A couple weekends ago, I attended a seminar entitled “Cultural Apologetics: Goodness, Truth and Beauty from Dante to Harry Potter” that was presented by John Mark Reynolds. Although the message was focused around Christian truths in cult-like propaganda such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, his message touched upon how today’s culture is one of ignorance.
Even here at Biola, we have people who play Halo 3 for three hours a day. There are men of God that sit at their computers and play World of Warcraft for hours on end. And women, if you feel left out, how about your weekly visit to the mall?
Why is it that we can sit in front of a TV screen for more than three hours, but we can’t wait for our 75-minute class to end? It seems to be that our generation has found sitting in front of a TV screen more appealing than educating ourselves. This will quickly lead to America’s downfall! Instead of educating ourselves, we would rather take the blow-off class (when possible) or the class with the least amount of work. Even in our classes, we do the work just to have it finished, and we don’t end up learning anything at all.
Thus, some consequences of our “Age of Ignorance” is that our vocabulary is much smaller than our parent’s, we have trouble communicating thoughts and emotions, and our ability to have friendships is founded around superficial means.
This culture shock greatly affects the way our country is headed. When a politician promotes, “Change we can believe in,” what change is he talking about? Has anybody actually taken a look at the arguments (or lack thereof) that he brings to the table? Hardly! His rhetoric is impeccable, yet his arguments go unchallenged.
Reynolds, who had no trouble sharing his political affiliation, commented on politics in America.
“I’ll vote an atheist in office if he’ll educate us,” Reynolds said. “I can beat atheism. I can’t beat, ‘Whatever. Let me go play a video game.’”
He has a great point that winning even our brothers and sisters (and sometimes ourselves) must have an emotional appeal, but they probably will not care to hear an intellectual argument.
As God himself instructed the prophet Isaiah, “Go to this people and say, ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’ For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” (Isaiah 6:9-10)
So the next time even a brother or sister in Christ questions you about your actions, will you get frustrated? Maybe it’s because he or she brings up a good point. Or rather, should you take a look at the way you are living each day and assess your time? Come, let us rid ourselves of the Age of Ignorance!
