How Long?
Dan Kunz
The world is changing! If you looked up “master of understatement” online, you’d find page after page after page of references. That statement would certainly rank right up there as an ultimate understatement. As we look at past generations, a lot of people have seen incredible amounts of change in their lifetimes. People in the early 20th Century experienced the advent of the automobile, the airplane, and the expansion of man’s knowledge of electricity. A little later in the 1900’s, change brought the television, the atomic bomb, and rockets into outer space. More recently, the impact of personal computers and a myriad of other technologies has made our world far different than the one of a hundred years ago.
Not only has technology changed our current world, but how it is used has also had a huge impact. It seems that within the past couple years, so called “big tech” has more and more impact on what we see, what we hear, and perhaps, even what we believe. As Christians, this should give us pause to wonder. How long will it be before what we accept as true and absolute, is challenged, or even “cancelled”, as so many things seem to be today? The current pandemic has been not only challenging but also seismic in its impact on our daily lives. Who would have thought that anyone would be restricted in their attendance at worship services? Who would have thought that wearing a mask every time you’re in public is something that is expected or even demanded? Who would have thought that families would not be allowed to celebrate birthdays or attend funerals or gather for Thanksgiving or Christmas?
A stark reminder of a new world was revealed a few weeks ago. A friend of mine was having a discussion on Facebook with some friends of his. One of them asked him a question about the location of one of his building projects, and he replied, “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” A lot of you have probably heard that line from a television series of several years ago. It’s clearly a joke. It simply implies that the person doesn’t want to share that information. My friend found himself banned from Facebook for forty-eight hours! Not only that, but, going forward, his account will contain a “warning” about its content. The censorship and/or control over our lives is more than a little scary. Are we approaching the control of Christian discussion, outreach, and ideas by those who disagree with us? Hopefully not, but it is concerning.
The prophet Isaiah witnessed some of the same topsy-turvy thinking in his world. Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who substitute darkness for light, and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” As Christians, we need to be aware of the world around us, without being caught up in its ways. Jesus, himself, warned his disciples about this when he said, Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Be aware of the threat to the truth. Know your rights and your limitations. Above all, pray for protection by the One who has already defeated the enemy of the truth and boldly speak the truth in love!