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Why Having More Christians Won't Necessarily Change Our Culture
Charisma News ^ | 5/27/2013 | Os Hillman

Posted on 05/28/2013 6:58:35 AM PDT by xzins

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To: xzins

CBN


21 posted on 05/28/2013 7:34:36 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: Resolute Conservative
Stodgy people who are not terribly politically astute frequently run in circles and shout a lot while failing to notice that the policies advocated for them are elementally stupid, or worse, counterproductive.

These guys missed the fact the homosexual cultural high-water mark was reached and is now gone. JC Penny is going bankrupt ~ and Chucky Cheese will probably outlast them! The Boy Scouts may or may not wake up before they're down to nothing but Mormons ~ or, maybe not. The Mormons always count on being able to isolate themselves from everything else.

22 posted on 05/28/2013 7:40:40 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Lakeshark

I do not doubt you are correct.

My point is that the people who are behind this are small in number. But they’ve been cunning enough to park themselves at all the important levers and switches of our culture.


23 posted on 05/28/2013 7:48:09 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: xzins

Like any military operation, numbers alone don’t determine the outcome. tactics, terrain, morale, training, courage, and even luck all play a role.

On the cultural battlefield, we are being outfought.


24 posted on 05/28/2013 7:48:39 AM PDT by IronJack (=)
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To: Alex Murphy
The only way this would "work" is if the author is talking about a autocratic monarchy imposing their cultural will onto a powerless majority.

Isn't that what we have in every country in the world now? In fact, is it not true that there have only been a very few brief moments in world history where that has not been true. This isnt one of them.

25 posted on 05/28/2013 7:51:41 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: muawiyah

And remember how critically acclaimed “Brokeback Mountain” was? The media hailed it as not only breaking new ground, but as being a great movie, with great acting, great photography, great music, etc.

Some even thought that Brokeback would pave the way for more homosexual themed movies. But Brokeback did not start any new trends in that area.

Maybe the activists in Hollywood overplayed their hands with homosexual characters in TV shows.

One of those cancelled was the one about the male couple who had a surrogate mother carry their baby as they started their family. I never saw that show. But I’m sure hilarity ensued..........


26 posted on 05/28/2013 7:54:08 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: xzins

Excellent article. I remember a paperback book from Moody Press, “Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave” by Dave Breese. He lists: Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Julius Wellhausen, Sigmund Freud, John Dewey, John Maynard Keynes, Soren Kirkegaard. Breese takes a more philosophical approach but these are modern examples of men whose ideas have influenced our society.


27 posted on 05/28/2013 7:54:59 AM PDT by Nanny7
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To: xzins

I disagree. I think Cal Thomas is right. It hasnt worked out not because Christians are no longer involved in partisan politics, but because they havent made more believers.


28 posted on 05/28/2013 7:56:28 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: stuartcr

CBN was based on that idea. The problem was that CBN didn’t become an infusion of Christian cultural ideas. It became a series of Christian ministers/ministries doing their own thing. And poor Pat, now a bit worn if not senile, is prone to mistakes in broadcasting.


29 posted on 05/28/2013 7:58:20 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: IronJack

Outfought, outthought and comprehensively outmanoevered more like.


30 posted on 05/28/2013 7:58:32 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: IronJack

Spot on.


31 posted on 05/28/2013 8:03:01 AM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: xzins

What would be the draw in an infusion of Christian cultural ideas that would make money?


32 posted on 05/28/2013 8:03:51 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: Vanders9

Reagan was right about unilateral disarmament. If you leave the battlefield and discard your weapons, then you’ll at best have no impact, and at worst you’ll be roundly defeated.

As one man said, “The Gates of Hell will not prevail” doesn’t mean we are being attacked by gates. It means we are storming the gates.

Christians are not storming the gates. They’re out hiding in their homes and preparing for a backyard barbeque.

And, oddly, there is no leader(s) leading the conflict with the culture.


33 posted on 05/28/2013 8:04:40 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: IronJack

You have to have the desire to change the culture don’t you? What would do that?


34 posted on 05/28/2013 8:05:37 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: stuartcr

The draw if properly done would be uplifting, soul-inspiring, heart touching truth.


35 posted on 05/28/2013 8:06:44 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: Vanders9

How does one go about making believers in the 21st century? Especially on a large basis.


36 posted on 05/28/2013 8:08:25 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: IronJack
On the cultural battlefield, we are being outfought.

I absolutely agree with that, IronJack. You are right on the money.

I believe we have withdrawn from the battlefield.

37 posted on 05/28/2013 8:08:35 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: xzins

How would that be presented to people that do not believe what you say is the truth? How would that make money?


38 posted on 05/28/2013 8:10:03 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: xzins

Prior to pursuing the end of human enslavement, a few Christian leaders established America and our constitution of individual freedom for white men.

Christian leaders rose to end the slavement of human beings and Christian leaders eventually ended segregation and imposed bussing ending the freedom of association for total Federal control. They sought constitutional freedom for women which progressed to become anti-male. They progressed to install reverse discrimination and racist and anti-male and anti-family hate doctrines and agendas.

They were involved in improving conditions of prisoners and progressed to be against justice. They cheered the criminals and their crimes and gave no mercy nor care to the victims.

They moved to end mindless polution and progressed to become anti-property ownership and pagan earth worship.

The movement of human freedom and natural law Christians began in the establishment of the US has “progressed” to become anti-freedom, known as liberalism and globalism. It is now racist, anti human life and anti-love and anti-Christ. It promotes tribalism, envy, intolerance, criminals and crime, global fascism and global marxism, inequality before the law, immorality, disease and hate. “Christians” involved in this movement today have renounced their faith and freedom. They have installed the modern anti-Christ liberal agenda to undo the churches.


39 posted on 05/28/2013 8:14:51 AM PDT by SaraJohnson
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To: xzins
I both agree and disagree. I have thought many times (out loud) that it would greatly benefit conservatives if they owned one of the major broadcast networks. At the same time, a great revival could spawn such a move by some leader or leadership group.

The issue I have is with the bolded phrase "It doesn’t matter if the majority of the culture is made up of Christians." It absolutely matters! If the majority doesn't like what the leadership is doing, they will find a way to get different leadership. To your point, I don't have a strong opinion re which group starts things off first. What I'm saying is that there needs to be a cultural influence coming from both groups, or else the influence of either will be short-lived. It's my view that focusing growing the "majority" should be today's priority. IMO we can't elect and sustain Godly leadership, without having the support of a statistically influential voting base.

Seen at a different angle, what really talking about here is whether Christians can have any hope to influence the culture, at least short-term. Is there a behavioral model that can reverse the course of the culture? I myself believe that the blood of Christ is capable of redeeming everything affected by the Fall. I believe that God has given us guidelines for how to behave, as redeemed individuals, in every area of life, and I believe that He rewards such behavior. Further, I believe that the effect of such behavior will be compounded by the number of repentant/obedient souls performing it, to ultimately effect a positive change in culture and politics and art and everything produced by man. So long as Christians are obedient, and increase in number (the majority) and influence (the leadership) they will positively impact the culture around them.

IMO we got into the position we're in, because some Christians have been raised to believe that "You don't polish the brass on a sinking ship!", quoting evangelist Dwight L. Moody in the 19th century. These Christians believe that the culture will not (and cannot) be redeemed by anything - not even by a wholesale repentance and conversion of the population. In their view, nothing short of the physical return of Christ will have any lasting impact on it, and thus the most a redeemed man can hope for is that the cultural rot might be delayed, making a future generation deal with it instead. Their view became the dominant one in Christian culture, and it caused multiple generations of Christians to abandon the culture and leadership of our country to others. And that's where we're at today. What good is it to ask people to repent and convert, and not prepare them for how to live afterward? The Great Commission commands us to make disciples, not converts. A man cannot repent of his old behavior, unless he has a new set of behaviors to substitute for them! And can those new behaviors be expected to "do" anything in his life? In his children's lives? In the culture around him?

Disciples must learn more than just how to make more converts. The "don't polish the brass" view says that living one's life for Christ in doesn't add up to jack squat statistically or sociologically, whereas living one's life for Satan has a statistically measurable, progressively successful effect on society in every era. What response should we expect to a Gospel message that asks people to repent and convert, but not give them hope (and instruction) for the life they will live afterward? I know what response to expect, because we're living in its aftermath today.

40 posted on 05/28/2013 8:15:31 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
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