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Understand the impact of Culture on Service and how we can be more effective in our service given the culture we live in.
Precursor
I said this many times, but I think it's a point worth repeating.
In order to become a better painter, you need to paint.
In order to get good at math, you need to practice math.
In order to get good at software development you need to develop software
The point being, it is not enough to only learn theory, you need to actively practice in order to get good.
The same applies to thinking. If you need to be a good thinker it's not enough to read/listen to other people's thoughts, you need to do some thinking of your own.
With that point established, lets do some thinking.
Problem Statement
We often feel that our service is not sufficient for the youth and some youth just stop coming to church. You can see this clearly by looking at the youth list and the subset who are actually involved.
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- what do we mean by that exactly?
- Why do we see this as important?
- Are we making emotional statements?
- Or are we trying to solve a problem which we have identified.
Have we asked ourselves why do some of the youth don't feel that they belong?
In order to solve problems we need to:
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6 : expert care and training
Service
useful Useful labor that does not produce a tangible commodity. A helpful act.
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- Can there be good culture and bad culture?
- What makes a culture good?
- What makes a culture bad?
- Does culture change?
- What's the rate of change?
- What are the contributing factors to cultural change?
- Do we need to keep abreast of the changes in culture?
- Is there a heavenly culture?
Good or Bad or Meh?
Is there good culture? Bad culture? Or it just depends?
I think there is culture based on good principles which have deviated away from these good principles and there are cultures which are based on horrible principles. We can look at how God used the people of Israel to wipe out evil nations with evil culture. For example human sacrifices was part of the culture of some of these nations.
We can also see that God has based the people of Israel's culture on his laws:
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Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day. 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. |
So I believe there is ample evidence to prove that there are core principles upon which a good culture needs to be built upon.
And to build on that, one of the immigration trends that we see is a move from certain middle eastern societies to North America. Now I don't want to over simplify the issue here, but one of the biggest reasons people move here is to have a more prosperous life. Have we stopped to think why that is. Again, I don't want to oversimplify the issue, but one of the reasons, I believe, is the principles this culture was built on.
North American culture is built upon Christian principles. We can see that in the "Declaration of Independence"
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The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. |
Unfortunately culture changes and abandons the principles it was built upon. An analogy, would be something like this. A person buys a car and maintains it very well. He then hands it off to his offspring, but his offspring doesn't take care of it. They don't maintain it. They don't clean it. They don't use the right oil, etc. What will happen to this car. For a while it'll be able to handle the bad maintenance habits of its new owner and will even seem like it drives just as good as it did before. But eventually things will start breaking down and if no corrective action is taken it'll breakdown completely.
I think the same can be said about North American society. It was built on a very good foundation. It was built on God's words; on Christian principles. Doesn't mean it was perfect, but it helped propel it to where it is now. However, from generation to the next these principles were discarded. The changes we are seeing now are a direct result of the abandonment of these principles. Not only abandonment but also the twisting of these principles into an unnatural form. Below we have a few principles that we can examine. We can take a look at their biblical origin and how they have been abandoned or twisted and why it is important to go back to these principles.
This brings me to my next point. What is our role in culture. Many people hide their heads in the sand, thinking that as long as we isolate ourselves the culture we live in will not affect us. I see two issues with that:
- Culture is a force that surrounds us from all directions. So no amount of isolation will work. Our kids go to school, watch tv, have friends. These and more immerses us in the culture. We are in the world, but not of the world.
- I don't think we can compartmentalize our Christian life. We can't say we're Christian at church only. Or we're not suppose to be involved in the world around us. In fact, I argue that it is our duty to be the light of this world. Which means we need to be involved in all aspects of the culture we live in. It is our duty to be the corrective force in the culture. It is our duty to love our fellow man and ensure their safety and prosperity.
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14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. |
Freedom of thought/speech and Handling Disagreements
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/Encouraging Research
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1. The knowledge of our religion and of the truth of things is independently manifest rather than in need of human teachers, for almost day by day it asserts itself by facts, and manifests itself brighter than the sun by the doctrine of Christ. 2. Still, as you nevertheless desire to hear about it, Macarius , come let us as we may be able set forth a few points of the faith of Christ: able though you are to find it out from the divine oracles, but yet generously desiring to hear from others as well. 3. For although the sacred and inspired Scriptures are sufficient to declare the truth — while there are other works of our blessed teachers compiled for this purpose, if he meet with which a man will gain some knowledge of the interpretation of the Scriptures, and be able to learn what he wishes to know — still, as we have not at present in our hands the compositions of our teachers, we must communicate in writing to you what we learned from them — the faith, namely, of Christ the Saviour; lest any should hold cheap the doctrine taught among us, or think faith. in Christ unreasonable. |
Importance of Independent thought
I said this many times, but I think it's a point worth repeating.
In order to become a better painter, it's not enough to only look at painting, you need to paint.
In order to get good at math, it's not enough to only study solved mathematical problems, you need to solve math problems from scratch.
In order to get good at software development, it's not enough to look at other's code, you need to develop software
The point being, it is not enough to only learn theory, you need to actively practice in order to get good.
The same applies to thinking. If you want to be a good thinker it's not enough to read/listen to other people's thoughts, you need to do some thinking of your own.
With that point established, lets do some thinking.
Freedom of Speech
Is this principle biblical?
- If we look
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Individualism versus Community
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