"Woe unto those who call evil good and good evil..."
Those are some powerful, frightening words. They are also increasingly descriptive of the moral condition of the United States of America.
We live in a postmodern age (I suppose we're past postmodern by now).
Our religion is self. Our ideals are happiness and personal fulfillment. Our creed, so unyieldingly maintained, is "Be yourself!"
We glorify the present, the temporary, the vain.
We have institutionalized selfishness. We are absolutely obsessed with ourselves. We're so obsessed with self that we're obsessed with other people being obsessed with themselves.
Morality is relative, subjective, individually-defined.
It has become clear that the only immoral act, the only behavior that we will not tolerate, is that which elicits guilt. Naked dudes dancing around child drag queens? Yeah, that's cool. Telling dudes that they're dudes and not girls? Nah...that's intolerant!
You cannot condemn any behavior, lifestyle, or choice as immoral. You cannot speak out against the evils of society. You cannot, Heaven forbid, pass judgment.
We will not tolerate "intolerance."
It's peculiar, really. We're so obsessed with tolerance that not only is "intolerance" intolerable, but so is self-denial. We will not tolerate other people refusing to tolerate patterns of behavior in their own lives!
Self-denial is repulsive to those who refuse to practice it. Gluttons hate to see people eating moderately. Drunkards always encourage others to have that extra drink.
Self-denial is now itself offensive.
How dare you ask me to ignore my feelings? How dare you ask me to refrain from indulging my lusts? How dare you ask me to forego something that I want? How dare you ask me to do something that is self-disinterested?
Self-denial has become scandalous.
Unfortunately, this thinking has infiltrated the Church itself. Pastors preach self-help sermons designed to guide the hearer to a better "you." Sermons are human-centric. Talking about sin is the grand faux pas. Declaring the justice, righteousness, and holiness of God, let alone His command for us to emulate His holiness, is out of style. The pastor is there to fill seats and coffers, a spiritual CEO in a commercial Church age, not make people feel bad or compel them to change. The call to self-denial has gone silent.
If your pastor has never said something that makes you feel guilty, you need to find a new church.
Our Savior made it clear that self-denial is an integral part of salvation. Self-denial is a definitive mark of the Christian life, and, therefore, the Christian himself. Self-denial and cross-bearing are prerequisites to following Jesus Christ. Never failing to practice what He preached, Jesus gave us the greatest example of this teaching imaginable in the Incarnation.
"Woe unto those who evil good and good evil..."
Those are some powerful, frightening words. They are also increasingly descriptive of the moral condition of the United States of America.
We live in a postmodern age (I suppose we're past postmodern by now).
Our religion is self. Our ideals are happiness and personal fulfillment. Our creed, so unyieldingly maintained, is "Be yourself!"
We glorify the present, the temporary, the vain.
We have institutionalized selfishness. We are absolutely obsessed with ourselves. We're so obsessed with self that we're obsessed with other people being obsessed with themselves.
Morality is relative, subjective, individually-defined.
It has become clear that the only immoral act, the only behavior that we will not tolerate, is that which elicits guilt. Naked dudes dancing around child drag queens? Yeah, that's cool. Telling dudes that they're dudes and not girls? Nah...that's intolerant!
You cannot condemn any behavior, lifestyle, or choice as immoral. You cannot speak out against the evils of society. You cannot, Heaven forbid, pass judgment.
We will not tolerate "intolerance."
It's peculiar, really. We're so obsessed with tolerance that not only is "intolerance" intolerable, but so is self-denial. We will not tolerate other people refusing to tolerate patterns of behavior in their own lives!
Self-denial is repulsive to those who refuse to practice it. Gluttons hate to see people eating moderately. Drunkards always encourage others to have that extra drink.
Self-denial is now itself offensive.
How dare you ask me to ignore my feelings? How dare you ask me to refrain from indulging my lusts? How dare you ask me to forego something that I want? How dare you ask me to do something that is self-disinterested?
Self-denial has become scandalous.
Unfortunately, this thinking has infiltrated the Church itself. Pastors preach self-help sermons designed to guide the hearer to a better "you." Sermons are human-centric. Talking about sin is the grand faux pas. Declaring the justice, righteousness, and holiness of God, let alone His command for us to emulate His holiness, is out of style. The pastor is there to fill seats and coffers, a spiritual CEO in a commercial Church age, not make people feel bad or compel them to change. The call to self-denial has gone silent.
If your pastor has never said something that makes you feel guilty, you need to find a new church.
"Woe unto those who evil good and good evil..."
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