There is a clear difference between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom contained within the Scriptures, and we have to be so careful that the two are not confused or intermingled. Colossians 2
says this:
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
says this:
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
So, there is a contrast between the "basic principles of the world," and the principles that are "according to Christ." And, it is incumbent upon us as believers to developing the discernment to know the difference. Our viewpoint can become so clouded when we allow the mindset of the world, of dependence on self, on human understanding, to cause us to drift away from the wisdom of the Scriptures. We can learn to think spiritually rather than according to the natural inclinations with which we have to struggle.
+++++
In 1st Corinthians 2, we can read how the apostle Paul draws the contrast between being spiritually-
minded and thinking "naturally":
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
At the top of the informative and analytical website, GetReligion.org, there is a quote from William Schneider which says, "The press… just doesn’t get religion." Compare that with a recent quote from the editor of The New York Times, Dean Baquet, as he went on National Public Radio. The Get Religion site has it, along with some analysis. Here's the quote:
I think that the New York-based and Washington-based too probably, media powerhouses don't quite get religion. We have a fabulous religion writer, but she's all alone. We don't get religion. We don't get the role of religion in people's lives.This was quoted in a piece by Terry Mattingly, who runs the Get Religion site. He quotes from Catholic Deacon Greg Kendra, who wrote on the Aletia.com site:
It isn’t that reporters don’t believe or practice religion – many of the people I worked with at CBS News were practicing Christians and Jews, with a significant number of the staffers Catholic – but their understanding of religion is generally not terribly deep. And they too often don’t know enough about any religion other than their own -- and don’t have the time or inclination to want to learn more.David French, at National Review, is also quoted:
Baquet is right. If you don’t “get” religion, you can’t understand our country or the world. And yet, reporters and pundits too often cover religion badly, if at all.
The original sin of religion reporting is the failure to believe what religious people say. There’s always an “other” reason for their actions.
In much coverage of American Christianity, this mindset is obvious: You believe that God ordained marriage as the union of a man and a woman? Well, that’s just bigotry in search of a belief system, religion wielded as a club against the marginalized.French also noted: "Our nation has consistently misunderstood the challenge posed by jihadist terror, too, in part because our secular leaders and reporters often don’t believe jihadists mean what they say."
And, I would contend that a news outlet or website that hires a religion editor and thinks that shows its sensitivity to religion is woefully inadequate. Because religious faith is woven into the fabric of our country, journalists have to understand this is a critical component of people's lives, not a segment that should be separated.
But, the hits just keep on coming...over at The Federalist, Josh Wester critiques a piece from The New York Times that showed a lack of understanding of how a person's Christian faith and worldview affects her approach to issues. Regarding a Times op-ed about the nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, Wester says that the writer, Katherine Stewart, contends...
...DeVos and her husband, Richard DeVos Jr., have the audacity to claim that their efforts to improve the state of public education—promoting things like school choice and subsidiarity—flow out of their Christian faith.
Stewart classifies this as an “apocalyptic conviction.” We’re supposed to be in alarm because Devos has “singled out education reform as a way to ‘advance God’s kingdom.’ In an interview, she and her husband, Richard DeVos Jr., said that school choice would lead to ‘greater kingdom gain.’” This draws out the fundamental point. Progressives don’t get religion.Wester notes that, "The DeVoses actually view their work as service to God. Although, as Stewart claims, this may appear “radical” or “extreme” to secularists and progressives, this is the very essence of what it means to be religious." He also points out that charter schools and voucher programs, such as the DeVoses support, have historically been secular in nature.
So, whether or not you support Betsy DeVos and her approach to education - and critics have not been enthused about her position on Common Core - it does appear that she and her husband are positioned as allowing their Christian worldview to inform their approach to issues. And, this "journalist" apparently doesn't understand the integration of faith into policy, or faith into action.
And, just because an entertainment and lifestyle site puts the word "News" next to its name doesn't mean it's an accurate purveyor of news content. That would be BuzzFeed News, which was up in arms about this statement from a longer message penned by the outgoing Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus and Co-Chair Sharon Day:
“Merry Christmas to all! Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King. We hope Americans celebrating Christmas today will enjoy a day of festivities and a renewed closeness with family and friends.According to Get Religion, BuzzFeed News stated:
The combination of the words “this Christmas” and “a new King” had people wondering whether the GOP was comparing Donald Trump to, well, Jesus.Terry Mattingly, who also wrote this article, said: "That led to all kinds of fun in the liberal blogosphere and the BuzzFeed team lined up the tweets in a festive parade of what had to be mock indignation." Noting that this paragraph was part of a larger statement which included such topics as helping the poor and supporting the troops, Mattingly also wrote:
I would like to note that, while it's easy to read this as another example of journalists failing to understand "evangelical-speak" lingo, Priebus is actually active in a Greek Orthodox congregation – where the Christmas liturgies are packed with vivid language about the arrival of Christ the King.Mattingly also inserted a tweet from Mark Hemingway, who is a writer for the Weekly Standard, who said: "COME ON. Between This And The HGTV Debacle, Buzzfeed Really Needs To Give Its Staff Some Basic Education About Christianity." That reference to HGTV is apparently how BuzzFeed "broke" the story about "Fixer-Uppers" Chip and Joanna Gaines, who attend a church that believes what the Bible says about marriage...imagine that!
So, here we go with how there are those in the media who don't understand religion, basically, and it appears many in the media don't practice it very deeply. What application does this have for us as Christians?
Well, for one thing, we can't expect people who are not spiritual to understand spiritual things. I think that's a point you can extract from 1st Corinthians chapter 2. We can't think Biblically unless we allow the Spirit to direct us - natural thinking will result in worldly action. So, to expect people who don't claim Christ to "get" us may be a bridge too far. But...
The good news is that through our witness and the work of the Spirit through us, God can penetrate the human heart, the realm of human understanding and cause the lights to come on, to draw people unto Himself, just as He brought us into a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Spirit can break down the barriers, and He will use us to model His truth.
But, we have to be sensitive to how we speak and act around people that don't know Christ. We can speak "Christian-ese" around a person and our words may completely miss their heart. I think of the components of our own personal testimony, as we share what God has done for us through our relationship with Jesus. And, we can mix our own experience with the powerful truth of the Word. So, the "what" refers to how God has worked in our lives, and the "why" is the truth of the gospel. And, we can be encouraged that the Word will not return void. But, we can seek to "relate" to people rather that to "talk at" or even "preach at" them.
Finally, we can't expect the media to get it right, but we can keep making news. And that "news" might get some press coverage, but generally it won't - because our ambition is not to be famous, but to make Him famous through the way we allow Christ to live through us. And, sometimes the media, especially our local media who are closest to the action, will report things regarding religion accurately, and for that, we can be thankful!
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