When You Remove God from the Picture

December 28, 2016

Carol and I really enjoy many of British television’s Masterpiece Theatre productions.  They are usually cleverly scripted and well-acted.  They also give interesting insight into how the British view life.  For instance, a recurring theme in many productions is the resentment felt by the lower and middle classes toward the “upper crust.”  Repeated pokes are taken at an upper class that is presented as narcissistic and out of touch with reality.

Over the last couple of months we have been caught up in viewing two BBC Masterpiece Theatre detective mystery series.  One is entitled “Inspector Lewis,” and the other “Grantchester.”  What has captured my attention in both series, and the reason I am mentioning them at all, is because of the way Christianity and Christian morality is being portrayed from a British point of view.  That perspective is both enlightening and a little frightening.

“Inspector Lewis” is set in contemporary Oxford, England.  The two main characters are Inspector Robert Lewis and his sidekick Sergeant James Hathaway.  Oxford University is an intrinsic part of the story.  Characters in the mysteries are often faculty or students at the University. 

Grantchester’s setting is a small English town in the early 1950’s.  The two main characters are an Anglican vicar by the name of Sidney Chambers and a local Detective Inspector Geordie Keating.  They form an unlikely alliance as they work together to solve various crimes.

As you view Christianity through the lens of “Inspector Lewis,” Oxford, both town and university, is proudly and almost uniformly atheist.  This is a point that is repeatedly made.  Intellectualism and atheism are seen as going hand in hand. Sergeant Hathaway is portrayed as having once studied for the priesthood, but he is the only remotely Christian figure on the show.  The sergeant is extremely intelligent, and obviously very well educated, but as his  character is revealed from one episode to the next, no one would accuse Hathaway of being a happy man.  He is emotionally remote and lonely, and finds frequent solace in a bottle. There is little evidence his faith in God makes any significant difference in his life.  When a clergyman does make an occasional appearance, he is either cold and judgmental or hapless. The main character, Inspector Lewis, has no use for the Christian faith and makes no bones about it.  If anything, he seems to carry a chip on his should toward God.  By the way, an interesting visual side note is that a number of nightclubs and taverns in Oxford visited by the main characters in the course of the programs were beyond doubt at one time, from their architecture and stained glass beauty, churches.  In post Christian Britain, the inference is clear: church buildings as houses of worship are a thing of the past.  They are being repurposed for much more popular usages such as drinking and carousing.

In “Grantchester” Christianity receives similar treatment.  The young vicar is handsome and smart – and a borderline alcoholic who smokes like a train and has an eye for women.  One of his favorite places to hang out is a tavern. It appears the writers for the show have little to no idea what a vicar actually does.  He is rarely, if ever, shown studying or praying or ministering in any fashion. When he is portrayed as preaching, the message is insipid and trite and delivered to a handful of bored parishoners.  Sidney’s associate is a man struggling with homosexuality who clearly has a much greater knowledge of contemporary philosophers than he does of Scripture. Sidney’s bishop is a cold, calculating monster, one of those characters you love to hate.  His best friend in seminary shows up as a sexual predator.   

The message of both shows concerning Christianity is very clear: it is an unnecessary historical relic.  It has no relevance to modern life.  Christianity in Britain today is seen as convictionless, Bible less, and soulless.  It is an interesting and sometimes frustrating anachronism – nothing more.

I believe British television can give us valuable insight into what the not too distant future may look like here in the U.S.  American culture has been aping European culture for decades when it comes to morals and faith.  The British attitude toward Christianity should be seen as a harbinger of what is to come in our own country if we continue to follow a similar path.

It breaks my heart, but the battle for the soul of much of Europe has been clearly lost to the forces of humanism, socialism, and atheism.  What is left behind is a people without faith and, it would appear, without hope.  There is a kind of resigned pessimism that seems to permeate these shows.  They are cleverly written and well-acted, but the main characters would never be accused of being happy.  Nearly all of them consume alcohol in prodigious quantities, and when not seeking to solve a crime, spend a great deal of time moping around.  I think it would be safe to say life in godless England is portrayed as being pretty bleak.

The British are now free of the trappings of Christianity.  But they are paying a horrific price for that freedom.  These shows portray plenty of sexual acting out in all forms, but few healthy relationships or happy marriages.  The British may no longer recognize the ten commandments as coming from a transcendent God, but ignoring them certainly hasn’t added to the quality of life there.  Existing in an environment where “agape” is unknown, but greed, lust, envy, and anger are commonplace is pretty dreadful. Whether within the confines of intellectual fortresses like Oxford or small towns like Grantchester, life lived without God appears to be more of a slog than a blessing.  Removing God from the picture hardly produces an earthly Paradise.  In fact, I would argue it appears to be quite the opposite.

Humanists and Progressives would have us believe in this brave new world there is no place for Christianity.  What is truly sad is that in that same world there is also no place for grace or mercy or peace. 

Post Christian England has a message for us if we’ll just pay heed.  Recent statistics indicate that less than four percent of the population of Britain now attend any type of worship service on a Sunday. England is filled with huge, beautiful, empty cathedrals.  The British may have successfully shut God out of their country, but they have also closed the door to the blessings His presence brings.    

      

Some Frightening Trends

December 20, 2016

Allow me to share with you three incredibly important stories that aren’t being covered by the major media… These are going to shape our future in ways that are hard to imagine.

One

We are moving toward a world in which relationships with human-like robots will increasingly be substituted for a relationship with a male or female.  No, this is not science fiction.  It is already beginning to occur and gaining steam.  Why bother with a wife or husband, boyfriend or girlfriend when you can have a substitute relationship with an A.I. (artificial intelligence) that never is moody or argues with you or questions what you’re doing?  Check out this story – and in particular pay attention to the video at the end.  It is a creepy indication of what will become the norm.  Japan is already facing what amounts to a crisis as a higher and higher percentage of young males are indicating they have no desire to have a relationship with a woman.  Pornography and electronic substitutes for relationships are reshaping their culture. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/19/rise-sex-robots-will-make-people-appreciate-real-thing/   

Two

We are all aware of how ipads, smart phones, tablets, and other electronic devices are reshaping everything from how our children learn to how we interact and communicate.  Increasingly verbal communication is being replaced by texting and twittering.  I watched two young people sitting side by side the other day in a restaurant.  They were not looking at each other, but rather at their cell phones.  It was obvious they were texting.  What was bizarre was they were texting each other!  That was made clear when the young woman suddenly looked up, obviously responding to what she was reading, and placed a kiss on the cheek of her date – then went right back to busily texting.

A troubling article recently appeared in the New York Post concerning young people and their addiction to electronic devices.  Unintentionally, we are creating a problem that only now is really beginning to be recognized.  This article, by a medical doctor, is warning parents to not allow their children the usage of smart phones, tablets, video games and such until the age of ten.  Our brave new world is filled with unintentional consequences associated with our exposure to devices and situations unique in human history.  Allowing these devices to babysit our children for hours at a time may well come back to haunt us.

http://nypost.com/2016/12/17/kids-turn-violent-as-parents-battle-digital-heroin-addiction/

Three

The Islamic takeover of England, France and other European countries has been virtually ignored by the mainstream media (MSM).  The recent Brexit vote in Britain was driven by a populace tired of seeing their country and culture being undermined by Islamic immigrants who have no desire to assimilate.  Membership in the European union was forcing Britain to accept whatever immigrants came their way from other countries.  Voting to disassociate themselves from the European union meant they could restrict who crossed their borders – a right many believed was critical if Britain is to survive.  Are you aware that London now has a Muslim mayor?  That the most popular name for a baby boy in Britain is Mohammed?  That there are large areas of London that are “no go” zones unless you are Muslim?

Unlimited Muslim migration has been a disaster in Europe.  The terrorist attacks we read about are horrifying, but they are nothing compared to the quiet takeover by Muslims of larger and larger swathes of the cities they inhabit.  How many people in the United States are aware that large areas of Paris are also now “no go” zones for anyone who is not Muslim?

Europe’s secular/humanist culture, with little or no religious beliefs or convictions, is being taken over by a religion that militantly advances its beliefs and will defend them, literally, to the death. The countries of the European Union are now basically defenseless against an enemy that despises their unbelief and its resultant hedonistic culture.   Europe has thrown away as worthless a heritage of hundreds of years of Christian belief.  Now the Muslims are militantly filling a moral and ethical void left by Europe’s betrayal of its Christian heritage. 

We had better pay attention here in the United States.  Regardless of whether militant Islam becomes an increasing cultural and religious force in this country (and it is), its impact on Europe and our relationship with European countries is going to be enormous.  The day will come, if things don’t rapidly change, when we’ll be negotiating with Caliphates in Europe as well as the Middle East.  Think of all the implications, culturally and economically, that will have.  We’d better learn, and learn right now, from Europe’s mistakes, or we’re going to face the same disastrous consequences they are facing.

Here’s just one article of many illustrative of the Muslim takeover in Europe.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7151/britain-islamization  

THINGS YOU PROBABLY WON'T SEE IN 2017

December 1, 2016

I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I am an interested observer.  Mr. Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency has given heart to many moral and fiscal conservatives.  However, I would urge you to curb your excitement about what is to come, particularly as that applies to moral issues.  Mr. Trump’s economic agenda is much clearer than his social one.  I see no indication that his focus is going to be on so-called “values” issues.  We may well be on our way to an economic renaissance.  I pray that’s the case.  For millions of working Americans, that will be a blessing.  But a major change in the way moral issues, such as homosexuality and abortion, are viewed is another matter.  Here are some things you may wish for, but probably won’t see, in 2017…

I don’t believe we’ll see any change in the government’s stance on abortion.  The holocaust that should cause us all deep shame will continue.  Individual state’s efforts to regulate this horror will remain ongoing, but federal judges will do all they can to undermine these legislative efforts.  Remember, these federal judges are appointed, not elected.  The judicial system and its obvious prejudice against Judeo-Christian ethics in regard to value of the life of the unborn has not been affected. The war being fought in the courts over abortion “rights” will continue.

 While the selection of the next Supreme Court justice will be hugely important because of its ramifications for the future in matters such as the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, until we see who fills the vacant slot, I anticipate little meaningful change.  (By the way, this appointment needs to be a matter brought daily before our heavenly Father because the lives of millions of the yet unborn literally rest in the hands of the one who will be chosen.  I anticipate a rancorous battle if a true conservative is nominated.  The abortion industry has a great deal to lose if a pro-life Justice is seated.  Who Mr. Trump nominates will tell us a great deal about his true convictions).

In the matter of gay marriage and LGBTQ rights, I also envision little change.  There may be some slowing of what has been a breathtakingly aggressive push by the government at all levels over the past few years.  However, Mr. Trump, as President Trump, has given no indication of a willingness or interest in reconsidering or retracting these issues.  Cities and states who have aggressively pursued prosecution of those whose moral values would preclude them from approving gay marriage and transsexual bathroom nonsense will probably continue to do so.  In fact, militant progressives, particularly on a local level, may be more aggressive than ever in this regard out of resentment and fear after the recent election.

I know few, if any, who expect media coverage of a Trump presidency to be any fairer than coverage was of a Trump candidacy.  The progressive leftists in this country hate the man and his supporters.  The negative coverage of President-elect Trump’s cabinet is a clear indication that the MSM war against him and his “deplorables” will continue unabated.  What you will not see in 2017 is a “fair and balanced” picture of anything that smacks of conservatism.  For instance, isn’t it interesting that the prediction of a stock market disaster should Trump be elected has proven to be not just wrong, but incredibly wrong.  However, have you heard any of the MSM link Mr. Trump’s election to the market rally?  The silence in that regard has been deafening.  I listened this morning as one liberal pundit snidely dismissed Carrier Corporation not moving a thousand jobs to Mexico as merely “symbolic” and meaningless in the larger scheme of things.  That negative spin on any success of a Trump administration is not going to go away.

We are in a culture war.  The recent election was a battle in that war.  The outcome of the battle surprised everyone.  It heartened some and enraged others.  What you will not see in 2017 is that war cooling off.  More than ever, through prayer and seeking to be light, we must share with others the only thing that will save this country – a recognition of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.