The New Dark Age

A simple Google search for the term “new dark age” yields several results from Bad Religion’s “New Dark Ages” to right wing politicos fearing Obama, to fears of Europe being engulfed by Islam. But another less popular (and noisy) group emerges with news that (in my opinion) is more alarming than the others. Here’s a sample text from one source:

 Some leading thinkers and scholars have postulated that for all the convenience and expediency that society gets from the Internet, we may actually be surfing ourselves into a new Dark Age.

Another source on the subject remarked:

The arrival of Gutenberg’s printing press, in the 15th century, set off another round of teeth gnashing. The Italian humanist Hieronimo Squarciafico worried that the easy availability of books would lead to intellectual laziness, making men “less studious” and weakening their minds. Others argued that cheaply printed books and broadsheets would undermine religious authority, demean the work of scholars and scribes, and spread sedition and debauchery. As New York University professor Clay Shirky notes, “Most of the arguments made against the printing press were correct, even prescient.” But, again, the doomsayers were unable to imagine the myriad blessings that the printed word would deliver.

Hopefully, you’re still with me. What does all this have to do with anything? I’ve addressed illiteracy in previous posts like this one, but I’m convinced that it goes deeper than I first imagined. The Dark Ages, a historical period between the collapse of Rome and the Enlightenment, came to a close as at least partially as a result of Gutengerg’s printing press becoming mainstream. Until that point, only the upper echelon of society and religion were able to read, making the haves and have nots of society separated largely by this divide. Gutenberg made written text more accessible, and thus, led to people having the ability to greater process new thoughts, ideas, and perspectives.

So now, in 2009, the trend myself and others are observing is that postmodernism is leading to a new way in which youth are viewing information. Knowledge is no longer a journey of exploration, but a commodity that is so easily accessible, it is passe. Perhaps the thought could be bullhorned:

Everything is already known, and I can find it in a matter of minutes.

This makes knowledge no longer power, but robotic. Reading in high school is no longer a journey, but a chore. Huck Finn has no pictures. Rather than reading (even blogs, commentaries, and newspapers), students today consume media only that involves imagery and sound. The parallels to the hundreds of years in the Dark Ages are enormous. In those days, the real way education took place was spoken word and paintings or other artwork.

Some will call Harry Potter, Twilight, and other novels encouraging. But these pail in comparison to the number of youth who have consumed High School Musical. I’m not in favor or against any of these, but seek to make a point that the best selling novels influence minds very little compared to other media. Film, YouTube, television, video games, text messaging, and other media are the books of today. Imagination long ago left the cutting room floor, as lights and sounds have replaced it. Only the great thinkers of today have creativity and imagination (and some of them are still just following the media others are giving them). High School Musical is a standard example of the power of media: 37 million views as of today for this music video alone on YouTube doesn’t lie.

 

IMPACT
The impact of this movement on Christianity is massive. Gone are the days of assuming Christians have/are reading the Bible. Instead, we must assume that upcoming (and perhaps current) Christians know very little of Scripture, the Creeds, the Parables, and more. This presents opportunities to shape Christianity in new ways, but also makes the work of those who are sharing the faith much more burdensome.

Most Christians over the centuries have been aware that the Apostles’ Creed is the benchmark for someone being a Christian or not. But in this new, illiterate generation, this concept is foreign. When teaching students about it this week, one who has undoubtedly been in church her whole life, asked, “I don’t even know what it is? What if I don’t agree with something in it?”

We must not approach these Americans as if they are lazy. We must approach them as an opportunity. The New Dark Age has arrived.

Facing Illiteracy (Part 3): Christianese

Continuing a theme twice visited, we are seeing a generation of Christians grow up that either cannot easily read or would rather not. The result is a relatively overlooked problem: Christian illiteracy.

I once worked in sales for an office supply company. After working to hone my craft, I discovered that the average person isn’t impressed with a technical vocabulary. Rather, the ability to translate it’s meaning was far more impressive, as it showed greater skills (and greater sales).

In the church world, due to the pending illiteracy crisis (and yes, I used the “c” word), we will be forced to alter our Christianese, a buzz word for churchy words. Concepts like repentance, sanctification, grace, and even the overused word “fellowship” deserve a translation of their translation. Messages intended to just explain these easily become “heady” to their hearers, who throw in the towel and give up.

It is critical to educate these concepts, as they are foundational. But just as core clock speed is geek speak for how quickly the brain operates a computer, fellowship is actually just hanging out (really – can we retire that word, yet?).

We have a generation with unlimited information available, but its used to browse photos from Saturday’s keg stand on Facebook, save Princess Peach on Wii, and learn the lyrics to “I Kissed a Girl” on Youtube. As Christian leaders we must examine this challenge and use it instead of ignoring or doubting it. Gutenberg is being paged – will you answer?

The Gospel of Fire Insurance

The revivals of old brought about a style of preaching that paid much attention to the torment of humanity’s souls if they go to Hell. Jonathan Edwards delivered perhaps the most famous message during this era, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a message cautioning the result of not living for God leading to a real, functional place called Hades.

This message was arguably one for that time. Somehow, despite society changing drastically, some churches are still preaching this message. The world is vastly different and this strategy for repentance is severely outdated.

Today’s American cultural landscape is not one of black-and-white piety. Rather, thanks to an era of lukewarmness (perhaps instigated by empty altar calls), most Americans believe they will not go to Hell because they are good people. Its pretty hard to conjure up fear of Hell when Americans have no worry that their souls are in the balance.

Yet, with another emphasis, preachers have taken the doctrine of the rapture and given it the same treatment. In effect, the masses are “scared into salvation” by fear of the tribulation, judgments, and the curtain of end-time Apocolypse ripped open. Its rather easy to get someone to answer an altar call using Matthew 24 examples and Hell-on-Earth analogies.

At issue, however, is the impact of this message. Individuals are saved from judgment, but not saved into life. With no worries anymore about any judgment removed from their conscience, they go about their everyday lives with no challenge to change themselves to be more like Christ. In fact, preachers converting people under this premise are not making Christians – they are handing out fire insurance (that is, a guarantee that they will not “burn in Hell”).

The doctrinal issues with the Rapture aside (which I may address here someday, take the link as just a brilliant man’s opinion), we should model our message off of Peter in Acts 2. We should lead individuals to be saved from this culture and from themselves. This message will lead to parishoners who are more excited about being discipled, more apt to want to serve, more cautious in their choice, and certainly more committed than fire insurance policyholders.

Christian teens (A reality check)

In working at a rather large youth church, I find myself getting to see things that some smaller youth groups aren’t able to experience. In the interest of fairness, I also miss out on some things. One of the oddities emerging is the decreasing gap in spiritual maturity between those raised in Christian homes and those not.

Churches invest thousands of dollars each year in their children’s ministries to provide a Biblical foundation in their children with hopes that it will take hold in them as they grow. Despite decades of work, this isn’t at all an exact science, yet. So many parents will find themselves unconsciously turning over their children’s spiritual development to their churches (an expression of “compartmentalized Christianity“).

Years later, I receive them into discipleship ministries and they begin to open up about their real spiritual formation. Most want nothing to do with sharing their spiritual pursuits, daily routines, and more with their parents. Most have struggles their parents won’t ever know about, for fear of their parents’ punishment or broken hearts.

Many of these students, thought to be the cream of the crop and the fruit of a church’s labors, have the same addictions and struggles as those who are not-yet-Christians. They are cutters. They consume billions of dollars of pornography. They experiment with homosexuality. They masturbate. They steal. They cheat on tests. They lie often. They are as angry as those amongst them. They tell the dirty jokes. They give their virginity away without remorse. They don’t really worship (and don’t want to). They don’t actually want to read the Bible. They pray longer for their meals than their lives. They have secret relationships until they are old enough to “date.” They have their first kiss before their parent’s know they like boys or girls. They are real.

What is scariest about this is that their parents are completely oblivious to their teenager’s lives. Baby Boomers long ago made the decision that they would make money their object of worship, selling their children to babysitters and daycare workers in exchange for better homes, cars, and bigger TVs. Now that they don’t have to pay for daycare workers for their teens, they have built a standard of living that just keeps rolling, while their teenagers raise themselves. Their friends, YouTube, and their dreams spend 160 hours each week training them to live.

Parents should find ways to raise the kids they always wanted. They should ask the really hard questions. They should tell their kids that if they are honest, their punishments change. They should guide their students as the ultimate mentor. They should know their teen’s friends. They should treat computers as tools, not babysitters. They should be parents.

I have hope for this generation. They seem to be very civic and very open to challenges. The only challenges they have had in their lives has been raising themselves. They desire guidance. They crave to be told to try again. They want to be loved.

They’ve just never been loved.

Why am I a Christian?

I gave a group of teenagers 40 hours to write a three page essay that answers the question, “Why am I a Christian?” This is a tall task, indeed. Far be it for me to give such a daunting task and not do the same, myself. Thus, I begin this monster.

Christianity, by definition, is more than a religion. It is a pursuit of an ideal that is impossible for a human being to attain. One who professes to be a Christian has accepted a challenge to become “Christ-like,” a task that we simply cannot perform.

Jesus Christ was a perfect human being born around 3 BC who lived until around 30 AD as a perfect person, having never screwed up. Documents written by multiple individuals (so many that its more numerous than the existence of Julius Caesar) show that this human was assassinated for claiming to be King by an oppressive Roman government worried of insurgency. Further documents show that, somehow, this man rose from the dead, walked amongst humans again for a time, then vanished into the Heavens, only to return later. Soon, His Father, Jehovah the Creator, sent His Spirit to help others.

These are some basic tenants of my faith, though they don’t answer the question, “Why am I a Christian?” Sadly, most people who call themselves “Christians” are not intentionally trying to be “Christ-like.” Instead, they are more apt to seek rules to follow to give order to their lives.

Personally, I’ve considered many of the teachings of Jesus Christ and am compelled to value them. Even Ghandi respects Jesus’ lifestyle and teachings. Looking at planet earth in its desolate present and future, it is difficult to muster much hope for the future. Humans are naturally angry, thirst for power, lust for sensuality, and pursue ventures that will not actually satisfy them.

Suppose that one could muster up the perfect lifestyle. To have unlimited power, unlimited talents, unlimited resources, etc would be available. Somehow, I don’t believe that a human being would still be able to achieve happiness, nor would he/she know how to wield such abilities without harming others. Human nature would eventually kick in and trump others.

In considering the teachings of Christ, I am convinced that human beings truly following them would bring more than bandages to a bruised world. I’d like to illustrate with a few of Christ’s teachings.

In a letter written from a man named Matthew, we find out that Jesus proposes that, as humans, we should look at others differently. For example, human beings should not just show kindness, generosity, and friendship to those who are their friends. Instead, even a person’s enemies should be those whom we show love towards. This approach to human relations is unique in that human nature is typically to find ways to gain revenge or avoid our enemies. However, if human beings truly digested this teaching and applied it to everyday life, many of today’s most challenging issues would be much easier to manage. Family feuds would crumble. School bullying would decrease. Gang violence would decrease, and more.

Jesus spoke often about other symptoms of our world. Humans seem to cherish wealth too much and will use it to abuse others, will crush others to get it, and more. The cliche “the desire for money is the cause of many sorts of evil” can be traced back to these teachings. If people across the globe took this teaching to heart, a wave of generosity would sweep the globe, leading to greater abilities for humans to succeed and rise above poverty. Generosity is the missing ingredient in a world of oppression. Generosity is a key to change.

Human beings are naturally angry at others and will act out in ways against others to express that anger. It is unfortunate that Christ’s teachings about ways to treat others have yet to spread. Imagine if humans focused on treating others in ways that they would want to be treated, themselves. It would be very difficult to imagine a world of murder, terrorism, rape, adultery, and other problems if this planet’s tenants would change the ways in which they deal with others. Life would improve for our six billion fellow humans.

Christians have been taught to be those that believe in impossible things. Many people live lives without hope and no desire for the future to change. This is a tragedy, as life is too precious to allow to simply vanish. Christians experience fantastic miracles through their believing, the likes of which are rarely reproduced by other religions, such as humans being raised from the dead, prayers answered in odd ways, ailments vanishing, and more. I’ve personally experienced this odd phenomenon. It is very hard to tell a person who suddenly no longer has HIV that there isn’t a higher power in existence.

Those who are truly Christians are compelled to believe in the power of forgiveness. The planet is filled with humans who withhold high concentrations of bitterness in their hearts for wrongs done to them and have no intention to free the hostages from within. However, this cycle of bitterness never actually heals humans – it makes them worse. Those who opt to be like Christ are compelled to release their bitterness and offer forgiveness to those who wrong them. This radical teaching would do wonders in divorce courts, racial relations, and more.

In a related concept, Christians believe in the concept of grace – unmerited favor given to others. Or, in other words, being given something you really don’t deserve. Christians are odd beings in that they will offer things to others to make them better people, to restore them, to forgive them, and more. This teaching is quite unique in the arena of world religions because most consider your deeds to be the measure of your merit. I believe that going the extra mile and just offering favor without merit is a far superior offering.

Speaking of deeds, one of Jesus favorite words was to “go.” While many Christians fail miserably in this, the concept of doing good to others and serving those less fortunate such as the poor, widows, the crippled, and more is fantastically part of Christianity. Imagine a world where billions of people have radars up at all times – trying to find someone to help who needs it. This is a far cry from today’s cut-throat, ladder of success societies that humans have strived to build. Christianity is more about others than status.

Christians have a hope for the future that is unique to all the world’s religions. Yet, its the most promising of any. Christians believe that one day, all those who have opted to try to live their lives like Christ will be raised from the dead and will live on a new Earth that is merged with Heaven. Our foundation text, the Bible, also records that on that day, truly, we will be “like Him.” The great pursuit of our lives will be achieved, and for the rest of time, we will live on Earth with Jesus as emperor of Earth. He will rule the planet with justice, fairness, and integrity – all the things politicians claim but never achieve. As supreme potentate of Earth, Jesus will undo the wrongs and establish lives of meaning, excitement, and a journey that will never end. I cannot imagine a better afterlife.

I am, however, not naive. All these teachings are as ideal as it gets. Sadly, most Christians are not intentionally following these ideals. It is my belief that Christians will slowly gain insights into the power of these teachings and will unlock the mystery of their potential slowly with a key that only individual hearts can turn.

Most Christians gather in communities called “churches,” where the intent is to thank Jesus for what He has done and learn ways to deal with our everyday battle of becoming more like Him. While some churches do a miserable job of this, it is my belief that those who truly see the power of Christianity find ways to grow. They pursue love, or peace, or gentleness instead of anger, hatred, and betrayal. Churches are organizations that are filled with individuals who, like me, are not yet truly “like Christ.” As a result, Christians do things that are far from the teachings of Christ. It is my hope that this will change as time progresses and churches will be comprised of people who are better examples of why this lifestyle is preferable to any other option.

Christians pattern their lives after the world’s number one selling book, a collection of documents, poems, letters, and more we call “The Good News,” or “The Bible.” We consider this news to be good because, in light of these ideals I have outlined, there is hope for this planet that is in such disarray. Christians have the solution and have had it for 1900 years, nestled in a book of a few thousand pages. Our foundational text, the Good News, is full of stories so unbelievable, its almost embarrassing! We see prostitutes nearly stoned, but set free. Men raised from the dead by mere mortals praying. The sun standing still in the midst of a war. A planet engulfed with liquid for over a month with the hope for humanity and thousands of species of animals not becoming extinct in a little boat. While its stories are fascinatingly odd, what’s more odd is that it is difficult to dispute their contents when they are reliably backed up in many ways. Science aside, the ability of the contents of the Bible to predict its own miracles hundreds or thousands of years later is a mystery – a mystery that could only be spiritual.

Human beings are worth more than lives that desperately pursue power, sex, greed, and comfort. There is a lifestyle I have lived for nine years that has proven a trifle challenging, but bountifully rewarding. Christ never promised an easy pattern to follow, but He did promise that great effort would bring a better existence and a better world. Despite all the challenges, potential doubts, and stench of others not doing the same, I have opted to try to be a Christian because I believe it is the only hope for a screwed up world. I have no faith in the other religions I have explored, or in humanity’s ability to govern itself into a better world. Only the raw, flavorful teachings of Christianity appear to be the med kit for a world gone sour.

Christianity is hope for a dying world, good news to those who have heard it all, and life to those who feel like dying. I want to be like Christ.

Subversive Fundamentalism

I am unapologetically not a fundamentalist. This is not to say that I don’t have standards and beliefs that are non-negotiable. I’m all for the tenants of the Apostles’ Creed and other foundational theologies. However, one of the unique aspects of Christianity is that it is not entirely a cut-and-dry faith. The Bible isn’t explicit about how our church and everyday experiences should be. Rather, as Rob Bell teaches, its an open book – able to be considered and discussed.

In the process, of dealing with this, I took several months in early 2006 to deconstruct a lot of theologies I had been taught to assume correct. Those five months were severely difficult, but have helped to frame me into the person I am now.

Following this process (though to an extent, its ongoing), I’m finding that there are many organizations within Christianity that never made the jump and are still swimming in fundamentalist waters. Such ideology is very difficult because it spends more time tearing down minor issues than focusing on big picture issues. Consider these two options for what to focus on:
Tearing Down

• Don’t play video games – they could lead to your mind getting poisoned
• You should only hang out with friends who are Christians – you’ll fall otherwise
• Stop listening to music that isn’t Christian – the other stuff doesn’t glorify God and will hurt your mind
• Don’t dress in all black clothes – it makes you look angry

Building Up

• When you evaluate media, ask yourself if its true? Is it beautiful?
• What kind of people did Jesus make his friends? Tax collectors? Doctors? Prostitutes?
• Christianity is about finding way to change yourself to become more like God intended humans to be from the foundation of the planet

The differences are insane.

Thoughts from Remnant

I’m nearing the end of my first session running a discipleship program within our youth church we call Remnant. I was given three weeks to put this thing together upon being hired in January. Pretty tall order for a program that’s been running, in one form or another, since 2002. This was to be the first spring session yet.

The emphasis this session has been making things challenging, hence the subtitle “The Challenge.” The rationale behind this was that most Christian youth today have been spoonfed everything and haven’t had to work for much. Doing things like having them memorize the thirty verses in Philippians 2, speak publicly, etc. has really interesting to observe.

Perhaps the biggest observation I’ve made is that, no matter how hard I could try to sugarcoat and pump up the importance of doing hard things, some students wouldn’t want to do it. We have nested them like baby birds and never bothered to kick them out of their spiritual nests. The truth is, if they are never kicked out by us to learn to fly, they’ll end up in another nest we wish they didn’t later.

Discipleship as Process

One of the missing elements of today’s discipleship for students is the entire experience being a process, rather than a status. We grant a cheap term “born-again Christian” to anyone capable of reciting a prayer. When you give someone a title for nothing it becomes worthless. The term “CEO” has no meaning when every employee is “CEO.” In the same way, we should put requirements on this term being able to be utilized.

In Tony Jones‘ Postmodern Youth Ministry, we encounter such a story from the third century church wherein it took a three year process for a typical young person to go from “seeker,” to baptized believer who joined others for communion. The middle was a long and grueling process of serving, exorcising demons, and more.

We should make this idea of being a Christian costly to restore our religion of its heritage of challenging.