We have been talking about paradigms here at Backyard Conversations for the past couple of posts. As we have learned, paradigms are a deal to be reckoned with! Too often the world in which we live and the information that insipiently comes to us creates a set of standards that can be suspect. Frankly, life stealing!

That being the case, maybe we should take a closer look at the paradigm that we here in America live in 365/24/7.

In 1985, Richard Foster wrote a profound exposé on the essential elements of the world we live in. It was entitled, Money, Sex and Power and the byline on it was “The Challenges of the Disciplined Life.”

I called Foster’ book an exposé, and it doesn’t seem to make sense that something so obvious as the influences of affluence, sexuality and coercion could somehow need to be exposed. They are right in front of us every day! How would it be possible to miss or underestimate their influence on our daily lives? But that is the conundrum of the ubiquitous ‘paradigm.’ Ever-present forces become invisible. The constant realities we live in become the norm. And then sadly, whatever is the norm becomes the moral ‘good.’ It is the argument every 13-year-old uses when trying to convince their parent that some suspicious behavior that they are seeking permission to do is ok . . .“But everyone I know is doing it!”

Foster told us what we already knew. That the forces of money, sex and power threaten to become dangerous distractions to a well lived life in Christ. He noted, and I agree, that money, sex, and power, in and of themselves, are not the problem. It is the misuse of money, sex, and power. He spoke of the light side of money as well as the dark side of money in his book. But what his book pointed out was that the world we live in has normalized the dark side of money, sex and power to such a point that evil seems good.

The Bible has somethings to say to a society that sees ‘evil’ as ‘good’ . . .

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

The prophet Isaiah spoke to these issues as well;

Isaiah 5:20-21
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

“Doing what is right in our own eyes” when what is before our eyes conforms to the world’s values instead of the values of the Kingdom of God is a formula for disaster. The wrongful pursuit of money typically yields to greed and jealousy. Sexual intimacy outside of a covenant heterosexual union is not only contrary to the design of God, but it also has disastrous consequences here on earth. The power to influence in order to engage a culture in justice, compassion and mercy is good. Coercive use of power to maintain raw control for personal pleasure or gain is sin.

Sorry Richard, it turns out that God warned us first. Mr. Foster, your book was brilliant (and is a top ten book to read on my Books to Read in a Lifetime list) but the Scriptures got the scoop on this story 2000 years ago. Jesus’ good friend and disciple John wrote to us in his old age with this same warning . . .

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh (read sexuality) and the desires of the eyes (read money) and pride of life (read power) is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The next time we are together here at Backyard Conversations we will dive a bit deeper as to how this Unholy Trinity of influences from the worldly paradigm we live in are distracting us from the goodness of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Let’s not miss out.

This is Dave Scherrer and you have found One Hundred-Fold Ministries.

Peace to you!