Breakpoint

Christian faithfulness, especially at a time of cultural chaos, isn't really about trying to do great things for God. In a tweet, my friend Katy Faust of Them Before Us explained:

"Afraid for the nation? Buy a house. Plant a garden. Get married. Have lots of babies. Help your children marry well, be great grandparents. You needn't run for office, start a podcast or lead a thinktank. The most powerful & countercultural work happens in your home."

Amen. She then cited Jeremiah 29:5-6, in which God told the exiles of Judah to "build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce."

It can be easy to equate "greatness" with fame or followers or something loud and big. But God asks for faithfulness in whatever our hand finds to do. That was true for the exiles in Babylon, and it's still true today.

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

This Point was first published 12.22.22.

Each of the Apostle Paul's letters to different first-century churches contains robust explanations of complex theological concepts, such as justification, sanctification, the connection between faith and works, and the role of Jewish law after Christ. In more than a few places, however, Paul drops punchy and simple statements such as, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). That's straightforward. Or how about this one: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8). That's pretty clear, too.

Obviously, these statements have clear implications for husbands and fathers who abandon their spouses or children, or who fail to do what is necessary to provide for them. Today, these would also seem to indict those who pressure women into aborting a child they fathered; or those who, through IVF, create multiple embryos only to abandon some of them in freezers; or those who pressure aging parents into physician-assisted suicide. The implications of Paul's blunt and powerful statement about the responsibilities we have to those who depend on us are vast.

For example, I recently asked a Colson Fellow who has taught personal finance for years at a Christian college how he integrates worldview into that class. His answer was simple: stewardship. And, then he quoted Paul's clear, pithy statement about who is worse than an infidel.

Few words better encapsulate what it means to be created in the image of God than stewardship. Human beings were created by God to steward the world He made. He charged our first parents with tending His garden. Though Sin made that task more difficult, it hasn't altered His original command to His image bearers to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it." In fact, this was how He intended for us to rule benevolently and wisely over all the works of God's hands.

It is in this concept of stewardship that we find the key to understanding Paul's blunt statement. It's also in this concept that the task of caring for this world is even possible, as finite people with finite resources and maybe a few hungry mouths to feed at home.

Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve's home was a garden that God planted for them "in the east." This was more than a sacred flower bed. It was a sanctuary, a meeting place between God and man, and the embryonic form of the garden city that is described as complete in Revelation. The first man and woman weren't supposed to sit idly around in this garden. They were given work to do, work that would eventually involve the entire world. As theologian G.K. Beale explains, "Adam and his progeny were to expand Eden's borders until they circumscribed the earth so God's glory would thus be reflected throughout the whole world through his image-bearers."

In other words, God gave humans a starting point, a home base, a focal point where their responsibilities as stewards began. They could not start with the whole world, or they never would have started.

This is still true today. No matter our roles, responsibilities, or calling, we are most responsible for the people, things, and places closest to us. This principle is often called "subsidiarity" and is the basis of sound thinking on family, finances, economics, government, and much more. The reason a person who fails to care for the members of his household is "worse than an unbeliever" is that these are the people closest to him, to whom he is most responsible.

As my friend pointed out, the heart of what it means to be a good manager of family finances, a good steward of church resources, a responsible leader for a Christian college, or a good city, state, or nation is to enable care for those closest. Proximity directs priority.

If true, subsidiarity means that the progressive strategies for child-rearing, welfare, healthcare, and other issues that abstract responsibility back to "society" are dangerously backward. The duties in these areas lie primarily with those closest to the needs. The concepts of stewardship and proximity also mean that leading people into a mess and then abandoning them is wrong, and reflects unbelief. This would apply to parents who create and abandon excess embryos (or "donate" their gametes), as well as to Christian colleges that sell teenagers enormous amounts of debt, have them marry each other, and then send them off to be youth pastors. It's not good stewardship, and to paraphrase Paul, potentially leaves these Christian young people in infidel territory.

Ultimately, this comes back to what St. Augustine called "rightly ordered loves." It's as impossible to love all people, all families, and all nations as it was for Adam to tend the whole Earth by himself. Love in the abstract is not actually love. We must love and care for particular people in particular places, and according to one of Paul's least difficult-to-understand teachings, those closest to us should be top priority.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris.

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

Recently, scholars announced another breakthrough discovery relating to Israel's King David. The Mesha Stele, a nearly 3,000-year-old Moabite artifact, has long divided historians, particularly a section that some claim refers to Moab's victory over "the House of David" and others think references the Moabite King Balak.

Recently, however, researchers André Lemaire and Jean-Philippe Delorme examined composite images of both the stele and a paper "mask" once used to preserve it. Three deeply faded letters, they argue in a recent paper, conclusively make the case for "House of David."

Much like other discoveries, such as the Tel Dan Inscription, the John Rylands Papyrus, and the discovery of the Pool of Siloam, archaeology continues to point to one of the Bible's distinctives. It's not merely a religious book. It's an account of human history, with an amazing amount of detail. It's not just "true for you but not for me." In fact, the more we dig, the more we learn that it matches reality.

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

This Point was originally published on January 26, 2023.

This Breakpoint was originally published on February 21, 2023.

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Two weeks ago, what started as a routine (and, according to the preacher, "lackluster") chapel service at Asbury University became something remarkable. Instead of heading off to classes, students stayed to pray and worship. Services have continued ever since, with people traveling from near and far to join in prayer, repentance, and song. What is being called a "revival" by some and an "awakening" by others has now spread to other Christian colleges.

The past few days echo the revivals that were experienced in the recent past on other Christian college campuses, including one at Wheaton College in 1995, and those at Asbury in 1970 and 1950. In each case, there were seemingly spontaneous expressions from students of prayer, confession, and praise. The revivals of the past are an indelible part of Asbury's historical memory, and many who experienced the 1970 revival have prayed ever since for it to happen again.

Revivals have been, in fact, a consistent, distinct feature of American religious life since before our nation's founding. The First Great Awakening, in the early 1700s, was part of a larger, trans-Atlantic spiritual renewal centered on personal conversion, an emphasis that had a transformative effect on the emerging American consciousness. The idea that a genuinely converted, common ploughboy was spiritually ahead of an unconverted bishop contributed to a growing anti-hierarchical attitude in the colonies. This, in time, contributed to a growing anti-monarchial mood, setting the stage for revolution.

The Second Great Awakening, which swept the nation decades later, coupled a similar focus on conversion with postmillennial eschatology. Among the results was a drive for social reform. Abolitionism, temperance, and efforts against prostitution became calling cards of what came to be known as evangelicalism.

Other revivals followed, and most included an added focus on foreign missions. The Prayer Meeting, or Businessmen's Revival, of the 1850s was followed by revivals in the camps of both armies during the Civil War, the urban efforts and revival preaching of D.L. Moody of the 1870s and 80s, and the theatrics of Billy Sunday's revivals at the turn of the century. Soon after came the Azusa Street Revival in California, which led to a massive growth of Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement worldwide, and then eventually led to the Jesus People of the 1970s.

And those are only the "big" ones. Simply put, revivalism, with a focus on a personal faith with public implications, dramatically shaped American life and culture and is a major reason that America remained more religious than Europe for so long. At the same time, revivals and revivalism have always faced a good deal of criticism, including charges of excess, hyper-emotionalism, manufactured techniques, and anti-intellectualism.

Jonathan Edwards, a major figure of the First Great Awakening, understood the dangers inherent to revivalist fervor, but he also believed in these unusual times when the Holy Spirit moved among a people. Perhaps America's greatest intellectual, Edwards prayed and worked toward revival, and he offered criteria for evaluating it. According to Edwards, a true work of the Holy Spirit elevates Christ, opposes sin and Satan, prizes the Bible, distinguishes truth from error, and manifests love. He also understood that in the midst of such a movement, there would be things to oppose as well.

All of this is helpful as we try to grasp what has happened at Asbury, and now beyond, over these last two weeks. We'd do well to remember Jesus' warning that there will be tares among the wheat, and that the remarkable times in which the power of God and goodness of Christ are made manifest are ways in which God graciously prepares us for life off of the mountaintops. Though, like Peter and John, we may want to remain in such times and places, He will eventually have work for us to do elsewhere. Critics would do well to recall the history of God working through awakenings and revival, both in this nation and elsewhere, as well as the faithful who sincerely believe that God has answered their years of praying for revival to return to Asbury.

What we can all be sure of (and thankful for!) is that God is constantly at work in His world, sometimes in extraordinary but most often in "ordinary" ways. God is constantly speaking through His world, through His Word, and ultimately, in His Son. May we have the ears to hear Him. And may He grant us the hearts to pray that an awareness of sin and a passion for God and His people would grow in the hearts of these students, long after the mountaintop high of the revival has faded in their memory.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Glenn Sunshine.

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

On our last program of the year, John and Maria talk about the most important cultural moments of 2023. If Breakpoint has helped you think clearly in 2023 about this cultural moment, you can support the work at colsoncenter.org/give.

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Segment 2: Top Stories of 2023

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

In response to Critical Race Theory, Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a list of "divisive concepts," which, under a law passed last year, are prohibited from being taught on college campuses.

The banned concepts include ideas that cause an individual to feel discomfort, guilt, or another form of psychological distress because of their race or sex, or the idea that the state of Tennessee or the United States of America is inherently racist or sexist. Students can report professors for corrective action.

Princeton University's Robert P. George tweeted in response that the best way to counter bad ideas at the university level is to expose them, not ban them: "The right strategy is creating vibrant, intellectually serious new departments & programs." Especially at the college level, we need more discussion and serious debate of ideas, not less.

Young adults should be taught how to recognize, confront, and critique bad thinking, especially influential bad thinking. As C.S. Lewis said, "Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy must be answered."

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

This Point was originally published on April 21, 2023.

Saint Augustine famously observed that the human heart is restless until its rest is found in God. That applies not only to individuals but also to cultures and entire generations. Practically speaking, this "restlessness" can take many forms, including an unprecedented mental health crisis.

The recent and much talked about report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes precisely that. As a CDC spokeswoman bluntly stated, "young people"—especially young women—"are in crisis." An article in The New York Times summarized, "Nearly three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness in 2021 … and one in three girls seriously considered attempting suicide." Jonathan Haidt, author of The Coddling of the American Mind, painted an even starker picture: "We are now 11 years into the largest epidemic of adolescent mental illness ever recorded."

The timing of this unprecedented outbreak of anxiety, depression and other mental health problems, Haidt points out, corresponds suspiciously with the rise of smartphones and social media apps. This technology led to a culture-wide exchange of what he calls a "play-based childhood" for a "screen-based" one. That exchange likely helped create a generation with fragile psyches unable to deal with life's challenges.

A reason that teen girls are especially hard-hit in this crisis is they spend more time on social media platforms and websites that engender social and body anxiety. However, political views also predict psychological issues. Using Pew Research's American Trends Panel, Haidt demonstrates that liberal leanings predict the worst mental health outcomes. In fact, a majority of self-identified progressive women in Generation Z report that they have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Age, sex, and politics are not the only predictors of trouble. Using the same set of data, political scientist and pastor Ryan Burge suggests that religious commitment is another important factor. Those who rarely or never attend religious services suffer worse mental health than those who attend regularly or weekly.

Altogether, and controlling for economics and education, Americans under 25 are doing very badly when it comes to mental health. Those suffering the worst are young, female, liberal, and secular. For them, brokenness is, incredibly, the norm.

On the other hand, the apparent insulating effect of religious faith and conservative philosophy is fascinating. Highly religious people are, in fact, more likely than their secular peers to describe themselves as "very happy." One explanation for this is the proven positive social effects of religious belonging, including higher occurrences of stable, loving family relationships. For example, in 2020, the Institute for Family Studies reported that those who attend church regularly are more likely to get married than their nonreligious neighbors and less likely to divorce.

Still, it's worth considering whether the social benefits of religious commitment have something to do with the belief itself. Does an active faith in God reduce the impact of the mental health crisis on young people? Does a lack of religious faith leave others more vulnerable to it?

Though a tough question to answer via social science, St. Augustine would say "yes." Despite his lack of familiarity with Gen Z, he would speak of their "restless hearts" seeking in politics, gender identity, and self-expression what can only be found in a relationship with our Maker.

In the face of Gen Z's mental health crisis, it is the Gospel and not gloom that should motivate and inform us. As blogger and author Samuel James pointed out on Twitter, mentally broken young people may be primed to hear the truth: "Evangelicals need to disabuse themselves of the idea that Gen-Z is a wholly unreachable mass of buffered selves. The mental health crisis may cut right through secularization like butter."

God has made us for Himself. The kind of postmodern individualism that Gen Z was raised with will never deliver on its promises. This mental health crisis is a spiritual crisis. We have the opportunity to introduce a generation of restless hearts to the One able to deliver on His promises to bring rest to their souls.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris.

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

This Breakpoint was originally published on April 13, 2023.

When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field Monday, several sports analysts called it the scariest scene they'd ever seen on a football field. Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after a routine tackle and remains in critical condition. As ESPN analyst and former player Ryan Clark described in an emotional segment, no one had prepared for this, not Hamlin, not the other players, and not media personnel.

But ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky knew what to do when he didn't know what else to do. Appearing on NFL Live Tuesday morning, he said,

"Maybe this is not the right thing to do but it's just on my heart that I wanna pray for Damar Hamlin right now. I'm gonna do it out loud, I'm gonna close my eyes, I'm gonna bow my head and I'm just gonna pray for him."

And that's what he did. The other hosts on set joined, as did who knows how many viewers. Maybe some were comforted. Maybe others learned what it means to talk with God.

It was a powerful and courageous thing to do. After praying for healing and comfort for Damar Hamlin, Orlovsky closed with:

"If we didn't believe that prayer didn't work we wouldn't ask this of you God. I believe in prayer. We believe in prayer. We lift up Damar Hamlin's name in your name."

And to that we can all say, "Amen."

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

This Point was originally published on January 5, 2023.

Not that long ago, culturally speaking, someone known throughout the world for being neighborly said some things that most likely would have gotten him fired today. And, believe it or not, he said these things on public television!

Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood often performed songs he wrote to address issues that confused children or caused them to struggle. One of these songs, "Everybody's Fancy," was featured in numerous episodes of his hit show from 1968 to 1991. He hoped to help children love and value their bodies and to respect other children, too. Rogers was, of course, completely unaware of the modern controversies over LGBTQ identities that would soon dominate the culture, but, in several lines of the song, he expressed truths that are no longer permitted to be said out loud.

Take a listen:

"Boys are boys from the beginning. Girls are girls right from the start. Everybody's fancy, everybody's fine. Your body's fancy and so is mine. ... Only girls can grow up to be the mommies. Only boys can grow up to be the daddies."

Can you imagine someone saying these things on PBS today? In fact, in a segment last year from the Let's Learn TV series, PBS stations across the country featured a drag queen who goes by the stage name "Lil Miss Hot Mess" singing lines from his book, The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish, to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round." "Hot Mess" is a grown man who dresses in flamboyant and exaggerated women's clothing and makeup, and then seeks an audience with children.

The most obvious takeaway is that any trust previous generations of parents and kids had for public television was, long ago, squandered. A second takeaway is just how quickly some ideas have shifted from being unthinkable to unquestionable. Therefore, we should doubt anyone who tries to gaslight us into thinking we're regressive bigots for believing male and female are realities built into human nature.

Only a short time ago, some facts were considered so obvious and universally accepted that Mister Rogers could sing about them to children on a publicly funded medium, and no one thought anything whatsoever about gender dysphoria, transgender identity, or drag queens when he did. Does that mean Fred Rogers was a bigot? Was he a transphobe? No. In fact, no one had ever heard of such accusations at the time.

As an ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers viewed the world in a noticeably Christian way. Though he didn't often discuss his faith publicly, his dedication to and concern for children was, in very real ways, Christ-like. For example, Rogers did not avoid difficult subjects if he believed kids needed to talk about them. So, he dealt with death, divorce, and racism, and he had a way of empathizing with the especially deep sorrow and confusion children can feel over such things.

"Everybody's Fancy" was Rogers' way of teaching children that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. For Rogers, that included talking about the human body as something good, as worth appreciating and caring for. Mister Rogers even taught children that one thing that made bodies special was that they were gendered, and that this gender had significance for who and what they would become in life. As he said, only boys can grow up to be daddies, and only girls can grow up to be mommies.

In this, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was unlike so many children's shows that vaguely taught and sang about how "everyone is special." Barney was not only irritating, it was gnostic. Mr. Rogers, at least in this song, had a robust applied creational theology.

That's not to say Mr. Rogers always got it right. It seems, for example, that his compassion eventually got in the way of clear thinking on sexuality and gender, though he kept his views quiet for the sake of avoiding controversy.

Even so, his strong affirmation of the goodness and permanence of male and female—and the fact that he generated no controversy for saying these things—should make us think. What he sang then is no less obviously true now, and it's absurd to suggest that Mister Rogers was some hate-filled bigot for holding these views, as our president seemed to imply recently.

No, it's those who tell children that their "fancy bodies" may, in fact, be the wrong bodies and in need of social, chemical, or surgical alteration, who are living in the land of make-believe.

Today's Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris.

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

This Breakpoint was originally published on January 3, 2023.

Canada's campaign to normalize suicide as a viable and even preferred medical treatment continues to escalate. Already, patients have been pressured into physician-assisted suicide because of psychological pain, and even because they were too poor to pay for medical care. Last summer, Canadian Virtual Hospice released what can only be called "death ed" for kids 6-10. The Medical Aid in Dying Activity Book for kids explains why a loved one might want to die and how the process works. It's thick with euphemisms, referring to lethal injections as "medicines," to "bodies" dying instead of people, and assuring children their loved one is not really choosing to die but is in too much pain to live.

As Wesley Smith wrote at National Review, children have to be convinced killing is okay: "They are not stupid and will know that their loved one is being terminated." They know what doctors are for, to help and not to harm.

The adults behind this ghoulish coloring book have forgotten that.

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

This Point was originally published on January 4, 2023.