The Friday Update - The Way Forward is to Trust God

— November 8, 2024 —

Happy Friday,

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus

Worrying about tomorrow is easy to do but ill-advised. For starters, the worry is often worse than the problem. More importantly, things end well for those in Christ. I’m not saying there are no things to be concerned about. But He has everything under control. The way forward is to trust God.

TTC: Last year, a friend called to say he was thankful for our friendship. I was taken aback until he explained The Thanksgiving Challenge (TTC). His family members had all agreed to each call (or visit) someone to thank them for something they’d done. Then, over T-day pumpkin pie, they would report on their interactions. I’m now a fan of TTC. Spread the word. 

Bring on the Bard: While I’d prefer candidates speak kindly about each other—and at least occasionally discuss the issues—I’ve had it with their insults. If they insist on maligning each other, I insist they do a better job. No more, “I’m not garbage. You’re garbage.” I want some Shakespeare. Think how much more sophisticated we’d feel if we heard, “Thou art a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy worsted-stocking knave.” 

The Election: There is little that has not already been said about the election, so other than noting that I’m encouraged, relieved, and a bit surprised at the generally healthy way the country is moving through this, I will limit my comments to this reminder. In I Timothy 2, we are instructed to pray for rulers and all who have authority. “Pray… so that we can live quiet and peaceful lives—lives full of devotion to God and respect for him.” 

LBRIA (Long But Read it Anyway): Even before Barbara Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible popularized the idea that missionaries were clueless colonialists sewing hate and oppression, many academics taught as much. Imagine their surprise when Dr. Robert Woodberry showed that the opposite is true—i.e., “that areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy and higher educational attainment (especially for women).” In short, Woodberry shows that the best way to have a flourishing democracy today is to build a time machine in order to send a Christian missionary to it back in the 19^th century. You are free to read his report—“The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy”—in American Political Science Review. But I’d recommend you start with Christianity Today’s report about it. 

Without Comment: 1) Per this Atlantic article, the dining room is being replaced by larger kitchens and greater great rooms, mostly because eating has become “less sacred and more of a solo sport.” 2) There is reason to believe a revival is afoot in Iran, with as many as 1.2M people coming to faith in Christ. 3) With DJT returning to office, I’m hearing we’ll be hearing a lot about Chevron—the SCOTUS’s recent decision to dis-empower the administrative state; 4) Because we don’t have near the electricity AI will require, big tech is agitating for—and investing in—nuclear energy. 5) Most Americans think crime is getting worse when the trend has been mostly down since the late 1990s. 6) Since the last election, the 3.5M Americans who moved did so in ways that made R neighborhoods more R and D neighborhoods more D; and 7) The percentage of Americans who give to charity has declined from about 67% in 2000 to 46.9% in 2020.

Overheard: 1) Most Americans think that peace is the norm. History suggests otherwise. 2) Modern medicine is to death what a comb-over is to a balding scalp. It may shield reality for a time. But at some point, the comb-over is no more than a monument to the power of baldness. 3) We will not turn our plunging birth rate around until we beat back the sexual revolution. 4) One of the problems with education today is that children are being shaped by educational philosophies younger than they are. 5) Christians do not think their way out of a faith crisis; they repent their way out. 6) Power doesn't always corrupt, but it always reveals; and 7) In the 10th Federalist paper, Madison argues that what kills a republic is factions. 

WOTW: Honorable mention goes to a bevy of election-adjacent terms: ungovernable, landslide counties, voter fatigue, nauseously optimistic, optimism gap, sociotropic voting, and negative partisanship. Full honors go to stan, a social media term developed by Eminem, which refers “to a highly devoted and fully invested fan.” (We are called to be disciples of Jesus, not fans. But should you be a stan for anyone, make it him.) 

Quotes Worth Requoting: “When you want to hide is actually when you have the greatest need for community.” John Ortberg. 

Resources: In this episode of Beneath the Headlines, I interview Glen Scrivener, an Australian writer, pastor, and apologist, about his wonderful book, The Air We Breathe, which I highly recommend. It’s his exploration of how modern Western values—e.g., human rights, equality, progress, and compassion—are deeply rooted in Christian thought and tradition.

Closing Prayer: My Father, gird me still with your presence, both by day and by night. By day, teach me to remember my weakness, and by night tell me where lies my strength. By day point me down to Gethsemane, and by night lead me up to the mount of transfigured glory. By day show me the burden, and by night reveal to me the crown, so shall my days and nights be girded about with you. George Matheson (1842-1906)

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