James M. Kushiner
It is often said, Politics is downstream from culture. This is sometimes true, but not when revolution is in the air. When a society s political leaders are engaged in what they perceive as cultural transformation, then intense political action activism, propaganda, legislation, suppression of resistance is turned against the old traditional culture. For many, obsession with politics has become culture. In this climate of political obsession, secularization, and moral decline, Christians are urged by some to stay in the political fight to make a difference or stem the tide, and by others to withdraw from or ease up on politics because politics is downstream from culture. Change the culture first, and politics will follow. Those making either appeal may be genuinely alarmed at where society seems to be heading, but disagree on remedies, which are not always easy or clear.
I
n this horrible year 2020, many are wondering what the New Normal will be. Some are anxious about an imminent Great Reset, which would be, it seems, a sinister global and ungodly New Normal.
When a society eschews direction from Above, it might, for example, systematically remove the Ten Commandments from courthouses. Or it might deny that church services are in any way essential to the nation during a pandemic. Apparently, the New Normal is systemic secularism.
Systemic secularism was given a boost when commercialism claimed the last vestige of sacred time, the Lord s Day. A sea-change took place with, among other things, the opening of shopping malls on Sunday, and now with the internet, buying and selling takes place 24/7.