The Changing World and the Unchanging Gospel
Four days ago, I thought I could write a brief reflection about the book above, The Future of Reformed Apologetics, edited by K. Scott Oliphint. Though I already heard the name of the editor, I am not familiar with his writings.
In this post, I just want to focus on the foreword of the book. William Edgar wrote the foreword. Its subtitle is WTS Van Til Conference: The Legacy of Van Til. It has 7 pages, and I would like to reflect on the opening paragraph:
We live in a world full of conflict, America still has some predominance among the nations, but its role is rapidly being put into question. In his powerful book, The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria contends that China, India, and other powers are knocking at the door. Our leaders are fighting over whether, or how much, to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. America is experiencing an unprecedented polarization between "liberals" and various stripes of reactionaryism. We are losing our penchant for civil discourse. Debates over LGBTQ advocacy rage. Popular culture is a mixed bag. There exists some good quality here and there. But there exists a good deal of junk, from Drag Queens to blood and gore in films. Christian missions is having some success, but there is strong opposition to the gospel from the cults, from governments, from hostile people everywhere (p. vii).
Analyzing and reflecting on the foregoing paragraph and relating it to my current observation and personal experience, I could say a few words. One, only a fool would deny the existence of conflict in our time. As for the influence of the United States, though many would agree to its declining influence, still there is a minority voice that argues to the contrary. Some would see the resolution of the conflict in the area of dominance when it comes to the monetary system. As far as I know, we now have three contending monetary systems, and, of course, many of us in the crypto space would like to see the mainstream adoption of the third one.
As for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, I am happy to see initiative from the crypto space to assist the affected civilians. I am not sure if other blockchain networks are also doing what we do here on Hive. For me, that is something beautiful and good.
Regarding politics, that is something muddy, and I would prefer choosing peace to fighting issues that require cautious and discerning analysis. In my experience, many sacrifice their personal relationships for loyalty to a politician or a political ideology. I would rather focus on my personal affairs, where I can do something about it, than waste my time on something grand and distant and spend my energy unwisely in convincing people.
As for the junk, yes, I observe they are widespread in films. Just last night, I watched this Netflix movie with some of our students; the blood and violence are excessive. Sensitive minds could not endure watching such a film.
Lastly, as for the hostility to the gospel, Abraham Kuyper's analysis made more than a century ago remains relevant. Such hostility not only exists among the elites but also among the masses. It is now a consensus that humanity has outgrown the gospel and is only suitable for primitives and the young children.
Check The Unchanging Gospel to listen to the AI-generated song version of this article.
Grace and peace!
Reference:
Oliphint, K. Scott. Editor. 2024. The Future of Reformed Apologetics: Collected Essays on Applying Van Til's Apologetics Method to a New Generation. Pennsylvania 19038: Westminster Seminary Press.