Swimming Against the Current of Our Culture
By Michael James Dowling
Just as a fish is unaware of the water in which it swims , we humans are often unaware of how much we are influenced by the culture in which we live . Unfortunately , the atmosphere of our present-day culture is contaminated with unscriptural ideas . As a result , our children and grandchildren are in danger of adopting a worldview that is devoid of or even opposed to the Word of God .
When I was in my thirties and living in Boston , I was deeply involved in the New Age Movement . I consulted astrologers and psychics , practiced meditation , and immersed myself in various cults , such as Erhard Seminars Training ( EST ) and Silva Mind Control . God graciously and dramatically rescued me from that spiritual darkness and brought me to faith in Jesus Christ . This was in the 1970s , and the heretical thought systems I subscribed to then were on the fringes of society . Today , they have become mainstream .
Have you noticed how the current of our culture has become more polluted in the past twenty years ? Below are just a few of the erroneous views that are constantly bombarding us . How many of them are familiar to you ?
• All spiritual paths are more or less equally valid .
• We should be tolerant of all lifestyles and views .
• Truth is found within oneself , so it ’ s different for every person .
• Happiness is the goal of life .
• Gender is a decision .
• What you experience is more important than what you believe .
• Promoting self-esteem is of paramount importance .
• Sin is an unhealthy , outdated concept .
• Jesus was a highly evolved person who came to teach us how to attain the same level of spiritual enlightenment .
This is the environment our children and grandchildren are growing up in . These unbiblical notions are everywhere in movies , television programs , popular music , magazines , books , and newspapers . We ’ re in a real spiritual battle !
The initial battlefield is in our minds . The Apostle Paul exhorts us as followers of Jesus to “ destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God , and take every thought captive to obey Christ ” ( 2 Cor . 10:5 ). How do we do this ?
We must be able to recognize ungodly opinions when they are raised against the knowledge of God , and we then need to possess the commitment and strength to take them captive . So , the first step is to diligently read and study the Bible so that we can recognize falsehoods . The next step is to increase our awareness of dangerous concepts . We can do that by reading books on biblical worldview and connecting with ministries like Renewanation , The Colson Center for Christian Worldview , Summit Ministries , and others .
TRAINING OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO SWIM STRONG
For many of us , our primary mission field will be within our own family . Witnessing within our family can be challenging because the gospel can be offensive . Jesus said , “ Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world . No , I did not come to bring peace , but a sword . I came to set sons against their fathers , daughters against their mothers , daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law ; your worst enemies will be the members of your own family ” ( Matt . 10:34-36 GNT ).
None of us want to be cut off from our children and grandchildren . But if we are insensitive when presenting the gospel , our relationship with our entire family can
36 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW