Fifteen Ways The World Has Changed

The Day of Rest
Biblical Teaching About Time
— An online book about rest and worship—
By Dr. Al Franzmeier

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Below are fifteen ways life in the United States—and the world—changed in the the twentieth century. It is a brief summary of the first and second chapters of this book. I do not want to suggest that it is all there is to say. The changes are only suggestive and intended to point toward where life has gone and is going. Your comments are welcome.

1. Advances in technology have changed our way of life - Our ability to communicate, share, store and retrieve data is increasing at exponential rates. Computers and the Internet are prime. Every aspect of life is now touched by them. We now have ability to communicate with one another and share data of all sorts and kinds never before known or imagined in all of human history.     
2. Communication technology has changed everything  - Our ability to communicate, share, store and retrieve data is increasing at exponential rates. Computers and the Internet are prime. Every aspect of life is now touched by them. We now have ability to communicate with one another and share data of all sorts and kinds never before known or imagined in all of human history.
   
3. We are empowered and engulfed by information - People who understand how to use and manipulate this information have power. They are able to influence and control others. However, so much information easily engulfs most people. They are left with uncertainty about what to believe and whom to trust.
4. Technological changes have increased the rich-poor gap - The new super-rich are those who provide and control the use of information technology. Examples abound. Meanwhile, those who do not understand the technology are less and less able to thrive or even survive in such a culture. The gap increases between the rich and the poor.
5. Pop-art replaced classical and folk-art - Classical and folk art, including music and graphic arts, are becoming far less significant than the ever-changing scene of pop-art, pop-music, movies and TV.
6. Clothing styles changed - Clothing reflects the emphasis upon novelty and change. People of all ages are influenced by a desire to be a part of the modern scene, to own and to wear what is new, to be accepted by the in-group.
   
7. Novelty is valued, even worshiped - Such an emphasis upon novelty presents a danger of becoming all important. Whatever is first in one’s life is that which is worshiped. Many are the new American Idols.
8. Old people, old ways are no longer trusted - Whereas other cultures, including that of the United States, formerly trusted seniors and the experience they bring, the emphasis now is upon the future. Those of the past with its outmoded thinking and ways must be rejected. Hope, promise and true value rest with young, innovative and experimental men and women who understand the new world. 
9. Traditional norms and principles are rejected - As a consequence of the emphasis upon novelty and experimentation, norms and principles handed down from the past are no longer trusted. New circumstances, new understandings, new discoveries and new ways of communicating require new norms.
10. Sexual and family mores have also changed - Changes in family and sexual mores are prime examples of the changes demanded. The definition of marriage has changed. There is now a strong push toward redefining marriage as a loving relationship between two humans, regardless of sex. Some suggest that the definition of marriage will eventually change even more than that. There are no longer any objective standards by which to decide what is right or wrong in human relationships.
11. Everything is now relative, constantly changing - In matters of right and wrong everything is open now to change, even as the world around us is constantly changing.  The emphasis upon evolution and the survival of the fittest seems to suggest that the weak, sick and feeble who have nothing more to contribute should be terminated, regardless of age.
12. Everything is now subjective; objective standards are gone - Since there are no objective standards like the Ten Commandments, etc. and since evrything is relative, we may argue that what is right for you may not be right for me. As long as you allow me to do what I want, I will not attempt to interfere with you doing what you want.
13. The supernatural origins of the Bible are rejected - Christians who once believed in the Divine authority of the Bible are left with uncertainty. The book once seen as the inspired Word of God is now viewed as a collection of writings by men influenced by the thinking and culture of their time. Little, if anything, can now be declared to be of Divine origin.
14. At the same time human intuition is lifted up as trustworthy - Since scholars have only scattered pieces of past Biblical writings—so it is claimed—they must rely upon educated guesses about what was and what was not given by God. Judgments about theological truths are now subjected to human intuitions.
15. The United States no longer has a master narrative - Since the United States is now a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation, there is no longer one story or one set of myths that unite and guide us. This is to say we have great difficulty looking back at our history in order to define ourselves as we move into the future.

As the 20th century began, advances in science, communication and transportation moved the people of the United States from a rural to an urban culture. We will never be able to return to a simpler way of life, even though many long for it.

So the question remains. Where do we go from here? The preposterous claim of this Blog and of this online book is that the Bible remains the inspired Word of God and the one and only, yes also infallible, guide to the future of life on this planet, of hope for eternity and for daily life. Readers are invited to draw their own conclusions. Watch for the next chapter.

As I said above, your comments are invited.

Keeping Up With Communicating

From what I'm hearing a huge part of the world with access to the Internet is moving into social networking. . . and the list is huge, getting bigger by the day! As always, I'm absolutely amazed at what's happening while I plunk away here at my new IMac.

But here's my frustration (yes, another). I do want to keep up in some manner with what's going on and be a part of it. You see, I believe we Christians have a witness to bear that is desperately needed. But it ain't easy, Magee. Some examples.

I love this new Mac. Suddenly I hear that we have a new OS (I won't explain what an OS is, because you already know). OK, so I download the upgrade. Got that? And I install Snow Leopard, Growl and some other stuff. Then suddenly I find that my Norton Antivirus is a no go. Oh, don't worry. Apple has their own built in antivirus protection. Naw, don't believe it say the people on the forums. It's limited. You need more.

Meanwhile I have to get rid of the Norton stuff, because it is hanging up my new OS. I try the usual, but get a persistent little box that won't go away, even though I thought I'd cleaned Norton out. Oh, by the way, it took days before the Norton program worked for me to clean the program out.

Now what? I had to install some kind of Virus protection, but which? After two hours of searching I decided on iAntiVirus. Economical. Works good too.

Well, I won't go on and on with the list of frustrating problems that dog me as I try to "keep up" with this wondrous new way of communicating and networking. Is it any wonder that large numbers of my generation have simply given up. "I learned about email and that's enough for me," one after the other says. "And now you want me to join Facebook and follow you on Twitter. No way, buddy. No way."

But I shall persist. And with that I leave you for today. You see, I must rush to get my newest version of TweetDeck and find a way to get my Mac to play Sirius radio. Looks like StarPlayr might be the answer . . .

Jesus, The Center and Substance Of Our Communication

I'm sitting here in the library at Pagosa Springs, CO. with my laptop, waiting while my wife volunteers to re-stack books. As I sit here perusing my email I came upon one ad urging us Christians to be more active on the internet. The site I refer to is called Internet Evangelism Day. They've just sent me another of their monthly bulletins, this time inviting me to join a conference up in Grand Rapids, MI. the middle of October. I'm interested, but find that I'll be out of town and not available when the conference happens. Nevertheless, I do believe that we Christians are only beginning to learn how to make use of this priceless tool to reach millions around the world. 

In doing a Google search I came across an organization called World Association for Christian Communications. Here's a quote from them: 

"Information and communication are drastically changing the world. Instead of establishing solidarity, public communication tends to reinforce divisions, widening the gap between rich and poor, consolidating oppression and distorting reality in order to maintain the status quo. Yet communication remains God's great gift to humanity, without which citizens cannot be truly human, reflecting 'God's image’. Nor can they enjoy living together in groups, communities and societies steeped in different cultures and different ways of life without communication."

Information has always changed our world. As the quote says, "public communication tends to reinforce divisions." I'm not sure I know what the authors of the site mean by public communication. I assume they refer to communication available to anyone, like a newspaper or TV broadcast. So I see political parties pushing their own particular agendas as we approach yet another presidential election. This communication is not uniting our country, by any means. We are living with various tensions as we approach the problems facing us as a nation. 

And the information is usually skewed to whatever views the communicators hold. 

All this posits quite a challenge for those of us who seek to communicate the Gospel. How shall we best do this so that the Holy Spirit of God may use our words to convey the Word of God to the hearts and lives of those who happen to read, see or hear our communications? I see a variety of answers to that question popping up in the Christian community. 

I offer yet another. My answer is that we who are Christians must be absolutely certain that we understand what that Word of God is. There is vast confusion among us about that issue, especially in a day and age when the Holy Scriptures are not universally reverenced and respected in the Christian community. 

I invite you to ponder one Scripture quote from the English Standard Version: 

"The Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:37-40). 

You may be a pious student of the Scriptures. You may even believe them inspired word for word, in contrast to what many Christians understand these days. But if you are like the Jewish leaders and teachers of Jesus' day who rejected Him as their personal Messianic King and Savior, you really have nothing to communicate. My point remains fairly simple and to the point. Before you can call yourself a Christian communicator you must have a personal faith relationship with Jesus, God's very Word communicated to us. And how did God speak to us? In the life of Jesus, in His miracles and teachings and above all, in His sacrificial death upon the cross of Calvary and His totally surprising return from the dead. This same living Christ continues to communicate to us through the Scriptures and through the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

Not only do the Scriptures bear witness to Jesus as the Christ, but we ourselves must ever make Him the center and substance of everything we communicate.