We live in the Avalanche Age. Each day we’re buried beneath mammoth piles of information. Torrents of snow, rock and debris plummet toward us in a never-ending cycle of news, media, social media and information, not to mention the trivial bits of pop culture and celebrity worship.
For the average human being, with the responsibilities of job, education, home and family, it’s simply impossible to take it all in. There aren’t enough hours in the day to be properly informed, with primary sources and thorough personal study and thought.
With our over-scheduled lives we increasingly abdicate, in one area or another, allowing others to do the work for us. Housework? A quick call to Miracle Maids and we can mark that task off our to-do list!
Enter identity religion. Information surges toward us, requiring considerable study in order to reach a Biblical conclusion. Lacking time, we surrender our responsibility and allow others to process the information for us. We jump on the identity religion bandwagon which most resembles…us!
Take, for example, Beth Moore. Evangelicalism certainly doesn’t lack for opinions of Mrs. Moore and her teaching. This post is not an apologetic for her, but having said that, I would wager that few of her critics have devoted considerable time to in-depth, personal study of Moore’s material. I suspect that many criticisms are based on hearsay, internet memes and snippets of video which are then circulated. Some of us take the easy route by abdicating to the view of a bully pulpit blogger.
Because of this trend, there is a tendency to dismiss with a broad brush any concern which might have the slightest ring of social justice. Because we have taken up positions in our various identity camps we sometimes mistakenly dismiss actual sin as whiny SJW rubbish.
“Who said that? Well no wonder! He’s a Liberal Elite Egalitarian! You can’t listen to a thing he says!” –or– “Give me a break! With that Fundy ‘Murica crowd everyone’s a heretic! Ignore them!”
When we embrace identity religion, we effectively abdicate our Biblical responsibility. This dulls our ability to reason and discern. We cling to those with whom we agree, rather than clinging to what is right. – 1 Timothy 6:11.
Rather, let us be like Joshua. “Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” – Joshua 5:13-14
Jules Diner 