Breakpoint

After a bit of back and forth, the Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to feature the drag group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during their pride month celebrations and even award them a Community Hero Award. The "sisters" are a mockery of a Catholic religious order and perform blasphemous parodies of Christianity and the sacraments. Their tagline is "Go forth and sin some more," a perversion of the words of Jesus. Other examples of their acts are too evil to mention.

As Robert George of Princeton observed,

If men wearing hijabs were to prance around mocking Muslim women, insulting Islam and faithful Muslims, and ridiculing the sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, their bigotry would be widely and rightly condemned. What would the Los Angeles Dodgers do? Praise them? Give them an award?

We need to pray for all those who are trapped in these perversions while also calling out the Dodgers for their bigotry against Christianity.

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

If the final few weeks of May were any indication, this June's pride month noise will be louder and edgier than previous years. Already, the controversy surrounding Target's new line of clothing, produced in partnership with a clothing company that also produces clothing to celebrate Satanism, has dominated the nation's headlines. Incredulously, most mainstream media outlets (and a few "Christian" ones) have painted as the bad guys those concerned about children being groomed instead of the corporate and activist entities doing the actual grooming. However, there are plenty of people not fooled by this narrative, given the financial hit Target has already taken.

And then there is the strange saga of the L.A. Dodgers. After a rather public back and forth, the Major League Baseball team decided to platform an LGBTQ organization that is known for its hyper-sexualized performances that openly blaspheme Jesus and mock Christian symbolism. Such mockery would never be tolerated if directed at other religious groups. But in a culture lost in what might be called a "critical theory mood," even the most extreme acts are seen through the lens of predetermined cultural groupings that have been given moral status. Not only did the Dodgers organization backpedal their initial reversal, the so-called "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" will now be given some kind of Community Hero Award.

In response, Christians must do two things. First, we can and should protest both with our voices and our pocketbooks. Dodgers players and Target shoppers will need to think through where the line of complicity is. Second, we should proclaim a better way. One of Chuck Colson's closest colleagues and collaborators has an idea worth considering:

"By the authority vested in me by absolutely no one," Professor Robert George of Princeton University wrote in an email last week, "I have declared June to be 'Fidelity Month'—a month dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, spouses and families, our country, and our communities."

Perhaps the leading Christian legal thinker of our lifetime, Professor George worked closely with Chuck Colson and Timothy George on the Manhattan Declaration. The 2009 statement of conscience outlined Christian conviction on the areas of life, marriage, and religious liberty. It only makes sense that Professor George would suggest Fidelity Month as a time of intentional remembering of those allegiances so often scorned in a culture like ours. "Pride" for example asks us to prioritize desire and autonomy over allegiance to God, children, each other, and ultimately, to reality itself.

That makes June a particularly good month for Christians to be clear about where we stand, making the important decision to, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn put it, "live not by lies." It's never easier, in fact, to go along with something that isn't true than during so-called pride month. Like when Israel would set aside days and seasons to remember and repent and recalibrate, why not choose to be intentional about making June something else: a time to remember and teach the next generation about our most important responsibilities as those made in the image of God.

In this email from Professor George, the task of remembering seemed to be of particular concern:

You may have read about the rather disturbing recent WSJ poll indicating a precipitous decline in our fellow Americans' belief in the importance of such values as patriotism, religion, family, and community—the values that used to unite Americans despite our many differences.

"There are a million things we can and should do to restore the faith of our people," George continued, "but I would like you to join in one small one." Fidelity Month will launch with a webinar that is open to the public, tomorrow, June 1, at 2 p.m. EST. Professor George will be joined by Lila Rose of Live Action, Andrew Walker of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bill McClay of Hillsdale College, and others. Learn more and register for the webinar at www.fidelitymonth.com.

Also on the website, you can find the Fidelity Month symbol, a specially designed wreath that is,

representative of God and His eternal nature, while the openness at the top of the wreath is suggestive of a divine embrace. The branches and leaves that compose the wreath signify a family that is dependent upon and in union with God.

The star and stripe at the center bottom of the wreath symbolize our common union as Americans– "one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The color gold symbolizes generosity and compassion – virtues that are closely connected to fidelity (supporting it and being supported by it). Fidelity, generosity, and compassion are anti-narcissistic virtues, reflecting the knowledge – the wisdom – that everything is not "about me." It is a recognition of the duties we have to others, and that our true fulfillment is to be found in serving others: God, our spouses and families, our communities and country.

The color blue, our background color, symbolizes truth, loyalty, responsibility, and peace.

The Fidelity Month symbol can be shared and posted on social media, and the Fidelity Month website includes other ideas for individuals, families, churches, and leaders to reframe the next month in a way that honors God, each other, our children, and our nation.

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

It pays to pay attention. Earlier this month, Michigan seventh grader Dillon Reeves saved the lives of 60 students when he drove his school bus to safety. When the driver of the bus lost consciousness, most of the other students didn't notice because they were on their phones. Dillon doesn't have a phone, so he noticed when the bus started drifting and jumped into action.

The pressure to get smartphones for kids and let them access social media apps is incredible today. Almost 3 in 4 American youth own smartphones by age 12, and 84% of teens 13 to 18 use social media. Today's teens average about 9 hours a day on screens.

The dangers of digital distraction are well documented: body image issues, sleep deprivation, pornography addiction, even suicidality. In the case of the Michigan school bus, kids would've lost their lives if Dillon had been distracted.

To quote Dillon's dad, let's hope that his son's heroics will serve as "a change-the-world kind of lesson."

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

Recently in The Guardian, Emma Beddington covered a new twist on an old practice. According to the 2022 U.K. census, writes Beddington, "74,000 people declared they were pagan, an increase of 17,000 since 2011." Meanwhile in the U.S., "a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center estimated at least 0.3% of people... identified as pagan or Wiccan, which translates to about one million people." And, though it's not clear how anyone could know this, "That number is expected to triple by 2050."

Those numbers, while a small minority of the population, are significant when set against the overall decline of Christianity in the West. According to British historian Dr. Ronald Hutton, today's version of paganism is "a religion in which deities don't make rules for humans or monitor their behaviour—humans are encouraged to develop their full potential." This comes with a heavy emphasis on being Earth-conscious, with rituals and festivals focused on connecting with nature. In this way, suggests Hutton, paganism is filling "a need for a spiritualised natural world in a time of ecological crisis."

Beddington describes the new paganism as a "tolerant, open, life-affirming, female-friendly faith." It does seem to check all the right contemporary Western boxes: a feeling of transcendence without many hard commitments, a rejection of traditional morality while keeping a vague inclusivity, and enough concern for the natural world to qualify as a social justice cause. Or, as a group based out of the University of Massachusetts Amherst summarized: "Pagans view the world as a place of joy and life, not of sin and suffering. We believe that the divine is here with us in the natural world, not in some faraway place in the sky."

At the same time, the new paganism is a world away from ancient paganism. Though often a catch-all term for a wide variety of pre-Christian beliefs, paganism suffers from a shortage of written records. However, what we do know would not be best described as a universe born out of "joy and life, not of sin and suffering."

In Hesiod's Theogony, the Greek version of the origin of the cosmos and the gods, the birth of each divine generation is preceded by violence. Uranus, the sky, produces children with Gaia, the Earth, but hates them. Of their children is the titan Cronus who castrates his father. His blood falls onto the Earth and sea and creates still more gods. Cronus is, in turn, dethroned and imprisoned by Zeus.

Celtic paganism does little better. Drawing on contemporary sources, most scholars believe the Druids enacted human sacrifices on a broad scale to appease the forces of nature, which they saw as temperamental and hostile. One example is the Lindow man, whose mangled remains suggest a ritual death as part of cultic sacrifice.

Employing St. Augustine's approach to the depravity of pagan gods, writer Paul Krause offered this critique:

The pagan gods were born from patricide and rebellion. They were born from primordial acts of sexual violence. Their patronage was in the civitas terrena which cared only to advance its depraved lust to control.

Modern pagans reject ancient paganism. They find solidarity with the idea of human equality and dignity, see the natural world as a place of order rather than of chaos, and call for sexual restraint, the protection of children and disadvantaged groups, the end of slavery, mindless conquest, and human sacrifice. To this extent, they are embracing the innovations of Christianity.

After all, it was Christianity and not paganism, as historian Tom Holland has explained, that taught that men, women, and children, slave or free, share the imago dei. It was St. Patrick, not the Druids, who believed and taught Ireland that "the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" and not subject to hostile spirits who are appeased by bloodletting. It was Christianity that turned Nordic peoples away from a belief system that committed them to conquest, plunder, and death in battle.

In short, all the things that make modern paganism appealing to modern people aren't pagan. Though many Westerners are bored by the hollowness of materialism and desperate to fill the spiritual vacuum it has left, they will not find answers in dead religions. Only Jesus offers the truth: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Kasey Leander.

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

Analyzing medical data from 6 million people, researchers in Denmark have found that up to 30% of schizophrenia cases among young men could be linked to marijuana use. Increased potency of marijuana in the global market is a factor, and lawmakers have "decreas[ed] the public's perception of its harm," according to the study's lead author.

The law is a teacher. Legalizing marijuana use essentially teaches constituents that marijuana is safe. Except it isn't. Legalizing pot was, especially early on, sold as a way of helping sick people. But cannabis is the only substance I can think of approved for medical use and then legalized for recreation.

As far as the cannabis industry is concerned, which is estimated this year to be worth 32 billion dollars, it has never really been about health. As more and more evidence emerges that pot is not as safe as the public was sold, we'll learn whether it's possible to put this genie back in its bottle.

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

Today, Memorial Day, I want to share a commentary on Memorial Day from Chuck Colson. Here's Chuck:

This Memorial Day, reflect with me on how we should respond to the enormous sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.

Memorial Day is when we honor the men and women of our armed services who have made "the supreme sacrifice," who gave their lives for their country.

Especially these days, when Memorial Day seems nothing more than a time for cookouts and swim parties, we cannot be reminded often enough about how great a debt we owe our war dead.

They gave up their hopes and dreams, families, and friends. They submitted themselves to rigorous discipline—something I understand as a former Marine—24-hour-a-day duty—and placed their lives in great peril. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Their sacrifice should inspire in us a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, bought with a price. And that gratitude should compel us to lives of service as well. Serving Christ, our neighbor, and yes, our nation.

I can't help but recall the brilliant film Saving Private Ryan. James Ryan, now in his seventies, has returned with his family to the military cemetery in Normandy. He visits the grave of Capt. John Miller, the man who, a half a century before, led the mission to retrieve—to save—Pvt. Ryan. At the end of the mission, Miller was fatally wounded. As he lay dying, his final words to Pvt. Ryan were "James. Earn this … earn it."

We then see Ryan kneeling at Capt. Miller's grave, marked by a cross. Ryan, his voice trembling with emotion, says,

"Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me. "

Red-eyed, Ryan turns to his wife and says, "Tell me I've led a good life … tell me I am a good man."

With great dignity, she says, "You are."

With that, James Ryan salutes the grave of Capt. Miller.

I tell this story in greater detail in my book The Good Life, which you can purchase at colsoncenter.org.

You see, Pvt. Ryan, out of gratitude for Capt. Miller's sacrifice, did all in his power to live a good life.

And Memorial Day is a great time for each of us to look into the mirror … to examine our own lives. Are we living good lives in gratitude for all those who have sacrificed for us—including our men and women in the military, our families, our friends, and most of all Christ?

Are we, like Ryan, kneeling before the cross? Spielberg, a master cinematographer, had to realize the power of this imagery. Are we, out of gratitude, doing our duty for Christ, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, ministering to those in prison, in whatever harvest field to which the Lord has called us?

Examine your life.

And this Memorial Day, at the very least, thank those who have sacrificed for you and those you know who have served in our nation's armed forces. Maybe you'll do what I do when you see a guy or gal in uniform … at the airport, at the store, wherever … walk up to them and thank them for their service.

And then go and remember Whom it is you serve.

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

A look at the passing of Tim Keller, who was called a giant by both top theologians and The New York Times. Christians are re-considering doing business with companies like Target and a handful of others that mock Christianity.

Recommendations

Lighthouse Voices with J.P. De Gance

A Small Light

What Should a Christian's Response be to the Transgender Movement?

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

Is the Metaverse headed for the graveyard? A year and a half after its release, the Metaverse remains vastly unpopular, despite millions of dollars of corporate investments and costly marketing campaigns. The most well-funded Metaverse app only has 38 active daily users, and Microsoft and Disney have laid off their specially designated Metaverse teams.

In the initial hype, Meta overestimated the desire and demand for virtual reality. Meta could be our generation's MySpace, soon to be replaced by something superior, or it could be the failure to account for our embodied natures as image bearers.

Though we're prone to dissatisfaction with our bodies and our relationships, we still crave "in-person" interaction and experiences, because our bodies are real and so is the physical world. Even the most beautiful picture cannot replace seeing the Grand Canyon up close.

Digital knockoffs do not change or alter who we really are, body and spirit, a "living soul" made in the image and likeness of God.

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

According to tradition, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew evangelized the region of Armenia in the first century. In the year 301, it became the first nation to declare itself Christian. Through centuries of warfare and oppression, its Christian identity has endured as part of Armenian culture, despite repeated attempts by neighbors to stamp it out.

In 1915, the Turkish Ottoman Empire killed an estimated 1.2 million people during what has become known as the Armenian Genocide. Under the pretext that they were insufficiently loyal to the empire, Ottoman authorities shot entire villages, forcibly converted families to Islam, and marched hundreds of thousands of women and children into the Syrian desert to die. The brutal campaign of extermination led to a significant diaspora of Armenians to other countries.

Even after Armenia emerged from Soviet dominance and declared itself an independent republic at the end of the 20th century, peace has remained elusive. Armenia has faced decades of conflict over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, where some 100,000 Armenian Christians now live but which Muslim-majority Azerbaijan sees as its territory. In 2020, as the world was preoccupied with the global pandemic, Azerbaijan waged war against Armenia. Seven thousand lives were taken, and the region has remained in the shadow of a fragile ceasefire since.

Today, most Armenians exist in a state of uncertainty. Given their control over the region, it may be that Azerbaijan is poised to commit a second Armenian genocide. According to University Network for Human Rights researcher Thomas Becker,

Over the past decade, Azerbaijani officials have invoked language used in the Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust, referring to Armenians as a "cancer tumor" and a "disease" to be "treated." More recently, the country's authoritarian leader Ilham Aliyev has threatened to "drive [Armenians] away like dogs."

The situation seems dire with Russia, Armenia's ostensible security guarantor, bogged down in its own war against Ukraine, and with Iran, Armenia's southern neighbor eager to fill the security vacuum. However, an unexpected recent development is that a significant number of Armenia's diaspora population has been returning to their homeland. After a hundred years of exile and living in places like Russia, France, and the United States, an estimated 50,000 Armenians repatriated prior to 2020, with thousands more joining them every year since.

For some, the motivation to return is economic. For others, it's about standing with fellow Armenians in the face of war. However, for many, the calling is about their faith. As the dean of Armenian Apostolic seminary put it, "We as a nation are called to witness to Jesus Christ in a very difficult region. … Our very existence is a testimony of Christianity."

Lara Setrakian, an Armenian-American journalist, moved back with her family at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. In a recent podcast, she put it this way,

"I am doing what I'm called to do … and it is to be a helper like Mr. Rogers would say. It is a catastrophe. There are crises. But I want to be among the helpers. … We're not interested in not being Christian ... For Christians … this country is one big test of faith. And people I see are rising to the occasion. And they are finding strength, and they … have not ever given up. … They haven't given up the cross; they haven't given up their language, their love, their dance. They embody the resilience that we're all looking for."

Another repatriated Armenian mused, "In America, I had a good life: a big house, a good car. But when I say, 'good life,' I mean something else." As so many in the West reel from a crisis of meaning, Armenian Christians have found joy in the face of severe hardship. In that way, we have much to learn from our Armenian brothers and sisters, even as we ask God to bless them, to strengthen their faith, and to bring peace to the nation they are rebuilding.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Kasey Leander.

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

Middle school girls in a club in Colorado are being told that they are transgender simply if they are uncomfortable with their bodies. Leaders of the middle school Gay-Straight Alliance brought in a speaker who told sixth graders that "if they are not completely comfortable in their bodies, that means that they are transgender." Two families are suing the school district for promoting the harmful ideas.

Far from remedying a teenager's discomfort with their bodies, these ideas worsen the discomfort, cause irreversible harms, and significantly increase chances of suicide, especially for girls.

With unrealistic beauty standards and objectification, it's no wonder girls feel unsettled in their bodies. But this doesn't mean they were born in the wrong body. Rather than push controversial and dangerous ideologies that harm kids, parents, doctors, and educators should work to address the more immediate causes of body image issues, especially social media and pop culture.

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