I remember “when.” The world in which I was raised never assumed that everyone would know everything, all the time… with updates coming instantly and constantly. Most people subscribed to the local newspaper, which landed in the driveway near days-end every day, except on the weekend, when it appeared in the morning. The “nightly news” hit about 11:00p, with the opportunity to hear what the papers had invited us to read. 

“When” has been upended by our modern connectivity; crises from down-the-street to around-the-world are blasted to the four-winds, with “comments” below the articles allowing for mere mortals to weigh-in on what they feel about what’s just happened. How are we supposed to process all of that digitized mayhem in any meaningful manner?

Most of us don’t have the time or the bandwidth to process the myriad of situations as fresh data. Instead, we engage with commentators or aggregators who claim objectivity but – most often – manage to put some ideological spin on the raw facts in an effort to mobilize virtual movements – or, mobs – to respond in the moment. 

What most of us need is a reliable grid that allows us to assess the nature of the news and determine what meaning might be hiding behind the headlines. Do you just order those grids on Amazon? How does one come by that kind of assist in filtering the fallout from things that are happening – at warp speed – beyond our reach and out of our control? Thinking biblically is the challenge, but we who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ are capable of confronting that challenge, head-on. How so?

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” — 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

People who have heard and responded to the Gospel are now real-deal Christians, headed for Heaven someday based on the grace of God and the forgiveness that was purchased in blood by Jesus, on the Cross. The simplistic assumption is that all of us who are now children of God would be “in the know,” right? Did we supernaturally receive a biblical worldview as part of the salvation package?

I met George Barna nearly 40 years ago; we were both finding our way into our respective Kingdom Calling lanes. His service to the faith has become extraordinary: he is regularly assessing and diagnosing the beliefs and practices of all Americans, and the subset of our countrymen who claim the same position with Jesus that we confidently hold.

Do your own homework on this one: use your preferred search engine and put the key terms into play: Barna/research/annual survey/biblical worldview. Give yourself some time to download and skim what you’ll find. The shocker that should be no surprise: 45% of all American adults claim to be “born again,” but when beliefs are evaluated against a biblical baseline, only 4% align with Scripture.

I’m zeroing-in on a challenge: how are you processing what’s happening – right now – in the Middle East? Israel is in the vortex of a maelstrom; Iran represents an existential threat to the region, and the world. Political views run the gambit regarding the appropriate responses to these threats. How should we – as Christians – be processing these challenges? Where does all of this fit in Bible-terms?

Your summer might include some time for meaningful reading. Before you leave, get your on-line order in for a copy of Max Lucado’s new book, What Happens Next?

Fess up: how savvy are you about what we most often refer to as “The End Times?” If I gave you a placemat and a pen, how would you describe what God – through the Bible – says about the real-time road ahead? 

My personal peace – in the face of daunting circumstances on a global front – is sure, and my ability to influence the outlook of people around me is great because I have a solid grasp of where we are and where we’re going, and the inevitability of what’s going to be happening on the way to There.

Order Max’s book. If it doesn’t inject some holy hope into your soul, send me the bill. 

Bob Shank

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