Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Christmas displays in October I suppose I can understand. The industry's trying to stretch the season as much as they can to squeeze out every last dollar they can. I even get Christmas music in November. Granted it's a bit early but you only get these songs for such a limited time every year. But Christmas trees . . . on November 9th?!? No, that's just unacceptable. They'll be dead before Thanksgiving! You gotta be kidding me.
In reference to my previous post on work and play, this morning I went to hear Dr. Wayne Grudem teach a lecture series about "50 factors within nations that lead to sustained economic growth or continual poverty." Point #15 dealt with the idea of work. He suggests that in nations with sustained economic growth "honor is given to productive work. The 'ideal' life is thought to be a life of joyful productivity that benefits both oneself and others." By contrast, in nations with cycles of sustained poverty "work is viewed as a necessary evil....The 'ideal' life is thought to be a life of ease, simply enjoying oneself and one's friends, never having to work again at a productive job." Is that not the direction that our very own culture is heading? Don't most people today want to get the most money for the least amount of work? We no longer hold to the idea that our work is making a valuable contribution to society. We no longer work as "unto the Lord." I fear this is dangerous water into which we're treading where our culture work ethic is concerned.
I was a minority before I even walked through the door, but a nice, middle-aged, black man named Danny was quite friendly so that broke the ice. When they asked visitors to stand, it was just me and the only other white guy in the room. We were welcomed with the warm smiles I have come to expect. Their gospel music, instant harmonies, dancing, preaching, and "Hallelujahs" all brought back joyful memories of my days at Arandis Christian Center in Namibia. And that's actually why I went. The church I was going to visit meets at 11:30, but they share a building with the GFMBC and when I heard they were an African-American church that meets at 9:30, that's all the convincing it took for me to go early and get my black gospel fix.
The other church, called City Church, was much more what I was used to, mostly white, suburban Christians with contemporary music and a taste for the extreme (The pastor had a motorcycle drive up front to illustrate his point). But while both services were very different, I know God was still pleased. And while both congregations were very different, I know they both loved Jesus very much. If there's one thing my cross-cultural training has taught me, it's to appreciate differences. We live in a very diverse world, but God is One. He is why I can be the only white face in the crowd and be surrounded by brothers and sisters.
