I BEG TO DIFFER
Here’s a graf to get your heart pumping on an early Monday morning:
“The leading thinkers of the British and American Enlightenments hoped that life in a modern democratic order would shift the focus of Christianity from a faith-based reality to a reality-based faith. American religion is moving in the opposite direction today, back toward the ecstatic, literalist and credulous spirit of the Great Awakenings. Its most disturbing manifestations are not political, at least not yet. They are cultural. The fascination with the ‘end times,’ the belief in personal (and self-serving) miracles, the ignorance of basic science and history, the demonization of popular culture, the censoring of textbooks, the separatist instincts of the home-schooling movement — all these developments are far more worrying in the long term than the loss of a few Congressional seats.
3 Responses to “I BEG TO DIFFER”
 Comment by Anonymous June 6th, 2005 at 5:47 pm |
I beg to differ as well, Daryl. I think Prof. Mark Lilla’s NY Times article and the comments from the blogger who quoted him wildly miss the mark on many evangelical beliefs and practices. Lilla didn’t get much right in his article about conservative Christians, so I wouldn’t expect him to pigeon-hole homeschoolers’ motives correctly either. (Is it even possible to pigeon-hole homeschoolers?) 🙂 |
 Comment by Ian Lewis June 6th, 2005 at 10:10 pm |
Actually, I thought that the one phrase “…separatist instincts of the home-schooling movement…” was a complement. Just take a look at what Home Schoolers are looking to seperate from. Our Founding Fathers were a bunch of seperatists as well, and I like them too. |
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Comment by Anne in Ore June 7th, 2005 at 12:33 am |
I lived next door to a Jr High that was nicknamed after a jail. You can’t do too much demonizing of popular culture to suit me, and I’m not the slightest bit embarrassed about it even though I live in Western Oregon, where relative truth reigns everywhere, even most churches. I’m not embarrassed to separate from other people whenever I need to, I was raised that way. Whenever I was with people who were drinking and driving or using drugs I was told to separate from them. Now when ever I see people who think their kids are learning a lot in public school, I give them a wide birth. |