![]() Christians are pulled in many directions. There is no lack of diversity of opinions regarding the state of American society and culture or our response as believers. These questions center on common themes: What are we to make of this? How are we to understand the cultural shifts that are taking place? What can and should we do? The questions I have been getting recently range from the specific - related to current events, judicial rulings, and government policy - to the general, concerning theological or philosophical assumptions about the church’s place in secular society. Under assimilation and dilution it has not. The church has thrived and expanded under persecution. Persecution is one thing pressure to conform to this world is another. But they also fear a more devastating problem: the dilution of faith and fervency, resulting from sociocultural pressure to assimilate. I often hear concern about what the trends of today will mean for the next generation seeking to live out the Christian faith in a stridently secular context. Evangelicals seem to be diminishing in cultural influence, biblical Christianity is increasingly marginalized, and mainstream values look less and less like our own. Many American Christians fear persecution not unlike what we see today in other parts of the world. But since last spring - when the news cycle reached a high point of cultural tensions around issues of race and justice, religious radicalism and geopolitical unrest, and marriage, protecting the unborn, and human sexuality - these topics have been strikingly and increasingly prevalent in everyday interactions. As Christians, we face not only the challenges of understanding what is going on in the world around us, but also what our responses as believers are to be. These have always been subjects of discussion at Cairn as students prepare to serve Christ in today’s world. These days, more of the conversations I am having turn toward the issues of society, culture, and faith. Despite its popular parody on the internet, it is a remnant of a bygone day that carries an important message: a message that we need today in the midst of a very different conflict. Originally intended to bolster the spirits of the British people during the blitz, it ironically was never utilized. So, Keep Calm and Carry On, with Jesus as our defender and protector it's always possible.“Keep calm and carry on.” The phrase has found its way into pop culture around the world since the WWII poster was discovered in a bookstore a little over a decade ago. Preserving civility must at times replace safeguarding our need to be right. Love and understanding must overrule our need to defend our opinions. As Jesus followers, our priorities must mirror his. Such a calm response is unnatural, but that shouldn’t surprise us since the one who modeled it was Jesus. When we are slow to anger, we can gain an understanding of the situation and the hidden motives that a hot-tempered person can’t objectively comprehend. A calm gentle reply can defuse most tense situations, but without taking time to process what was said, few of us will be able to answer wisely. Quiet listening protects us from speaking rashly and offers us the opportunity to seek God’s help as Jesus would. This is especially important when facing verbal attacks. Today’s verse from the book of Proverbs emphasizes the value of being slow to anger. But as followers of Jesus, we are called to model his life: “When he was abused, he did not return abuse when he suffered, he did not threaten but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). When hurt by someone else’s words or actions, we might be tempted to hurl a sarcastic reply or harbor resentment. Although we cannot change the situations around us, altering our responses to them is possible. Struggling economies and widespread fear cause frustration, but these difficulties with people can present challenges on a more personal level. This growing trend can also cause us to fall into sin and anger. We live in a broken world where sin is rampant, injustice is common, and anger and violence rage all around us. “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29).
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