Bjcorbin's Blog

1. Common Sense: With Western Society’s philosophical shift toward relativism and the incredible advances in technology over the last 25 years, we live in a time where perception has largely become reality. It is an era in which we seem to be driven less by facts and more by popular opinion. We’re spending more on education and yet producing less educated students than in previous generations. Our science is populated with unproven theories, our politics are dominated by empty rhetoric, our economic system is based on consumerism instead of production and our relationships are becoming increasingly dysfunctional and superficial. Common sense would say that this is a problem.

2. Respect for authority: American’s have a legacy of rebellion against what they perceive to be oppressive authority; but as post-modern thinking has taken root in our culture, what might be categorized as oppressive has greatly expanded. Increasingly parents seem to be backing their kid’s against teachers, coaches and school administrators; while even “law-abiding” citizens routinely view their supervisors, policeman and legitimate government officials with contempt. Unfortunately, where there is a lack of genuine authority, chaos quickly ensues.

3. The Institution of Marriage: While the battle rages on to redefine what the term “marriage” actually means; the greater danger may come from the steadily diminishing esteem with which our society holds the institution itself. An ever increasing number of young adults are questioning the relevance of a marital union, with fewer of them deciding that it is a necessary or worthwhile step. Even those who choose to partake often enter and exit such arrangements with little more regard than they might give to changing cell-phone service providers.

4. Work Ethic: Parents of my generation have often taken pride in the fact that their kid’s didn’t have to, “work like I did”. Unfortunately, many of those kids became adults, who refuse to work like their parents did. Now that generation is raising their kids to view work as a malady to be avoided at all costs.

5. Things that are considered sacred: Something that is sacred is special and set apart; it generally has an exclusive set of criteria and limited access; but in our media driven society, it is quickly becoming a vacant category. As reality TV has stoked our voyeuristic impulses, there is nothing that’s off limits; as cameras are not only mounted in the bedroom, but even in the bathroom. Whereas in previous generations a witness to a violent crime might try to intervene on the victim’s behalf, our current generation is more likely to video the episode and to post it on the internet.

6. Self-Control: We are a culture that spurns limitations and celebrates excess; as we routinely spend money that we don’t have; consume far too much and far more than we produce; over medicate; spend billions each year on pornography and other elicit activities; and generally indulge in patterns of behavior that are destructive to ourselves and to those we claim to care about. Over the years we have transformed, “Just do it” from a catchy corporate slogan to a way of life.

7. Perseverance: America’s ongoing obsession with convenience appears to be having a profound impact on generations of kids, who are being raised with the idea that everything should be quick, easy and accessible from a sitting position. With the rise of technology, this generation has grown to prefer the frictionless, zero-gravity of virtual reality, to the very real resistance of day to day life. This doesn’t bode well for the challenges that are sure to come.

8. True Romance: In the new millennium the concept of courting someone and cultivating a relationship has largely given way to things like “friends with benefits”, “sexting” and “hooking up”. In this new mindset, couples often bypass what they view as the preliminary rounds and get right down to business. Unfortunately, the relationships that emerge from these practices are often like any other structure that is built without a foundation; one strong wind is all that it takes to blow it apart.

9. The fear of God: Statistics indicate that more than three quarters of adults in the U.S. now believe that the truth is relative (i.e. that every man defines truth for himself), which undoubtedly has radicalized our cultural view of God. If the truth is not absolute, then God really has no basis with which to judge anyone; and without that, we really have no reason to fear Him. Just as moral relativism allows the individual to decide what they are willing to accept as truth, it also allows them to pick and choose what characteristics of God they are willing to embrace. Culturally, we are willing to believe in a loving God, a God of provision, a God who heals and One who will ultimately take us to “a better place” when we die. We like the idea of heaven and angels and sometimes we can even handle the image of a baby in a manger; but we absolutely reject the notion of a God who might one day hold us accountable.

10. The value of a man’s word: Yet another casualty of our “enlightened” view of truth is the value of a man’s promise or vow. Because we think of the truth as relative, it is easily re-defined as it relates to our circumstances and/or emotions at any given moment. This means that the vow I made several years ago to my high school sweetheart could easily be nullified by the new circumstance I find myself in with a girl in the office. We don’t like to think of it as a broken promise, as much as “a new direction, based on updated information”. Within this pattern of thought, everything becomes negotiable and can be bought for the right price.