Perspective

By L. Jim Tuck

August 22, 2024

Are We Focused on the Right Things?

    Why is it so hard to reach people in the western world with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Interestingly, more seem to respond in places where people are the poorest. The church seems to be growing in impoverished countries, like Africa, India, and the Orient. What has the western culture been doing to affect the minds of people in the most affluent nations of the world? Why are the have-not countries more receptive to the most important message of the ages, the gospel of God’s coming kingdom? Whatever it is, is it possibly affecting us?

Perspective

    In the decades after World War II the U.S. and other countries of the West entered the Golden Era of Prosperity and the middle-class expanded. The U.S. became more affluent due to consumer demand and expansion of the military industrial complex during the Cold War. The economy boomed. People who had been marginalized entered the workforce and could increase their wealth. Hence, people who did not have much economically before, were exposed to more money. Thus, consumerism was born. It has exploded since then and continues to grow. People who began to climb the ladder of success, have become accustomed to it. They generally equate success in life to more money. As time has gone on, the godly values of life expressed in the Bible have been put on the back burner and gradually have become less important. The accumulation of things is more important, new cars, big houses, and vacations. The multitude of merchandise has grown each year.

   After the war, through the 40s and 50s, family values were largely intact. The movie and television industry were still sensitive to the family values of their Christian customers. The 1950s was also a time when America began to see itself as a Christian nation in a cold war with atheistic communism. President Eisenhower joined a church after his election, becoming the first president to be baptized while in office. In 1954, the phrase “under God” was added to the pledge of allegiance to signify the religious stance of the country. It was the time of the “baby boomer” generation; as the population grew, so did those who thought of themselves as a part of Christianity.

Why Did Christian Values Edge Down in the 1960s

    The rise in those holding Christian values began to edge downward when the 1960s began, and by the end of the decade, the idea of religion waned. More people questioned religious organizations. Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an American atheist activist, challenged the Supreme Court regarding requiring prayer in schools. She said its practices of mandatory prayer and required reading of the Bible were unconstitutional. The US Supreme Court upheld her position by a ruling in 1963. So, prayer was thrown out of schools and more people joined the ranks of the unchurched.

    In the early sixties movies like, Shaggy Dog and Son of Flubber, were highly popular with families, and were money-makers at the box office. Walt Disney was built on producing wholesome entertainment. However, sometime after the mid-sixties, the movie industry made a major shift in the genre of interest. Instead of producing movies for families, they began to produce movies with adult themes involving sex and perversion, the use of alcohol and drugs, and the blatant use of profanity, witchcraft, violence and murder. Since that time, movies have grown worse. There were some movies produced that showed taste and had a good message, but it became more of an exception rather than the rule. Each decade has grown worse and morality in most of the western world has plummeted.

    Common sense should tell any real follower of Christ movies peppered with scenes of illicit sex and perversion, violence, murder, the occult, drug use and other sins, should be avoided. It is because of these evils God will punish the world. Movies of this type have impacted the morality of the whole world! If it has clouded how the world sees right and wrong and its morality, how can it impact a true Christian?

    The rise of affluence in the western world coupled with the decadence of entertainment has corrupted the entire world. It is not wrong to possess wealth or to acquire things which can enhance life, but the problem comes in how we think about “things.” Things can dominate a person’s life so they become the focus and God’s way of life and His values can seem of less importance. Abraham was a very wealthy man, but he was extremely faithful to God and was called the father of the faithful. Patriarchs like Abraham and Job did not let materialism corrupt their lives.

Lust for Material Things Has Corrupted the World

    Consider how the Babylonish system of Revelation 18:7-16 was so corrupted. One of the problems was a lust for physical and material things. The time will come when God will take it all away. The world market has made goods and services of almost every kind available to more people than ever before in the history of the world. The multitude of merchandise can be seen everywhere!

    God placed angels upon the earth before Adam and Eve were created. Though we don’t know exactly their mission, very probably they were placed on earth to prepare it, to dress it and keep until the creation of man. Apparently, they had a civilization of millions of angels and a type of trade was going on. Interestingly, God said the Covering Cherub was in Eden, the garden of God (Eziekiel 28:13). There were only three beings in the garden of Eden discussed in Genesis three---the old serpent the Devil, and Adam and Eve. Notice Ezekiel 28:15-16: “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. ‘By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.’”

Perhaps these angels were absolutely loyal to God and righteous for aeons of time. The Bible says the angels were present to shout for joy when the universe was created (Job 38:7). Scientists estimate the universe came into being about 13.8 billion years ago.

    The point is, God sent angels to the earth and they succumbed to a state of mind which caused them to rebel against God. Satan led a charge with the fallen angels against God to take His throne, but they were cast to the earth (Revelation 12:9). What caused them to change their former righteous ways and become corrupted? Trading suborned them according to Ezekiel the prophet, and it produced violence among the angels. The King James Version translates verse sixteen, “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned…”

    Consider this, if spirit beings like angels can be corrupted by a highly materialist world, what about physical mortal man? What about you and me?

    Jesus said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15)

    We are members of God’s future family and ambassadors of His kingdom. Our calling is so special we can’t afford to let the materialism and corruption of this world drown out the truth of the gospel. God is asking us in this age of materialism to consider seriously if are our hearts are truly focused on the right things.

    This is my Perspective!