As I write this, I must place a warning. Please do not assume this to be a finished work. These are the ramblings of a man who has many, many questions. I write this, not as an answer, but as a process in seeking the answer. With that said, on to the process.
Lately, I have been deliberating with others regarding the desperate situation of the culture and more importantly the church within. Recently, I have become largely concerned with the state of intellectual activity. Let me explain.
America was founded on good principles. Principles that came as the result of much philosophical inquiry - assessment of various government types and decades of debate. America is the result of a thoughtful reaction to monarchical government with the majority of power centralized in one man and in one church. They believed that power was too much for one individual to handle and that the people should be able to designate who deserved the power over others. The founders of this country did not believe that a complete democracy was the solution, but rather a republic of a few who have been granted power by the many. It was a country that believed in the idea that all people are created equal and thereby have an equal investment in the power that they grant.
As time moved on, the people proved that this system works as men and women of integrity, honor, and skill were elected to their posts of power.
Yet, America has seen a shift. There is a marked increase of individualism (and not the good kind). Individualism, the belief that there is value in each individual and a power to enhance one's situation in life, is at the core of the American spirit. But, America has become lazy. Now this American individualism has degenerated into something that resembles Plato's myth of the cave. Americans are chained up watching shadows on the wall without any realization of how much better they can be.
Our leaders are now things of mockery, people that received their posts through political savvy rather than through courage, intellect, and integrity. To what do people look but a brouhaha of broken promises and a legacy of leaders who are no better than we who granted power?
I believe that we have been so afraid of elitism (perhaps as a response to economic elitism) that we have forgotten how to strive for that which is better than we are. As popular culture dominates the scene with the shallow and base we are left to wonder, who are our leaders - who are our heroes?
We mock those who read, who are intellectually capable, as snobs. We are so afraid of people being better than us that we strip them of their dignity, their credentials in order to equalize the playing field. Because we believe that everyone must go to college, we lower our academic standards in order to accomodate many who are happy to enjoy a trade. The distance between the philosopher and the culture widens, not because the philosopher has become too removed but because the culture no longer is concerned with what she has to say.
Am I the only one that tears his hair out at hearing about the latest escapades of the celebrities of our society? They have shown themselves completely unworthy of our respect and certainly our attention and yet they dominate our lives. This is not to say that deserved respect is not being shown in some cases (i.e. Mother Teresa). But the shift has happened - the majority of our society is no longer concerned with higher things (excepting expensive things, of course).
The concert halls shrink in attendance, libraries struggle to maintain justified financing, vocabularies become smaller.
We are dumbing ourselves down because we want to be equal more than true, good, or beautiful.
Here, I must make a qualification: I am not saying that we are not all of equal value under God. I am saying that we must begin to accept that some are worthy of more respect, more power than others. Rather than equalize all to the lowest common denominator, we should find ways of bringing people up. I appreciate organizations who bring art and high culture to people who because of their socioeconomic status would otherwise be unable to engage. Our kids desperately need depth much more than an XBox.
And then there is the evangelical church. What happened to us folks? We used to be so gung-ho about our involvement in the world. We were going to engage the culture. Instead, somewhere along the lines we became afraid and have built walls. We shun education and artistic advancement. Our bookstores have fewer books than trite and artless knick-knacks. We should encourage education and art, as God is the creator of the human mind and of all that is good, truthful and beautiful. When did we put down our Jonathan Edwards and start picking up our Christian self-help garbage? I am almost embarrassed to classify myself with evangelicals because many of us have ceased to have answers and contributions.
Now, the Christian leaders that I see in the media are flashy, handsome, well-spoken, and have very little depth and even less to contribute to meaningful dialogue with non-Christians.
Here, I must give a plug for Fuller Seminary. Fuller is a different type of evangelical organization - one devoted to maintaining its dialogue with the world. It doesn't shy away from the intellectual, the artistic because it may be risky. It seeks to contribute and provide answers. While, Fuller has its faults, in this area I think it surpasses most seminaries.
Perhaps you disagree (most likely you disagree). I believe that a form of elitism is good - the form that believes that good leaders are to be revered, that true art is worthy, that the human mind is meant to expand and be used. Whether or not you believe that the world is going to burn anyway, God wants us to become better than we are with his help.
Go read a book.
Now that's a rambling rant.
Lately, I have been deliberating with others regarding the desperate situation of the culture and more importantly the church within. Recently, I have become largely concerned with the state of intellectual activity. Let me explain.
America was founded on good principles. Principles that came as the result of much philosophical inquiry - assessment of various government types and decades of debate. America is the result of a thoughtful reaction to monarchical government with the majority of power centralized in one man and in one church. They believed that power was too much for one individual to handle and that the people should be able to designate who deserved the power over others. The founders of this country did not believe that a complete democracy was the solution, but rather a republic of a few who have been granted power by the many. It was a country that believed in the idea that all people are created equal and thereby have an equal investment in the power that they grant.
As time moved on, the people proved that this system works as men and women of integrity, honor, and skill were elected to their posts of power.
Yet, America has seen a shift. There is a marked increase of individualism (and not the good kind). Individualism, the belief that there is value in each individual and a power to enhance one's situation in life, is at the core of the American spirit. But, America has become lazy. Now this American individualism has degenerated into something that resembles Plato's myth of the cave. Americans are chained up watching shadows on the wall without any realization of how much better they can be.
Our leaders are now things of mockery, people that received their posts through political savvy rather than through courage, intellect, and integrity. To what do people look but a brouhaha of broken promises and a legacy of leaders who are no better than we who granted power?
I believe that we have been so afraid of elitism (perhaps as a response to economic elitism) that we have forgotten how to strive for that which is better than we are. As popular culture dominates the scene with the shallow and base we are left to wonder, who are our leaders - who are our heroes?
We mock those who read, who are intellectually capable, as snobs. We are so afraid of people being better than us that we strip them of their dignity, their credentials in order to equalize the playing field. Because we believe that everyone must go to college, we lower our academic standards in order to accomodate many who are happy to enjoy a trade. The distance between the philosopher and the culture widens, not because the philosopher has become too removed but because the culture no longer is concerned with what she has to say.
Am I the only one that tears his hair out at hearing about the latest escapades of the celebrities of our society? They have shown themselves completely unworthy of our respect and certainly our attention and yet they dominate our lives. This is not to say that deserved respect is not being shown in some cases (i.e. Mother Teresa). But the shift has happened - the majority of our society is no longer concerned with higher things (excepting expensive things, of course).
The concert halls shrink in attendance, libraries struggle to maintain justified financing, vocabularies become smaller.
We are dumbing ourselves down because we want to be equal more than true, good, or beautiful.
Here, I must make a qualification: I am not saying that we are not all of equal value under God. I am saying that we must begin to accept that some are worthy of more respect, more power than others. Rather than equalize all to the lowest common denominator, we should find ways of bringing people up. I appreciate organizations who bring art and high culture to people who because of their socioeconomic status would otherwise be unable to engage. Our kids desperately need depth much more than an XBox.
And then there is the evangelical church. What happened to us folks? We used to be so gung-ho about our involvement in the world. We were going to engage the culture. Instead, somewhere along the lines we became afraid and have built walls. We shun education and artistic advancement. Our bookstores have fewer books than trite and artless knick-knacks. We should encourage education and art, as God is the creator of the human mind and of all that is good, truthful and beautiful. When did we put down our Jonathan Edwards and start picking up our Christian self-help garbage? I am almost embarrassed to classify myself with evangelicals because many of us have ceased to have answers and contributions.
Now, the Christian leaders that I see in the media are flashy, handsome, well-spoken, and have very little depth and even less to contribute to meaningful dialogue with non-Christians.
Here, I must give a plug for Fuller Seminary. Fuller is a different type of evangelical organization - one devoted to maintaining its dialogue with the world. It doesn't shy away from the intellectual, the artistic because it may be risky. It seeks to contribute and provide answers. While, Fuller has its faults, in this area I think it surpasses most seminaries.
Perhaps you disagree (most likely you disagree). I believe that a form of elitism is good - the form that believes that good leaders are to be revered, that true art is worthy, that the human mind is meant to expand and be used. Whether or not you believe that the world is going to burn anyway, God wants us to become better than we are with his help.
Go read a book.
Now that's a rambling rant.
This entry was posted
on Monday, November 12, 2007
at 8:33 AM
. You can follow any responses to this entry through the
comments feed
.
