Cultural Values

I love reading the gospels and seeing how Jesus really blasted the cultural idols of the day. They had a low view of marriage -- even the devout pharisees did -- and Jesus challenged that value. They had a very high view of family loyalty, and Jesus challenged that value. They had a high view of public piety, and Jesus challenged that value. And on and on it went, with Jesus pointing them away from their current value systems that were so ingrained in their minds and hearts, and toward a very different value system.

I wonder what Jesus would say to "evangelicals" or "conservative Christians" if He were talking to us the way He was able to talk to the pharisees of His day? Which of our values are held at the expense of really "losing our lives" to follow what matters to Jesus, here and now? But we are so entrenched in our commitment to our "conservative Christian" culture that we perceive any attack on it as evil. I am sure the Pharisees felt the same way!

May I have enough confidence in my relationship with Jesus that I stand firm through the shaking of our community that He may want to bring about. And may we all have divine discretion to be capable of hearing TRUTH as TRUTH and error as error -- even when the errors are embedded in the way we view life.