Liberal individualism…

I have nearly completed my C.S. Lewis re-reading adventure and have injected a new book into the mix as I take a mental break from Lewis. So much for the mental break.

Pastor Rich Nathan, last week, taught on the predominant worldview of “emerging adults,” which is something called “liberal individualism.” Emerging adults, in case you’re not familiar with the term, is another “category” we’ve created not unlike my parents generation created the category “teenager.” My grandpa had no need for such a category as he went from single digits to “buck up.” Funny, huh.

The first 70 pages describe emerging adults (18-29 year olds) as being morally adrift, hence the title of the book, Lost in Transition. The piercing part, since I have three children in said category, is that the author creates a fairly compelling argument as to the root causes…

You and me. Me no likee.

I turned to the second chapter, hoping for some relief and was greeted by an old friend. A dead French guy, and a stinging quote from the 1600’s. I think I’m going to go back to Lewis sooner than I had planned, Rich. Your recommendations are making me uncomfortable, what’s up with that!

Here’s Pascal from page 70…

“The only thing that consoles us for our miseries is distraction, yet that is the greatest of our wretchednesses. Because that is what mainly prevents us from thinking about ourselves and leads us imperceptibly to damnation. Without it we should be bored, and boredom would force us to search for a firmer way out, but distraction entertains us and leads us imperceptibly to death.”

What worldview are your children learning from you?

What alignment are you working on to close down your own integrity gaps?

What is the basis for your moral code. Is it from yourself, your parents, your hardwiring, your culture, or from something beyond, before, and bigger than you?

I’ve got some REAL, HARD, WORK to do…