Photo: Herald Sun |
"
It doesn't sound very edifying," was Grandma's simple reply.
I tried to persuade her of the virtues of such art. It laid bare
our biases, I argued, especially the subtle seduction to judge people's
character by superficial appearances. I waxed eloquent about the value of
viewing reality from different perspectives. I brought my best stuff!
She wasn't convinced. She felt I was compromising my Christian
values by allowing a secular worldview to warp my perception of the truth.
This conversation with my grandmother illustrates a broader issue.
Younger Christians often feel their elders are out of touch, behind the times,
chained to antiquated notions of proper behavior. At worst, they are
ill-equipped to do good work for the gospel because they refuse to engage the
culture for Christ. At the same time, older Christians often view younger
generations as disrespectful, uncommitted to biblical holiness, or generally
unwilling to hoe the hard row of Christian discipleship. At worst, they are
compromisers who sacrifice Christian faithfulness in order to be accepted by the
broader culture.
Central to my disagreement with my grandmother was this: I
believed that to be a faithful Christian I needed to engage this sort of
cultural offering. She believed that to be a faithful Christian I needed to flee
from it fast and far. Read more
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