A few articles over the past few weeks have helped me tamp down my desire to talk about how “bad” things are in America. The book, The End of Hunger, also helped keep perspective.
The reality of our lives is this: gloom and impending doom sells. It motivates us when good news won’t get it done. We create our own apocalypse.
A column by Peter Wehner reminded me again of how we seem so determined as believers in America to paint a picture of doom and gloom when there is actually good news. (His statistics on abortion rates may shock you.)
A quick thought:
One of the things I have been most struck by in my conversations with Christian conservatives is how moral concern has given way to moral panic. It distorts their perceptions about the very real progress that has been made while causing feelings of deep insecurity and fear, despite “fear not” being one of the most frequently repeated commands in the Bible.
And then this:
We should be willing to accept good news where we find it. We shouldn’t assume that joy, gratitude and kindness are synonyms for weakness. And we should be known more for caring for our culture than for constantly being at war with it.
Jesus didn’t view the world primarily as a battle zone. Neither should we.
Apprentice 2 Jesus 