In his 1989 book, Against the Night, Charles Colson compares the fall of Rome at the hands of the barbarians to a similar kind of barbarian attack on western civilization. He’s not referring to barbarians like the Goths and Huns. These are barbarians from within—attractive, pleasant and persuasive men and women who embrace ideologies that “threaten our most cherished institutions and our character as a people.”
These new barbarians redefine family, claim the nuclear family is a non-essential construct of our ancient past, and that the past is not relevant to the present. All that matters is the individual and that individual’s particular interests. Such self-interests are determined by maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain—a new “code of morality” based solely on self-interest. While not new to human thinking, Enlightenment philosophers like John Stuart Mill heralded this pervasive philosophy that ultimately shaped, or more accurately, reshaped modern worldviews.
Colson points out that Mill believed each generation has all it needs to find answers for itself. “The only freedom which deserves the name”, Mill proclaimed, “is that of pursuing our own good in our own way.” This philosophy of individualism (do whatever feels good to you) drives much of our choices today, and not simply among younger generations. As Colson described it, Mill, Descarte and other Enlightenment period thinkers created a new philosophical premise in which “man, not God, is the fixed point around which everything else revolves.” Sound familiar? It is a mindset that fuels the destruction of that which makes a people strong and united in common virtue. After all, virtue is now what I choose it to be, not what God says it is. That’s a bad idea, and bad ideas have lots of victims.
God’s Plan
In spite of all this, God created two specific institutions for cultivating moral virtue and training in righteousness generation to generation. The first is the family; the second is the church (or synagogue). These are all inter-generational contexts in which each generation contributes to the well-being of another, building an atmosphere of trust, sharing a common history of faith in a sovereign and good God, and influencing culture. Unfortunately, we have not been as faithful to carry out God’s mandates in either institution well.
Why? Because the transforming power of the Gospel is missing. The Gospel makes us new creatures with new hearts and minds that we might understand who we are, not only as individuals, but as families and the “ecclesia”—the body of Christ. It is in unity and community that we do the works which God has instructed us to do. The Gospel sets us free from selfish desires and interests so we can love one another as Christ has loved us. We have so much to contribute to one another. It is in community that we spur one another to maturity in Christ. Many churches have neglected to teach and model this truth. Instead, it has, even if unintentionally, promoted the Enlightenment’s philosophical influence of individualism that leads to ‘generationalism’.
So much destruction happens because perfectly good, healthy concepts such as individual, generations, community and authority are changed into dangerous ideologies through “isms”: individualism, generationalism, communism, authoritarianism? So, what can be done?
What Can Be Done?
For one thing, the Church must teach what it means to be the “ecclesia” (community of God’s people) and halt our culture-driven ‘isms’ in favor of scripture-driven practices. There is nothing wrong with generational activities, unless the focus is on the segregation of the generations rather than doing life together. That’s generationalism. It’s time to show the world what the power of the Gospel in family and the church can do to break down these “isms”.
Here are a few thoughts about how we can begin to do that in both the family and the Church:
- The Family…
- Keep the family table sacred. Read scriptures and talk about them and what is going on in your children’s lives. Talk about why family is important.
- Make the key Christian holidays sacred and meaningful. Advent, Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter are the four major observances we ought to keep for what they really mean. Watch for some new resources to help you in this area coming in November through my website at www.cavinharper.com.
- Investigate resources such as the Elements (LINK) courses Reed Hermstad has developed through 4Gensto help parents and grandparent disciple their children. Reed offers all the training and tools you need to do this.
- The Church…
- Churches can reassess the old models spawned by cultural influences and figure out how to be more biblical in their approach to family ministry. I am involved with a phenomenal resource called the Church Revitalization Assessment (LINK) that I urge you to share with your pastoral team.
- Bring generations together rather than always segregating them into generational huddles. It can be as simple as encouraging older saints to approach younger generations (including teens) and ask them how they can pray for them. Encourage them to stay connected and continually ask that question. Look for ways to celebrate answered prayer and seek opportunities to do life together.
When we learn to listen to one other, trust is built. And when trust exists, there is much more likely to be a willingness to hear what the other has to say. That can change everything.
May God grant us the wisdom and courage to take seriously His commands to love one another and not focus on what is different about each another.
Resources used in this post:
Against the Night: Living in the New Dark Ages by Charles Colson; Servant Publications; 1989.
The Dangers of Generational Prejudice by Dr. Richard Gunderman; World Economic Forum, October 29, 2014
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