Since the 1960's era of peace, drugs and "free love," Christians, conservatives and patriots have largely departed the critical heart shaping, storytelling, teaching and communication roles that are essential to preserving America's culture. Rather than "standing in the gap" with courage, the majority of media conservatives and Christians have chosen to take the path of least resistance, sprinting away from the "public square" when demonstrably false, vicious lies and personal attacks are directed our way. We have largely shown the opposite of courage under fire. Turning the other cheek is one thing. Running and hiding like cowards is something quite different.
Today, demonstrably false, vicious lies and passive-aggressive attacks are directed towards Christians, conservatives and patriots from virtually all major news organizations, Hollywood studios and classrooms in America. The current generation of young Americans has primarily received their "true north" bearings from those controlling the "cultural pulpits" of entertainment, the arts, news media and government education. No amount of righteous indignation or proverbial "howling at the moon" can erase the damage inflicted on America's soul over the past fifty years.
Why, given our absence, should we not expect today's culture to be shallow, superficial, course and hostile to the values most conservatives cherish? Our children's hearts and minds have been purposely infected with a twisted, Godless ideology that includes class envy, entitlement, hatred, promiscuity, resentment and moral relativism. Conservatives must either re-enter the cultural arena or America will most certainly go the way of Rome.
My fellow conservatives, we must first diagnose the truth of our sickened condition before we can prescribe an effective remedy. One of the most prolific writers and thinkers on the topic of cultural neglect is Andrew Klavan. In a taped presentation before the Young America's Foundation, Andrew discussed the profound harm our cultural neglect has produced. Mr. Klavan shares three famous quotes from prolific contributors to the arts. Poet Percy Bysshe Shelly wrote, "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." Translation? Poets, writers, artists make the laws without anyone realizing it. James Joyce wrote, "I'm going to forge in the smithy of my soul, the uncreated conscious of my race." Translation? His soul would create the conscious of the people, impact what everyone else thought was "right and the wrong" from his personal experiences. And lastly, one unattributed quote the late Andrew Breitbart was fond of repeating, is; "Politics is downstream from culture." Translation? The music, art, novels and entertainment created many years and decades prior (upstream) flows downstream into the culture to change the very way "we the people" think about politics. Those who tell the stories today are shaping the culture, and the politics, of tomorrow.
What will be our great nation's posterity in twenty years? Will Jesus Christ and the Judeo-Christian values that inspired our nation's birth become more or less emphasized? Will Common Core, the German education model adopted directly from Adolph Hitler, be the engine that drives America's culture, and therefore our politics, for the next fifty years? I suggest we provide the encouragement and financial support for a new generation of authors, poets and storytellers that seek to bring His glory, His love and His values back into the public arena.
In John 3:16, we are taught; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." If God so loved this world, our world, the very world you and I live in and pray for, the very world He allowed His most treasured Son to die for, can't we at least make meaningful contributions to preserve the one nation built upon His teachings?
Courage, by definition, assumes the existence of opposition. We can't be courageous, or demonstrate leadership, in the absence of opposition. As Christians, we must understand we will be attacked, mocked and ridiculed whenever we expose deception, bring light to darkness and salt to the world. As if Jesus didn't know this when He commanded us to be fishers of men?
How about we find our personal courage, adorn our breastplates of righteousness and with His grace, reengage our sickened culture to bring forth a rebirth of freedom? It has taken us more than fifty years to get here, so let's strap on our boots. We've got decades of work in front of us.
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