgender debaters, made the round "a debate about debate," and promised to "occupy the debate space until trans debaters can participate safely."

In a saner time (and league), such behavior would result in an immediate loss. However, that did not happen at this prestigious tournament. Instead, the young men of Team B immediately conceded the round and joined a 45-minute discussion on how debaters who misgender their opponents should automatically lose. One even offered, "It's important to recognize that debate is not about winning an argument. It's about making sure everyone feels okay and making sure everyone feels safe." The judges then praised Team A for their "courage" and crowned them the national Public Forum Debate champions.

It would be easy to criticize these students for making a joke out of a competition that generations of their peers worked hard to win. However, that would miss the point. These debaters didn't invent these tactics or the ideology upon which it is based. They were taught to turn every forum into an opportunity for activism, to dismiss and denounce anyone who questions their claims, and to play the victim to be rewarded. It's the same training that taught the "Just Stop Oil" activists to deface and destroy priceless works of art to draw attention to their cause. Most recently, a pair of Just Stop Oil climate vandals took hammers to a famous painting in the National Gallery in London.

The painting had about as much to do with fossil fuels as the IMF has to do with transgender debaters. To activists, however, that irrelevance is irrelevant. Their ideology, they've been taught, is the only thing in the world worth talking or doing anything about, and they will actively hijack or destroy all other human pursuits until everyone shares their singular obsession.

This reveals why such an all-consuming ideology is dangerous, no matter what you think of the causes behind it. The notion that no one should be able to do, pursue, appreciate, argue, or think about anything else but your cause is a form of intellectual tyranny that, if tolerated widely, can quickly erode the foundations of a free society. If everything must be sacrificed to your ideology, then it's much more than a cause that demands justice. It's an idol that demands worship.

"Good philosophy must exist," wrote C. S. Lewis, "if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered." Such bad philosophy, he warned, doesn't always take the form of "cool intellect" arguing wrongly, but often manifests as "muddy heathen mysticisms which deny intellect altogether." I can think of few better descriptions of a debate tournament won by "out-woking" your opponent.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

If you find your mind darting from one thing to the next and struggling to concentrate for even short periods of time, there are two things to know. First, you're not alone and, second, it's probably related to technology.

In an article published at Motherboard, Kaleigh Rogers described her experiment banning all screens from her home for a month: no TV, no tablet, no smart phones, no computers.

The results were dramatic, and unlike with exercise or dieting, immediate. She experienced better concentration, found more time in her day, felt closer in her relationships, and gained a renewed sense of creativity. A Facebook commenter who conducted the same experiment described an almost "superhuman" focus and productivity.

Screens have profoundly shaped our lives, especially our minds and relationships. We need not be Luddites, but we can create boundaries and stick to them. Rather than allowing notifications, games, and texts to control our schedules and attention, we can control them, making time for relationships, concentration, and creativity. That doesn't sound so superhuman...

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet.

For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

This Point was originally published on February 14, 2017.