Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Connecting Point: The Lost Art

Navigating life is a challenge, and it is an arduous challenge without friendship. For many of us, our days are filled with work, meetings, events, and just earning daily bread. But, have we lost something that our grandparents cherished? How often do you sit down and have a meaningful conversation with a family member or a close friend? Deliberate and candid conversations are extremely valuable. Have we lost some of the subtleties necessary to be good listeners? Is this the problem?

Our society is undergoing a major shift, and shockingly this change is no longer subtle but abrupt. Voices are silenced. You may recall the huge push for “tolerance” over the past decade; an ideology masked in the notion we must accept another’s viewpoint while making little to no effort in deliberating the matter on the basis of truth. Let me be quite clear with you, today truth is relative. I find this disheartening. Modern “truth” could be equated to Jell-O; modern people have made truth ever shifting. People seem to want no boundaries. Yet, this too doesn’t nail it.

Our churches are influenced by the push for no boundaries. The statistic that grabbed my attention this past week was a study by Gallup stating that church membership has dropped below 47% compared to 73% eight decades ago. I’m not shocked by this trend; leaders have seen this coming. Also, I’m not fearful because the Bible has taught me that humanity often rejects God’s truth. In this matter, I’m drawn to the Book of Romans:

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people…since what may be known about God is plain to them….For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened,” (Romans 1:18-21).

My intent is straightforward, let’s be willing to strike up candid conversations where all viewpoints can be shared. Friendship and companionship are our goals; but, as the American proverb goes, “You will never have a friend if you must have one without fault.”

Is subtle persuasion what has been lost? Yes, but to this there is an antidote—as a Christian, I will treat other Christians with respect and dignity even if I disagree. Furthermore, we all can strive to have a listening, respectful ear to those who choose not to believe in God or His principles. Let’s talk.

 

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