Beyond Mediocrity Blog

(Image courtesy of https://www.baptistpress.com.) "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,  nor is there male and female,  for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). A couple of years ago, I became aware of a Christian school that was instituting a Diversity Committee, partially in response to the recent events of the summer of 2020 (e.g., BLM movement). Red flags immediately flew up in my mind: I know the word "diversity" is catchy today and it seems to signal wisdom - but wait.

(Image courtesy of https://contendingmodernities.nd.edu.) As best as I can figure, "Christian nationalism" is a term used to inflict guilt upon Christians who believe that God should be central in American politics and social life. It is no secret that many in our country don't actually like our country. On the contrary, they are trying to destroy it by defaming, defacing, and eradicating references to God, faith, and freedom. American liberalism views those who hold to traditional values and truths as dangerous racists and fascists. These labels (name-calling), like Christian nationalism, are used by liberals to intimidate traditionalists who want America to be like the founding father's intended: a government, though imperfect, that was established by God and exists for God to do justice for all.

(Image courtesy of https://www.history.com.) No one at the time in which they are living is able to label their generation for what it is; that's the job of the historians. Historians labeled the age of post-reformation thought the Enlightenment, also known as the "Age of Reason." This was an age when, as a society, human thought transcended all other abilities to determine truth. In many arenas, individual thinking was replacing the long established authority of the Western church in Europe. For example, during this time Charles Darwin promulgated his theory of evolution, using his reason and first-hand observations of the world to create his "logical" theory.

(Image courtesy of https://www.thebiblejourney.org.) Recently, I read through the books of Daniel and Revelation in the Bible. I didn't stop to study each prophecy or each historical data point; however, by reading through the written accounts by Daniel and by John, and knowing enough about the historical context to be helpful in understanding the times in which they wrote, I discovered some similarities that I thought would be beneficial to share here.