News flash: water is wet

If you spend time on any of the leading social nets (with the possible exception of Instagram) you have probably noticed the digital incarnation of Orwell’s Two Minutes Hate where, in the novel, the population was instructed to vent their frustration at poor Emmanuel Goldstein. And lately there seems to be an exponential increase in the number of Emmanuel Goldsteins.

Thought crime

And what offenses have the objects of this hatred committed? Usually, it’s commenting in the negative on some topic dear to the dominant group. Sometimes, though rarely, it’s an act of defiance. Other times it’s merely having the wrong facial expression. The most important aspect is that the miscreant is bucking the system. But I want to illustrate that this is nothing new.

Imagine a group of young men in a strange city — a seat of government and power. And for daring to affirm their beliefs they paid a terrible price.

If you think I’m talking about Washington, DC, in 2019, read on.

Was it something I said?

In the Old Testament book of Daniel, we read the story about three Hebrew young men named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who had been taken captive and carried to Babylon where they received training to become wise men, sages, and seers. Although their captors gave them the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these three, along with their companion Daniel, did their best to live in a way to please their God. As you’ll see, this desire made them different. As the Japanese proverb says, “The nail that sticks up gets beaten down.”

Sic semper tyrannis

The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was the fulfillment of Lord Acton’s famous saying that power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. King Nebuchadnezzar set up a 90-foot-tall golden statue for the people to worship. He called all the important people in his government together and told them that whenever they heard music, they had to drop what they were doing and worship the statue. Talk about a power trip!

But it’s worse, because like most tyrants, Nebuchadnezzar added the threat of violence. Anybody who resisted the king’s order to worship would be burned alive in a furnace.

Command performance

The text doesn’t tell us what kind of meeting (if any) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego held to decide their response, but it is clear they chose not to obey the king’s order. Let’s join the story already in progress:

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. ⁹ They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. ¹¹ And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

-Daniel 3: 8-15 (ESV)

Turning up the heat

Our friends are in for it now — they’ve been ratted out by their rivals and confronted directly by an angry king. By the way, it’s always a bad idea to make your leader look bad in front of his followers, but in this case, the three young men knew that they were subjects of a higher king. Look at how they answered the enraged ruler:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

– Daniel 3: 16 – 18 (ESV)

And a surprise ending

The king, royally angry, commanded the heat of the furnace be turned up seven times hotter than usual and he had Shadrach, Meshach, and Adednego tied up and thrown into the furnace. The writer tells us that some of the executioners were killed by the heat as they threw the three men into the fire. An important detail given what happens next.

Nebuchadnezzar and his followers looked with fiendish satisfaction into the death chamber and were astonished to see the three men walking around in the fire, untied, and not being consumed at all. And even more surprising, there was a fourth man walking around in the fire with them. The Babylonians described his appearance as “like a son of the gods.”

The king called to the three men and asked them to come out of the fire. When they did, their clothes didn’t even smell like smoke. The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saved them.

What can we learn from their example?

Don’t go looking for trouble

Let’s start with knowing what you believe and why. I’ve written on many occasions about the need for cultivating a biblical worldview. The clash with an increasingly hostile culture makes this more important than ever. When you are grounded and established in your frame of reference, you don’t need a guru to tell you whether a policy or a law is moral or immoral, and you will also have the tools to understand when these terms are being used by others to try to control you.

The text doesn’t say, but I don’t think the three Hebrew lads had to discuss their response to the king’s command to idol-worship. Notice also that they didn’t taunt the king to call attention to their disobedience. They simply refused to comply.

But don’t run from it

When you’re among a people who prize going along with the crowd, you can bet someone will notice if you aren’t going along. And when the go-along gang rats you out to the authorities, the correct example is that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their answer was clear and direct, with no finger-pointing of blame shifting. And, I would add, no whining about the consequences.

Speak the truth in love – and don’t forget the love

In this story, the king seems to understand that what is at stake is his personal supremacy versus that of the God of his Hebrew captives. I marvel at the brazen challenge offered by Nebuchadnezzar: “And who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?” But I’m more amazed by the calm firmness of the answer — our God is able to deliver us from anything, but if he chooses not to, we will still serve him.

Again, notice the lack of trash talk, the lack of anger. Given the positions of authority the three men held, they likely earned their jobs based on faithful performance over time. They probably enjoyed a good relationship with the king as his trusted advisers. Perhaps they even loved him.

In this context, their refusal to worship the statue must have seemed to the king like a betrayal. In response, he threatened their lives and they responded with grace and truth.

Trust God

When the fertilizer contacts the rotating blades, trusting God is all that is left, and all that matters. If you’re His, you can be certain He holds you in His hands. God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace, and He can rescue you from whatever version this age devises to punish dissidents. But — and this is important — God is not obligated to rescue you, me, or anyone from pain or suffering in this world.

I know this may sound unfair, but the people who tell you God only wants His servants to be healthy, wealthy, and wise — flying only in first-class, and owning the priciest sports cars — are selling something. If you want to know the score, look at Jesus’ personal inner circle from his earthly ministry, the twelve apostles, and at the outcomes of their lives, and you’ll understand that this life is not principally about our comfort.

If you’re sure you’re right, you don’t have to yell

If you believe what Jesus said — that we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free — then you have all the volume you need. It isn’t necessary to pound the table or shout the other side down. You may receive the gift of supernatural deliverance. You may persuade people around you through your dignified words and demeanor. And you may lose everything this world counts as precious. But take heart — this world does not get the last word, God does.

So how about you? In what ways are you cultivating a biblical worldview? How do you see dissent being punished? Add your comments below.

A very merry Christmas to all of you — and thanks for your reading and commenting this year. A conversation falls apart if only one side is there, so I want to make sure you know I appreciate your lending me your attention.

Christmastime is here with all of its longing and all the ache of unfulfilled hope. It can be a time of unparalleled joy — a real rip — but for many people I know, the season is a mix of high and low. This is something of a choice, and I want to challenge you and me to focus on the tremendous upside that is Christmas.

I am not talking about a new guitar (ahem), outdoor gear, or any present under the tree. Instead, I challenge us to look beyond the reactive trappings to see the reality that set all of them in motion. Here’s my message to you:

Once upon a time there was no need of Christmas

When the world was very young, our first parents were innocent and free. They had responsibility for the entire world — to rule over it, to enjoy it, and to fill it — under the authority of God. Even better, they had face-to-face fellowship with their loving creator.

God told them they could have food from any tree in the paradise that was their home except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God explained that to eat of this tree would bring death. If you’re familiar with the Old Testament book of Genesis, you know that Adam and Eve did, in fact, eat that forbidden fruit — inviting and deserving the consequences. And such consequences! Lying, cheating, blame-shifting, stealing, killing, and dying, along with every sort of sickness and pain came when humanity fell. My sources say that the expression, “This sucks,” originated soewhere around that time.

But God, even though He would have been right to do it, didn’t give up on His image-bearers. Instead, He set in motion a plan of redemption that unfolded over hundreds of years. He chose a people for Himself and saw them through slavery and deliverance, faithfulness and rebellion. He sent sages, judges, and prophets — along with His divine law — to outline and to underscore man’s futility and inability to save himself and to point him back to God.

And at the point it seemed all was lost, God made good on His word. He fulfilled the long-awaited word of the prophets by invading time and space as a helpless baby — the fullness of deity in human form — ultimately to ransom fallen men and women from their bondage to sin. If you haven’t read it lately, here’s the Biblical account according to Luke that establishes the time and place of the pivotal moment of history, the night Jesus Christ the Messiah was born.

The Birth of Jesus
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.
⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)

The point of it all

So you see — our chaos, our brokenness is why Christmas exists. Let’s let it go to our heads — not because we’re good or we deserve it, but because at our worst God loves us so much that He gave His son Jesus.

In my short life, I have seen the world deliver the message repeatedly that we’re on our own. It isn’t true. Christmas proves it. It can be hard to see underneath the advertising and the desire to strip the season of its spiritual significance, but the substance of it is there if you have eyes to see it.

What if it’s all make-believe after all?

I assure you it isn’t, but consider the following. In C.S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair, Puddleglum the Marshwiggle is fighting off the enchantment of the green witch who has enslaved the prince and taken him and his young charges captive. As he extinguishes the witch’s magic fire with his foot, he delivers the following:

“One word, Ma’am,” he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. “One word. All you’ve been saying is quite right, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won’t deny any of what you said. But there’s one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.”

So let us live like Christmas people and celebrate the God who came to demonstrate His love for us by laying down His life for you and me. Merry Christmas!

So how about you? How do you intend to celebrate this Christmas? Add your comments below.

“It shouldn’t have happened.” Those were my wife’s words on Sunday, October 8 — the day she and her siblings, our nephew, and I said goodbye to their mother, his grandmother, my mother-in-law. “It shouldn’t have happened. But it did.”

Just the facts, ma’am

My mother-in-law, Carolyn, and stepfather-in-law, Jack, were in their car Thursday afternoon, October 5, when a truck in the oncoming lane crossed the center line and hit them head-on. Both of them survived the crash but were badly injured and were rushed to the nearest trauma center. Both were conscious when they arrived, by helicopter and ambulance, respectively. And each was asking how the other was  — not about himself or herself. Family rushed to the ICU where they were in rooms next door to each other, to watch, to pray, to let them each know we were there.

Surgical rounds in a trauma ICU are frank. The trauma surgeon explains how the patient came by her injuries, and then lists them along with what they are doing already and what they plan to do next. My mother-in law’s condition had to stabilize before the surgeon could do anything else.

The next morning, Carolyn was stable, but too frail for surgery. At 3:00 Sunday morning, her heart stopped. Although the nurses were able to restore her pulse, it became clear her heart just couldn’t meet the demands her injuries placed on it, We were going to have to say goodbye.  And at 7:22 that morning, after each of us there had a few moments alone with her, Carolyn Lakes entered the Larger life.

In loving memory

I’m telling you these things for reasons I hope to make clear, but I want this to be a tribute to the wonderful woman who was my mother-in-law. Comedians and musicians have long made fun of the fraught relationship between a husband and his wife’s mother. I never got those jokes. From the first time I met Carolyn, when Mrs. Booth and I were dating and already serious, she was always welcoming and gracious. And through the nearly 32 years of our marriage, she was loving and supportive and never a giver of unsolicited advice.

Twenty-one years ago, when her beloved husband of 41 years died of cancer, I began telling her, “Come to our house whenever you like. Stay as long as you want.” I meant it, and she knew it. But she had made me feel welcome first, so it was easy to return the favor.

It was around that time that I first expressed my gratitude to her for the godly upbringing she and my father-in-law gave to my wife, her brother, and her sisters. That has been the greatest and most lasting gift from this most loving, generous and faithful woman.

Let me count the ways

If you’ll indulge me, I want to recount some of the things I loved most about my mother-in-law.

• Devoted – Carolyn loved God with her heart, soul, mind, and strength. She served her husband, her family, and her church throughout her life. I expect I’ll always remember the bustling kitchen at holidays, the stacks of books in the family room, and the swarms of people who greeted her in the parish hall after Sunday worship. Her love for God gave her a contagious love for people — and they loved her back.
• Active – Music was a big part Carolyn’s life, and she passed that on to her children and grandchildren. She sang in the church choir for years, and joined a community chorus that performed in the Czech Republic. She remained curious and read and listened daily. It was always interesting to discuss politics or theology with her. She took her positions carefully and argued them with vigor, but never took herself too seriously.
• Joyous – There was never anyone in the family more pleased than my mother-in-law to see the whole family together — laughing, telling stories, and sharing a meal she had prepared. She doted on her grandchildren, and was so proud of each of them. Her gentle laugh was never at anyone’s expense — except for that one time when my sister-in-law’s husband came to visit with two right shoes. He gamely wore them to church and when he knelt at the altar rail, the soles of his feet looked like quotation marks. She laughed ’til she cried — we all did.
• Determined – After she became a widow, she didn’t retreat from life. Instead, she got in her car and drove from Florida to New England and points in between to visit family. She did this multiple times over the years.
• Brave – She had already beaten breast cancer, and when doctors diagnosed her with macular degeneration that threatened her sight, she agreed to try a new therapy that required getting injections into her eyeballs. i kid you not! This was one courageous woman. And always a lady.
• Open to new things – She met and married my stepfather-in-law, Jack, when she was eighty. As unlikely as it sounds, it was the most wonderful love story. It was beautiful the way they loved each other and cared for each other. She stunned her family by becoming a dog person! And she adapted her love of travel to Jack’s passion for RV camping. They went all over — including traveling up to our son’s wedding a few months ago.

I’ve written before on the topic “When You Marry a Mountain Girl, You Marry the Mountain.” In those posts I meant that a man can’t just marry a girl and act like she has no ties. The home she comes from is a big part of your future happiness, so pay attention to those family dynamics. If you believe as I do that marriage is a covenant, you’re pledging to stay together until death parts you. A quarrelsome wife and or a quarrelsome mother-in-law are two burdens you can avoid. And a good relationship with your wife’s family is a blessing and a delight. My wonderful mother-in-law Was proof that it can be done.

I am grateful for the woman Carolyn is, for the home my wife grew up in, for the example of Christian character she modeled before us, for the way she loved my father-in-law, for the way she loved Jack, and for the many ways she loved us. I am thankful we will know each other in eternity and celebrate and remember.

Epilogue

Jack remained in intensive care, until the day of Carolyn’s funeral a month after her death. Jack was able to attend the service before committing to the physical therapy he needed to recover from his injuries. He moved from the home he and Carolyn shared and now lives in a nearby senior living community. He and all of our family would appreciate your prayers.

After Carolyn passed away, Tom Petty’s song “Wildflowers” kept playing in my head. I can’t explain it, but I have found it comforting and hopeful to listen to it. Given that Tom Petty and my mother-in-law had Gainesville, Florida, in common, and that they died within a week of each other, it seems fitting that I offer the following:

So how about you? Whom in your life would you like to honor or remember? Add your comments below.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C. S. Lewis

In two recent posts under this same title, I summarized the message of Roy H. Williams’ and Michael Drew’s book Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future. As I explained in Part I, the thrust of the book is that history unfolds in cycles — like a pendulum — through forty-year arcs from what the authors refer to as a “Peak Me” phase to a “Peak We” phase. The period from a peak We to the next peak We  — one round trip — is roughly eighty years, and the authors claim we are heading for the next peak We in or around 2023 — less than six years from now.

The apex of a We cycle brings an over-the-top emphasis on conformity for the common good, stifling individuality, and suppressing individual liberty. Unfortunately, according to the authors, it always goes to extremes, bringing witch hunts and bloodbaths.

In Part I, I laid out the reasons why I think the current conditions in the US support the authors’ hypothesis. In Part II, I discussed how I think the unpleasantness might show up. Today, I want to offer some thoughts and encouragement on how we ought to live through difficult and dangerous times.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? We’re going to find out!

Tough times aren’t anything new

First, it’s important to remember that this generation will not be the first to live through a peak We, or even the first to endure hard times. A family member with whom I was discussing this series pointed out that although World War II was a time of excessive violence and conformity, there was also a great deal of wholesome unity as Americans banded together to endure hardship and support the war effort. This observation is correct, and it neither rebuts nor excuses the internment of Japanese Americans in camps.

The potential for overreach notwithstanding, I believe it is possible for faithful men to live honorable, courageous, and fulfilling lives even in the midst of trouble. Consider the persecution of the first-century church at the hands of the Roman Empire. Christians rejected the empire’s demands that they confess Caesar as lord, and they suffered condemnation and martyrdom as a result. Even so, the apostles Peter and Paul each wrote that Christians were to submit to the authorities,  and more – they were to pray for the emperor. If you are unclear how hostile the relationship was between the empire and the church, take a look at the emperor Nero and the persecution he visited on followers of Jesus.

Options = strength. Strength = options

Making it happen

Your mindset matters

Love your neighbor (yes, that one) — If you’re on board with sowing good seed to help your community hold together, let’s go back to the Good Book. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” goes back 3,000 years — and that’s still the best advice. To love your neighbor when things get dicey, you have to get to know him now, before things get difficult.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶ Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷ But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:4-7 (ESV)

Bridge the divide — Find ways to establish common denominators with your opposite numbers. No, you can’t make people love you but you can model godliness. Previously, I referred to Charles Murray’s book, Coming Apart, and the trends he cited that signified a growing separation between college-educated and non-college-educated Americans.

Emphasize and live in the theology of the body — Recognize that we need each other and we need to be able to cooperate with people who are different from us.

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Give space — Don’t be the moral busybody Lewis mentions above. Even if — especially if — you disagree with someone, let him be free to have his opinion without fear of reprisals. The gravest provocation is the one that hounds a man for his private thoughts. Speech codes and political correctness, along with employment practices that result in firings for saying or believing the “wrong” thing, .

We don’t get to choose the time or place…

Theoden: I will not risk open war.
Aragorn: Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not.”

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C. S. Lewis

In a recent post, I summarized the message of Roy H. Williams’ and Michael Drew’s book Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future. As I explained in Part I, the thrust of the book is that history unfolds in cycles — like a pendulum — through forty-year arcs from what the authors refer to as a “Peak Me” phase to a “Peak We” phase. The period from a peak We to the next peak We  — one round trip — is roughly eighty years, and the authors claim we are heading for the next peak We in or around 2023 — less than six years from now.

“This is God’s country — why do you want to turn it into Hell?” – a bumper sticker

The apex of a We cycle brings an over-the-top emphasis on conformity for the common good, stifling individuality, and suppressing individual liberty. Unfortunately, according to the authors, it always goes to extremes, bringing witch hunts and bloodbaths.

In Part I, I laid out the reasons why I think the current conditions in the US support the authors’ hypothesis. Today, I want to explain when and how I think this is likely to play out, and offer some thoughts on how you and I can help avoid the worst of this. I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet — this is my best estimate based on what I see.

What do you think will happen?

• Attempts to incite violence – protestors and planted antagonists will be spoiling for a fight, like two bullies in a schoolyard each daring the other to strike first.
• Political de-legitimization as a pretext – Allegations of treachery coupled with disrespect for institutions will cause the aggrieved to disregard the results of elections, or to justify attempts at coups, assassinations, and the like.
  • Although the authors say 2023 is the 80-year point, I think the 2020 elections may be the catalyst for the worst of what’s coming.
  • Already, there is a lot of militant loose talk on the left and right edges of the internet, singling out President Trump and other elected officials. This is not a good sign — and this began with the 2016 election.*
• Depersonalization/dehumanization – An decrease in empathy and fellow-feeling for those holding contrasting views, resulting in justification for violence.
• Attempts at large-scale disruptions – groups seeking a confrontation and/or a reason to act out may try to attack infrastructure such as roads and bridges, municipal utilities, or the power grid. If the violence comes in anything greater than isolated outbreaks, I think we should look at the experience of Bosnia as a likely guide. Consider that our infrastructure can be disrupted by determined groups — particularly if law enforcement takes a hands-off approach. Consider the recent events Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charlotte as small examples.

But that can’t happen here

Cui bono?

Before you sign up for someone else’s cause, it is worthwhile to stop and ask yourself who benefits if your leader prevails. Is that outcome one you can live with? At what cost? Is the cause good and noble? By what measure? I’ve said before that the worst thing about the era predicted by the Pendulum is the great waste of it all. Neighbor will turn against neighbor and both will lose their freedom over it.

I hope I’m wrong

 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” – Romans 12:18 (NIV)

Time flies. What’s the big deal?

We need to strengthen social cohesion.

What do you see?

• Polarized politics – the left and the right do not talk to each other, so much as they talk at or past each other.
• Contentious social issues – Triumphalism and scorched earth seem to be the order of things, “Coexist” stickers to the contrary
  • Intolerance in the name of tolerance
  • Flash mobs, shouting down of unpopular points of view, suppression of dissent, and speech codes
• Nationalism vs. Globalism – diametrically opposite and irreconcilable views concerning the relationship between citizens and their government
  • This is actually a three-way clash between the worldviews of militant Islam, international Socialism and classical Liberalism
• The rise of populism – It may be pure cynicism, but notice how political candidates speak of The Little Guy or Everyday Americans
• Tribalism and parochialism – intensifying competition among identity groups
  • Charles Murray’s book Coming Apart examines the stratification among college-educated versus non-college-educated whites, showing how what he calls the “cognitive elite” increasingly keep to themselves.
    
• Fraying moral consensus – Americans no longer share a common view of what makes up a good life, or of the values that encourage and sustain it.
• Setting groups against one another – note political rhetoric aimed at appeals to group identity. These pit:
  • men against women
  • black against white
  • poor against rich
  • Law enforcement officers against civilians
• Suspicion and hostility toward institutions – some of it well-deserved. Consider the opinions of your friends about:
  • Church
  • Government
  • Media
  • Business
  • Academia
• Erosion of social trust – note the rise of gated communities, security systems, and neighbors who don’t know each other
  • This is, in part, a byproduct of the failure of institutions. If authorities lie with impunity, trust dies.
• Reality television and social media rewarding the lack of self-control and exhibitionism
  • This creates an amplifying effect – creates a self-fulfilling perception that “everyone is doing it.”
  • This also undermines notions of personal modesty and privacy
• Acceptance of near-universal surveillance – we aren’t the only ones recording video, but “it’s for our safety.”

What vulnerability?

Is it hopeless?

So how about you? What do you think about Williams and Drew’s prediction? What am I missing? Add your comments below

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere  
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst  
Are full of passionate intensity.”

 – W. B. Yeats from The Second Coming

I recently read and re-read Roy H. Williams and Michael Drew’s book titled Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape our Present and Predict Our Future. The book deals with a similar principle to that examined in William Strauss and Neil Howe’s books Generations and The Fourth Turning, respectively. That is, that history unfolds in twenty-to-forty-year spans that culminate in periods of crisis.  Williams and Drew posit that the cycles are more like the arc of a swinging pendulum — hence the title — swinging every forty years from what they refer to as a “Peak Me” phase to a “Peak We” phase. According to their theory, which they seek to prove through an analysis of 3,000 years of western history, the next Peak We will occur around the year 2023 — less than six years from now.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln quoting Jesus

Definitions, please

Before I go further, I want to provide definitions for the terms Williams and Drew use and to summarize their principal argument. The most important distinctions are those between the Me phase and the We phase. The authors explain the attributes of each as follows (and I am quoting them verbatim here):

“We” Mindset vs. “Me” Mindset

Drivers of a “We” Cycle

1. Conforms for the common good.
2. Assumes personal responsibility.
3. Believes a million men are wiser than one man.
4. Wants to create a better world: ” I came, I saw, I concurred.”
5. Small actions.
6. Desires to be part of a productive team.
7. Values humility and thoughtful persons.
8. Believes leadership is “This is the problem as I see it. Let’s solve it together.”
9. Focuses on solving problems to strengthen society’s sense of purpose.

The motto of a We phase is “United we stand, divided we fall.

By contrast, here are the drivers of a “Me” cycle:

1. Freedom of expression.
2. Personal liberty
3. One man is wiser than a million men.
4. Wants to achieve a better life — “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
5. Big dreams.
6. Wants to be number one.
7. Individual confidence and decisive  persons.
8. Leadership is “Look at me. Admire me. Emulate me if you can.”
9. Elevates attractive heroes to strengthen society’s sense of identity.

The authors provide multiple reminders of the arc of the pendulum and the phases of its swing throughout the book. And they explain the implications in considerable detail.

Why I am writing this series of posts

I’m sure you’re wondering why I am so fascinated with a book that came out five years ago, and why I’m writing about it now. (Thank you, Straw Man!) It’s because as we in the west approach the peak at each end of the pendulum’s arc, we always overdo it. An excess of “Me” results in a more isolated citizenry and a diminished sense of community. At the other end, however, the peak of a “We” results in  forced conformity for the common good — and the authors say that brings about witch hunts and bloodbaths. If they’re right, I want my friends and readers to be aware of what could be coming so we can all prepare.

What it’s not about

Williams and Drew are at pains to emphasize that the ideas in their book are not political or partisan. The pendulum and its arc appear to be quite separate from whichever party is in power. More on that in a moment. Clearly, the products and services we see on offer — and more vividly, the way we see them marketed and sold — does change with the era. Even so, this is not a discussion about economics.

It’s also important to note that these periods are not based on the year of one’s birth, or the average age of the population. Rather, they are based on the population’s experiences — individually and culturally. Notably, because “We” phase peaks are eighty years apart, for most of us, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, certainly once in one’s adult life.

Not about the political left or right

My friends on the left will no doubt say, “Of course things are polarized. Look at how horrible people on the right are.” And my friends on the right will certainly say, “Of course we’re heading for a clash. Look at how horrible those people on the left are.” Polarization is certainly a factor, but the likelihood of a serious conflict does not seem to be a function of which political party is in power.

The three most recent peak “We” cycles occurred in or around 1943, 1863, and 1783. Note that all three occurred during times of war — World War II, The American Civil War, and the American Revolution. Two of the three predate today’s Democratic and Republican parties. And there’s more: the greater bloodbaths of the most recent peak “We” occurred at the hands of Hitler and Stalin — to my knowledge neither was a proponent of our two-party system.

Polarization already on display

I wish I could say that the authors explain the cause of these cycles, but they are reporting and not diagnosing. The bulk of the book seeks to confirm the hypothesis that these cycles exist and that another peak “We” is coming — with all that entails. I certainly find their argument compelling and I’ll offer my reasons.

Populism

Let’s start with the rise of populism — on both the left and the right. Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, both candidate Donald Trump and candidate Bernie Sanders appealed to everyday Americans, citing the many ways these citizens were receiving short shrift from the Elites. Even consummate Washington insider, Hillary Clinton affected the manner of a populist.

Overheated rhetoric

Along with populism, note the overheated rhetoric in the news and on social media. People are agitated and are feeling free to speak without self-restraint. In a prior post, I took the left to task for belaboring and cheapening through overuse Hitler and Fascist as euphemisms for people with whom they disagree. The right has its own set of offensive names for people on the left, too. None of them suggest we are on the cusp of a Kum-ba-yah outbreak.

Add to the overheated rhetoric the breathless articles, columns, and blog posts asserting that we are in a Cold Civil War that could go hot at any moment. In my view, some of this seems to be aimed at goading less stable people to take violent action. And as we’ve discussed, people in need of Identity, Stimulation, and Security connected to a higher purpose may find the notion of fighting such a war appealing. Friends, even a cursory reading about civil wars in the US, Spain, or Bosnia will convince you that this is nothing to wish for.

Worldviews matter (yes, I said it again). I have written extensively about the need for cultivating a biblical worldview, and I want to encourage you again to consider how the Bible speaks most accurately about the nature of man and his condition in a fallen world.

Look, I acknowledge that there are conflicting worldviews. But for the most part, we’ve been able to tolerate one another while noting our differences. At the same time, I wonder if we aren’t caught in the world’s largest game of “Let’s You and Him Fight” — where people in power pit constituencies against each other to deflect attention from their own self-dealing. (Wait. Did I just sound like a populist?)

Forced conformity

Consider the emergence of campus speech codes, trigger warnings, and safe spaces. I’m not a fan. As I’ve written before, your ideological immune system ends up enfeebled if you never encounter an unfavorable idea. Plus, Safe spaces are a joke when one isn’t permitted freedom of thought — and forced conformity criminalizes wrong ideas.

Is it inevitable?

Williams and Drew suggest that the Pendulum is swinging and will reach its zenith in the next three-to-six years at the apex of “We.” The only possible out is to recognize what may be coming and to choose a different response. In an upcoming post, I want to discuss what I think may happen, the role of the church and her people, and some thoughts on how we should live in times like these.

So how about you? What do you make of Williams and Drew’s hypothesis? What’s your plan if they’re right? Add your comments below.

“There is a me you would not recognize…” – Over the Rhine from Latter Days

In my previous post on identity, I warned against the rise of the impostor, also known as the false self. If you’re like me and most of the men I’ve met, you have either overcome the false self, or you are living the life of the false self.

What is this False Self you speak of?

Different teachers have called it different names — the False Self, the Impostor, the Poser — but it’s all the same thing. A wounded man — and let’s face it, we’re all wounded to some degree — seeks to cover his vulnerability by building on his natural abilities. He seeks out opportunities to excel where his giftedness won’t betray him, and avoids environments where he fears he might be exposed. It’s a way of rigging the game, of stacking his schedule with less-than-challenging opponents.

The result can be quite convincing for a while. Casual acquaintances may never catch on. But inside the man is miserable and increasingly angry — and unfortunately, he spreads his misery to his wife and children. I know, because I lived it.

My False Self – a not-very-cool origin story

I’ve written and spoken before of how I was named for my paternal grandfather and how he taught me so many good things. As I child, I idolized him. There was nothing he couldn’t do. I wanted to be like him, and his approval was everything.

There is a me you would not recognize…

After my parents separated when I was ten, we moved back to my parents’ hometown — an hour away from my dad. My grandfather became that much more important to me, in his influence and proximity. I spent many Saturdays at his elbow, working in the yard, repairing things around the house — learning a lot of the very useful things men learned from their fathers and grandfathers.

On many of these occasions, my grandfather would send me to his shop or his storage shed to bring a tool, a fastener, or some other needed part to him. He would explain what it looked like, and where to look for it. He would always ask if I understood. If I said I didn’t, we’d go through it again. Most of the time, I found the item and brought it back straightaway. Other times I’d get distracted and come back without it. Sometimes it wouldn’t be where he said it would be. But sometimes, I lied and said I knew what he was talking about so he’d think well of me.

On one of those latter occasions, I returned without the thing he sent me to get. Exasperated, he look at me disgustedly and said, “You haven’t got the sense God gave a goose.” I didn’t cry. I didn’t complain. But I was devastated. In some ways that one remark was a greater wound than the one dealt by the death of my parents’ marriage. This was because I knew that my parents’ impending divorce was not my doing. Even though it was like a wildfire wrapped in a tornado in an earthquake, I knew it wasn’t my fault. By contrast, my grandfather’s disapproval and his harsh words — directed at me  — delivered a blow to my heart.

As a result, I became the competent one. I was going to have an answer — the answer — and I was never going to be unprepared or feel that humiliated again. I threw myself into striving. I sought approval everywhere. School was easy, and it provided ready feedback. I’ve always been good with words, so verbal jousting and bantering was an easy way to establish my place in the pack. I was active in scouting, so again it was  easy to tick off requirements and earn badges. Ultimately, the false self made me an addict — and approval was my drug of choice.

Years later, when I became a follower of Jesus, I concealed the pain that had shaped me. I was able to pick up the dialect and the false self let me hide in the context of the church. I appeared to be a capable leader

I was nearly 40 years old by the time I understood what had happened and why I was trapped in a prison of rules (conformity), approval — and my “favorite,” the fear of failure. looking back it is easy to see. But I was young at the time and badly hurt. And the ones who should have helped me overcome this woundedness to help me see my true identity on the other side of this — were the two men who wounded me.

Ultimately, my story had a happy ending, as I admitted to God and myself that I was damaged, and He began healing me. Part of the way my pain was redeemed was the process of masculine initiation I undertook with each of my sons. Part of it was committing to honoring the vows I made to my wife. Part of it was realizing that my grandfather and my father were wounded themselves and forgiving them. And part of it is in writing this blog to help those of you with a similar story find the joy and freedom of your true identity.

Those gifts you’re leaning on are good gifts. Your mistake is thinking they define who you are. They were meant to emanate from your identity, not take its place.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

When you live according to external appearances — and you stake your identity on what you have and or what you do, you are falling into the trap of ontological lightness. It sounds paradoxical to say that the way through pain is to admit how bad it hurts, but I know it to be true because that is the path I took. Even though my healing came over 15 years ago, there are still times when I am tempted to fall back on the false self, the all-capable one. Then I remember.

As I hope you see, living according to the false self  is exhausting. You can never let down your guard or else someone — the dreaded and ubiquitous “they” — will see you’re a poser. It’s like the doofus on the beach trying to appear more muscular by sucking in his gut. Eventually, he has to let it out. Based on my experience, it’s better to surrender your mask than to have it stripped from you. And that is what God, our Father, wants to do for you, His sons.

I am healed and I am free, and I want you to have the same freedom to live from your redeemed heart. If I can do it, you know it can be done.

So how about you? In what ways have you grown tired of the false self? You can add your comments below (anonymously, if you’d like).

When it’s too tough for everybody else, it’s just right for me. – Anonymous

In an earlier post, I argued that hardship shapes character. This time, I want to develop that idea further.

Would you believe me if I said you need a battle to fight? An adversary? A foil? Think about it: every great story — in order to be a story at all — has to have conflict. The protagonist finds himself pitted against another man, against nature, against God, or even against himself. The story doesn’t begin until the conflict comes into view.

Ok, you say, that’s great for stories, but why do I need a battle in my life? Lots of reasons — not least of which is you need stimulation in order to thrive. Without a conflict, you’d be mentally stunted and die of boredom! But there are other evidences that prove our need for adversity.

You need to find yours when the world turns upside down

Babies and birth

The passage through the birth canal helps newborns to thrive. The birth process is an ordeal for mother and baby, and it is vitally necessary.

I recently learned that babies born via c-section receive fewer beneficial microorganisms than children born vaginally, and it takes them longer to develop equivalent immune function. Sure removing babies surgically is less strenuous, but it’s not as good for the mother or the baby.

Butterflies

We’re all aware of the metamorphosis from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. But did you know that the emerging butterfly needs to struggle free of the chrysalis to be able to form flight-worthy wings? It’s true. The effort of extricating itself from the cocoon forces hemolymph into the channels of the wings, giving them the needed shape. Take away the  struggle and the circulation doesn’t happen, resulting in malformed and useless wings.

Bodybuilders

We’ve talked about this before. If you want to build a sculpted physique, there are no shortcuts. Sure you can apply intelligence to increase your exercise efficiency and effectiveness, but you’re still going to have to put in the time doing the right work consistently and in the right way.

Soldiers, sailors, and marines

Each branch of the service has its own boot camp — that period of time when raw recruits are forged into warriors. The adversarial model of instruction subjects the candidate to physical and emotional stress to cultivate strength, endurance, and resilience, since there are no time outs in combat. The harshness of this type of initiation also weeds out the merely interested from the deeply committed.

When you are facing opposition, try asking yourself how badly you want what’s on the other side of that obstacle.

Astronauts

If you crave the frictionless, zero-gravity life, please note that astronauts have to simulate earth’s gravity in space to avoid becoming worthless in this world when they return. The reason is that earthlings’ bones and muscles are suited to the load placed on them by gravity. Remove that base layer of resistance, and atrophy and bone loss set in.

One counter-example

Just in case you doubt the case I’m making here, consider what becomes of children whose parents coddle them. By seeking to remove any possibility of frustration or — horrors! — tears, coddling parents destroy their children’s resilience and resourcefulness. One needs the experience and wisdom he gains by solving small problems when he is small, so that his capacity grows with him.

Scars are stories — ask Shakespeare

Difficult times leave their marks — some physical, some psychic — but they all tell stories. In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the young king is rallying his outnumbered men before the climactic confrontation against the French at Agincourt. In his famous monologue, Henry says:

This day is called the feast of Crispian:

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,

And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

He that shall live this day, and see old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:’

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.

And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’

Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,

But he’ll remember with advantages

What feats he did that day: then shall our names.

Familiar in his mouth as household words

Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,

Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,

Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.

This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remember’d;

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”

The wounds sustained in a valiant struggle are the seed bed of stories. And those stories are how we transfer noble character traits and/or warn against ignoble ones.

Adversity creates resilience and prepares one for the next challenge. How do I know? Because people who get wiped out don’t tackle the next challenge.

So what about you? What lessons are you extracting from your current challenges? Add your comments below.

“Endure hardship as discipline…”   – Hebrews 12:7

I never liked the word discipline. It always made me think of punishment — and I didn’t care for punishment.  Losing privileges, being sent to my room, having my allowance docked — I never liked any of it.  The worst, however, was corporal punishment — the dreaded spanking.

The generally unfavorable media messages regarding spanking — not abuse, mind you, spanking —  are somewhat baffling.   Maybe we are all more highly evolved now, but a great number of Builders, Boomers and Gen X’ers — including your host —  received spankings as punishment when they were children.  Perhaps the powers that be are still rubbing their burning backsides over their childhood corrections.

While you’re in the midst of it, hardship can feel like the furthest thing from hope – but it has its purpose.

A switch was never in my parents’ repertoire, but I got the hand, Dad’s belt, the wooden spoon, the yardstick, the flyswatter, a ruler (at school.  Once.)  and a paddle ball paddle, among other similar utensils.  Other friends of mine got the switch, the razor strop and a full-on wooden paddle with holes drilled in it.  The latter was used by our middle school gym teacher.  He referred to it as the ‘Board of Education” and applied it to the “seat of learning.”

As I said, I didn’t like the word — or the idea — of discipline, so when I encountered the passage of scripture quoted above, I tended to chafe at it.  But here’s the passage in a larger context:

 “ ⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”^[a]

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  Hebrews 12:4-11 (NIV)

Did you get that?  God disciplines sons he loves — the fact that He’s doing so proves you’re His.  That’s critical.  If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t bother.

If that’s still not enough, consider this:  The words discipline and disciple come from the same root.  Seen this way, discipline is instruction, teaching or training.  This turned the light on for me, as the word training has a positive connotation.  If I’m being trained, that means I’m acquiring new skills — and that suggests new opportunities.

I also associate training with working out.  I enjoy exercise for the health benefits, for the way it crushes stress and elevates my mood.  Enduring hardship as training under the hand of God, means God is my coach and he’s getting me ready for the next challenge.

If you’re going through a rough patch in your life, I hope this will help you.  If your difficulties are the result of some choice you made or something you failed to do, understand that God is teaching you how to avoid this next time.  If you’ve audited your behavior and your motives and you’re sure you’re in the right and you’re still going through a tough time, trust that your Father in Heaven is preparing you for a future challenge.

Don’t get discouraged.  The fact that you’re having a hard time is evidence that God loves you and is training you.  Punishment is always about the past.  Training is always about the future.

 So how about you?  For what future triumph could your current hardships be preparing you?  Add your comments below.