Faithful Observations: War on the Family
Events this last year have been overwhelming at times and have crowded out much of what is truly important in the news. For those of us who are older, we remember Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, and what we were doing. That is the day President Kennedy was assassinated and nearly everyone can remember that with clarity.
Interestingly enough, three lives ended that day within hours of each other. Aldous Huxley, noted novelist, died and even today many are reading one of his most famous novels, "Brave New World," as they contemplate the implications for our lives today. His novel is often compared to George Orwell’s "1984" and these dystopian novels first came about in the 20th century.
The other death that day was C.S. Lewis, and it was this person who arguably shaped the most lives during his lifetime. Lewis was a brilliant apologist for the Christian faith with books like "The Screwtape Letters" or The Chronicles of Narnia series. His book "Mere Christianity" influenced millions with his clear presentation of the gospel.
Many of us probably remember that Labor Day weekend in 1997 when the news broke that Princess Diana had been killed. It was wall to wall coverage on every network relating every detail about her life and that Elton John had composed a song about her life. Only two other stories would be mentioned in the news - Hurricane Erica and the Space Station Mir.
In the middle of this story there was another death to take note of: a small, old Albanian woman named Agnes had passed away — better known to the world as Mother Teresa. Noteworthy? Mother Teresa was a Nobel Prize winner and arguably the most beloved woman in the entire world. She was not even mentioned by most news organizations.
Sometimes the news that seems so important drowns out the stories that have the biggest impacts. The takeaways from Huxley, Lewis and Mother Teresa speak to us today. Will we have a society that is dominated by a “World State” where there are no lasting relationships because “every one belongs to every one else.” Where being a Christian apologist can get you labeled homophobic, racist, sexist or another label if you believe in the absolute truth of the Bible. Dedicating your life to service of others runs counter to a narcissistic culture.
Today, marriage, families and children are under attack. More importantly, we would agree with Abraham Lincoln that, “the family unit plays a critical role in our society and in the training of the generation to come.”
These truths are being replaced by noise coming from groups like Black Lives Matter when they initially advocated for abolition of the nuclear family. The new rules for the 117th Congress were unveiled and contained “future focused” proposals, including the elimination of gendered terms, such as “father, mother, son and daughter.”
Attacks on the traditional family come largely from proponents of relativistic, materialistic world views. Humanists, Marxists, and many Postmodernists deny the existence of the soul, thereby devaluing the importance of the family.
The Christian worldview recognizes marriage and family as the institution that nurtures the whole person. In this view, the family provides an environment that encourages mental, spiritual, social, and physical growth. The family is ordained by God (Genesis 2:23–25) and is a fundamental social institution.
The fifth of the Ten Commandments calls children to give honor to their father and mother by treating them with respect and obedience. It is the first commandment that comes with a promise. This command is emphasized and often repeated in the Bible, and it applies to grown children as well: "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” (Proverbs 1:7-9,)
I would challenge you to read the obituaries in the newspaper or attend a funeral. In most cases the life described is about a marriage, raising a family and the joy these people brought and the sacrifices they made. They didn’t make the headlines but are critical to our society because they understood the value of Christian teaching and what they were building in a foundational family.
There is a series on Amazon called “Our American Family” that is an outstanding documentary series about sacrifice and faith. Our family here on Earth is organized like our family in heaven. Much like we can go to our parents for advice, our Heavenly Father is always there to give us help. When we pray, He listens and He answers.
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Bob Shillingstad’s columns appear Saturdays in The Press. Email Bob: bjshill@mac.com
