“Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world.” ― Vladimir Lenin
Following on from my recent article Are We There Yet? I thought it would be a good time to ask the question how did we get here? It’s a question I’ve heard a lot of people asking of late.
Out of Shadows
One of the answers that resonates loudly is a documentary by a former Hollywood stuntman. I wrote recently about being censored on twitter while trying to share it. If you ever have a problem accessing it their official site is https://www.outofshadows.org/.
Most of the content I’d heard in snippets here and snippets there, but hearing it all together from an insider was powerful. The parts about Disney was an ‘a ha’ moment I won’t soon forget. To answer my own question how did we get here? Slowly and gradually.
American Gospel
I caught up with this documentary while visiting a friend with Netflix. It was the first time I remember coming across the term Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, but I believe I’ve grown up in a culture that preaches it. I’ve never associated with a single denomination. Due to my travels I’ve attended many different churches over the years.
Sadly reflecting back, too much of what I’ve heard from them all would fit the Moralistic Therapeutic Deism point of view. DuckDuckGo it if you want to research it further. How did we get here? One generation teaching the next generation what they had been taught.
Sheep Among Wolves
The third powerful documentary I’ve recently watched takes an eye opening look at the Christian church in Iran. In case Youtube takes down Volume One and Volume Two the official website is https://www.faistudios.org/sheep. Do you believe Iran to be an Islamic country? I have believed that. Which made watching this the most eye opening of the three documentaries that I’ve shared with you.
Watching it in the context of having watched American Gospel and read/listened to books by K. P. Johannan, it’s heart warming to see what is happening in Iran. The church in Iran much like the church in China is growing exponentially without church buildings, bank accounts, or people who’ve spent years at bible college.
A Ships Rudder
Turning a ship’s rudder suddenly one way or the other to alter its course, runs the risk of capsizing it. Change it just one degree and the longer the journey the further apart the new destination will be from the original. The passengers on board don’t feel a thing.
From all the research I’ve been doing this year I can’t pinpoint a single pivotal moment in history, more a collective of changes in our society that have gotten us to where we are today.
I’ve topped and tailed this month’s article with quotes by Lenin and Hitler, something I never thought I’d do writing for a Christian organisation. Yet their quotes ring as true now as when they were first recorded. How did we get to a point in our history where healthy debate is needed more now than ever, yet is met with the levels of censorship we are currently experiencing?
Eric Metaxas
I wish I knew about Eric sooner than I did. He is a breath of fresh air in our current climate and you could easily use your monthly data allowance catching up on his back catalogue of interviews. Two videos I recommend are one where he was the interviewee and one where he was the interviewer.
One take away I got from the first one was that we need more Christian culture. Just one of the reasons I’ve been telling everyone about The Chosen. The take away I got from the second was we need more people like John MacArthur in this world.
1983
No that isn’t a typo and yes more and more are talking about George Orwell’s 1984. I can’t remember if I watched this former KGB interview first or this one. They are recorded decades apart yet both resonate when looking at current world events.
Moving your Rudder
With everything that is currently happening, we have so many opportunities to share the truth with people. But first, we need to discover the truth for ourselves. Exercise your freedom to talk about faith. Exercise your freedom to discuss your own health. Everyone has an agenda yes even me, so do your own research.
I could have easily written multiple separate articles this month but I’d rather you watch the videos I’ve linked with as little input from me as possible. Exercise your freedoms before they are taken away from you for good.
“He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.” - Adolf Hitler
Next Time: Hugs Save Lives