I appreciate this article, and appreciate The Free Press as a medium willing to publish articles pro-Christian for once. Though I'm not Christian myself, I am a theology Masters and find some of your comments quite interesting.
Through my studies of American Christianity, especially pertaining to the era post-enlightenment and post evangelical revivals, it is intriguing how those in countries where Christianity may be prohibited (at least in certain forms), people continue to pursue the eschatological hopes encapsulated in Christianity. It is also interesting that those countries where religious freedoms are ostensibly preserved (USA/United Kingdom), that the younger generations reject Christianity, at least in its ability to offer anything of weight to political and civil conversation.
Its interesting that the recent historical parallel that I see is in the Evangelical revivals of the west in the 18th/19th centuries. These movements which strongly advocated for reimbuing society with piety and religious experience, arose arguably as a response to the deistical philosophical writers of the time which directly and indirectly decentralised and displaced the Church and ecclesiastical authority from an individual's life. People now sought out hope and self actualisation via civil, economic and social means. The problem was that this didn't work for everyone, hence the vehement calls to return to Christianity. Subsequent strains of Christianity have been unequivocally reshaped by this period, in the way they read scripture and interact (or don't for that matter!) with spiritual experiences.
Essentially, the human race has never moved and evolved in clear linear ways. But what i see has maintained a constant, is the anthropological necessity to have some form of future hope, attachment to the community, and a way to form ones own identity. The problem i see with the woke west is that they put so much emphasis upon grounding this process first in superficial notions of the self (such as innumerable labels to describe one's gender). Because their identity is primarily predicated upon labels they have self-attached to themselves, to support their self-constructed identities, they rely upon external validation (affirming one's beauty despite unhealthy appearances, affirming one's gender ideologies, affirming one's victimhood). This is an incredibly precarious and unstable manner of substantiating identity, that i really believe many will move back to more robust community builders such as Christianity or other forms of spirituality.
Wow, thank you for publishing this authentic voice of a young Christian, Free Press! This is one of the main reasons why I'm proud to be a subscriber. This kind of story would never be published in the legacy media without containing some mention of a dark, sinister underside or some critic/expert to quote in the name of "balance." Thank you for letting people, especially people of faith, tell their story.
I wish the hundreds (or thousands) of religions could have their own free press where their believers could happily get their faith supported in ways like this. And I wish we could opt in or out of hearing about any or all of them.
I for one am so sorry to see the decline of religion in America. It was once the glue that held America together. Without guidance tendered by the various churches, temples, synagogues and mosques there are many people drifting through life with no anchor. The loosened morals although said to be liberating are really the opposite, ruining lives and corrupting our moral compasses. Most unsatisfying.
Thank you for your article. We need more people like your parents. And you.
Excellent read. These three sentences really hit home...
”When people have no purpose, no greater calling, their life has no meaning. They turn to new ideologies to give them meaning. America was built on the Protestant work ethic.”
I am so thankful to hear your story. I don’t try to tell my story of being saved to others because the disinterest and disdain is so great. I will think about what you have written. Please thank your parents for me for their bravery and commitment to the gospel.
This article is spot on in many respects! I love the closing remarks. “In China, the people are not free to hear the Word, but they still hunger for it. In America, they are free to hear, yet they choose not to accept it.” So true!
Sickle Cell Anaemia is a half-arsed arational evololutionary response to malaria. We figured out draining the swamp and and eradicating anopheles mosqitos was far more efficasious. Religion is a similar half-arsed irrational response. The "cure" for Communism and Wokery isn't to retreat into an earlier batshit response to the so-called "ills" of the world. Figure out the teleos and address that. You will find some of the things religion does are efficasious; but they need no gods to "explain" those rituals.
Evolution happens as an existential reaction to the environment. We figured out that DDT killed the mosquitos. We had nearly rid the world of the disease. But, eagle eggs reacted poorly to DDT so in order to save thousands of eagles we allowed millions of people to die.
People need something more, greater than themselves to be fulfilled. For many this comes through achievements, family, service, faith, etc. The problem with atheism is that the need gets filled with irrational belief systems that frequently rely on catastrophizing to fuel the faithful's needs. Environmentalism is a religion with crazy worshippers who chose birds over people. They choose impractical methods of producing energy and condemn highly efficient and zero greenhouse gas emitting sources. Etc. Same telos, very different causes.
Ritual is ritual. It is an act or function. It is not God. It is a way to acknowledge, worship, etc. To suggest that ritual, is a requirement to be recognized by God reduces Christianty, and other religions, to spell casting nonsense. Of course one's conscience is free to believe whatever one chooses including mocking religious faith. What's the telos in that?
I am so grateful to The Free Press for essays like this (and TGIF, and Douglas Murray, and your podcast, and...everything you touch). That final line was such a punch to the gut. Bravo.
We recently moved from MN to the Bible Belt. I have been very surprised by the difference in the Christian experience. The church we attended in MN was super strong, large and growing, and preached the gospel unapologetically. Our pastor also addressed the controversial social issues of sexuality, abortion, and gender head on. We loved it. Now we struggle to find a church with any depth. They shy from mentioning sin of any kind and go nowhere near the social issues. It is basically a social club. We find ourselves tuning in online to our former church, although we know it is important to find a local church community. The term Christian is very broad...I tend to use the word Believer. That tends to be the modern equivalent to the original term Christian.
I have no trouble believing that the people who have actually fled persecution to America have a far better understanding than most “cultural” Christians whose families have been here for generations.
Sounds like you are running into mainline Protestant churches. They embrace this world and culture eagerly. They elevate them. They tend to conform their faith with that culture rather than rise above it, being in the world rather of the world. Prayers that you find your faith community and family.
I appreciate this article, and appreciate The Free Press as a medium willing to publish articles pro-Christian for once. Though I'm not Christian myself, I am a theology Masters and find some of your comments quite interesting.
Through my studies of American Christianity, especially pertaining to the era post-enlightenment and post evangelical revivals, it is intriguing how those in countries where Christianity may be prohibited (at least in certain forms), people continue to pursue the eschatological hopes encapsulated in Christianity. It is also interesting that those countries where religious freedoms are ostensibly preserved (USA/United Kingdom), that the younger generations reject Christianity, at least in its ability to offer anything of weight to political and civil conversation.
Its interesting that the recent historical parallel that I see is in the Evangelical revivals of the west in the 18th/19th centuries. These movements which strongly advocated for reimbuing society with piety and religious experience, arose arguably as a response to the deistical philosophical writers of the time which directly and indirectly decentralised and displaced the Church and ecclesiastical authority from an individual's life. People now sought out hope and self actualisation via civil, economic and social means. The problem was that this didn't work for everyone, hence the vehement calls to return to Christianity. Subsequent strains of Christianity have been unequivocally reshaped by this period, in the way they read scripture and interact (or don't for that matter!) with spiritual experiences.
Essentially, the human race has never moved and evolved in clear linear ways. But what i see has maintained a constant, is the anthropological necessity to have some form of future hope, attachment to the community, and a way to form ones own identity. The problem i see with the woke west is that they put so much emphasis upon grounding this process first in superficial notions of the self (such as innumerable labels to describe one's gender). Because their identity is primarily predicated upon labels they have self-attached to themselves, to support their self-constructed identities, they rely upon external validation (affirming one's beauty despite unhealthy appearances, affirming one's gender ideologies, affirming one's victimhood). This is an incredibly precarious and unstable manner of substantiating identity, that i really believe many will move back to more robust community builders such as Christianity or other forms of spirituality.
Thanks for a good article. Harvey
Wow, thank you for publishing this authentic voice of a young Christian, Free Press! This is one of the main reasons why I'm proud to be a subscriber. This kind of story would never be published in the legacy media without containing some mention of a dark, sinister underside or some critic/expert to quote in the name of "balance." Thank you for letting people, especially people of faith, tell their story.
I feel like I just took a long warm drink of...HOPE! Thank you for that.
I wish the hundreds (or thousands) of religions could have their own free press where their believers could happily get their faith supported in ways like this. And I wish we could opt in or out of hearing about any or all of them.
I for one am so sorry to see the decline of religion in America. It was once the glue that held America together. Without guidance tendered by the various churches, temples, synagogues and mosques there are many people drifting through life with no anchor. The loosened morals although said to be liberating are really the opposite, ruining lives and corrupting our moral compasses. Most unsatisfying.
Thank you for your article. We need more people like your parents. And you.
Excellent read. These three sentences really hit home...
”When people have no purpose, no greater calling, their life has no meaning. They turn to new ideologies to give them meaning. America was built on the Protestant work ethic.”
Beautiful and so so so hopeful
Powerful and Needed. Thank you.
I am so thankful to hear your story. I don’t try to tell my story of being saved to others because the disinterest and disdain is so great. I will think about what you have written. Please thank your parents for me for their bravery and commitment to the gospel.
Also, thank you Free Press for your commitment to give voices to so many different kinds of people. I am grateful for each of you too
This article is spot on in many respects! I love the closing remarks. “In China, the people are not free to hear the Word, but they still hunger for it. In America, they are free to hear, yet they choose not to accept it.” So true!
So true is right
Sickle Cell Anaemia is a half-arsed arational evololutionary response to malaria. We figured out draining the swamp and and eradicating anopheles mosqitos was far more efficasious. Religion is a similar half-arsed irrational response. The "cure" for Communism and Wokery isn't to retreat into an earlier batshit response to the so-called "ills" of the world. Figure out the teleos and address that. You will find some of the things religion does are efficasious; but they need no gods to "explain" those rituals.
Evolution happens as an existential reaction to the environment. We figured out that DDT killed the mosquitos. We had nearly rid the world of the disease. But, eagle eggs reacted poorly to DDT so in order to save thousands of eagles we allowed millions of people to die.
People need something more, greater than themselves to be fulfilled. For many this comes through achievements, family, service, faith, etc. The problem with atheism is that the need gets filled with irrational belief systems that frequently rely on catastrophizing to fuel the faithful's needs. Environmentalism is a religion with crazy worshippers who chose birds over people. They choose impractical methods of producing energy and condemn highly efficient and zero greenhouse gas emitting sources. Etc. Same telos, very different causes.
Ritual is ritual. It is an act or function. It is not God. It is a way to acknowledge, worship, etc. To suggest that ritual, is a requirement to be recognized by God reduces Christianty, and other religions, to spell casting nonsense. Of course one's conscience is free to believe whatever one chooses including mocking religious faith. What's the telos in that?
Outstanding.
I am so grateful to The Free Press for essays like this (and TGIF, and Douglas Murray, and your podcast, and...everything you touch). That final line was such a punch to the gut. Bravo.
I fear that America has lost its soul!
Great article
We recently moved from MN to the Bible Belt. I have been very surprised by the difference in the Christian experience. The church we attended in MN was super strong, large and growing, and preached the gospel unapologetically. Our pastor also addressed the controversial social issues of sexuality, abortion, and gender head on. We loved it. Now we struggle to find a church with any depth. They shy from mentioning sin of any kind and go nowhere near the social issues. It is basically a social club. We find ourselves tuning in online to our former church, although we know it is important to find a local church community. The term Christian is very broad...I tend to use the word Believer. That tends to be the modern equivalent to the original term Christian.
I have no trouble believing that the people who have actually fled persecution to America have a far better understanding than most “cultural” Christians whose families have been here for generations.
I am going to go read my Bible now.
Sounds like you are running into mainline Protestant churches. They embrace this world and culture eagerly. They elevate them. They tend to conform their faith with that culture rather than rise above it, being in the world rather of the world. Prayers that you find your faith community and family.