What Happened to Culture?

Culture is fragile. Culture is shakeable. Culture is constantly shifting. And for many, hope is found in this culture. 

The results of the election caused much despair and fear, which is understandable. After an incredibly polarizing campaign, anger and disappointment was inevitable, regardless of result. And now, the spotlight on culture has brightened, exposing the vast brokenness of humanity.

This is not about making a political stance. This is not about dismissing legitimate fear and grieving. It is acknowledging that we have a divided nation because we have forgotten how to listen. Maybe unity can be found in grieving for our culture at large.

WE ARE A CULTURE THAT…

… not only has a racial and socio-economic divide, but also a generational, geographic, and worldview divide. 

… tends to build walls and pick up battle gear more than build bridges and try to understand.

… isolates itself by only accessing opinions that agree with ours.

… believes every story and opinion has immense value, unless we disagree with it.

… creates two extreme camps for each issue, one right and one wrong, which eliminates respectful and loving dialogue in the middle. 

… loves without truth, and proclaims truth without love.

… proclaims God agrees more with our stance than the other side, damaging how people view God.

… believes our compassion for a certain demographic is more important than another’s compassion for a different demographic.

… believe that the best way to solve a disagreement is to share an opinion even louder, without thinking about the impact.

… puts way too much hope in a system or people to solve our greatest desires. 

And this is just a snapshot, a tip of the iceberg when it comes to brokenness. This is merely the pain that is shining this week. Overall, we are a culture that believes morality is subjective, truth is shifting, and God is distant.

People are hurting. People are confused. People are longing for something that will satisfy their deepest stirrings, and yet do not know how to find it. People are clinging to temporal things to solve eternal questions.

We are more convinced than ever on the vitality of Theodyssey. We exist to sit with the broken and hurting, offering hope, love, and freedom. We exist to fight for the God-given value in every person, sharing the truth of their identity as an unconditionally loved child of God. We exist to reveal a God who is adamant about protecting our greatest joys. We exist to give people hope in a loving Savior, in an unshakeable Kingdom much bigger than our current reality.

Our culture needs to process their distorted views of themselves and God in order to experience the life they were created for. 

We exist for a time like this. 

Join us in listening. Join us in bringing truth, love, compassion, and courage to those around us. We cannot do it without you.