Generational Upheaval: Politics

**This is Part 3 of a series responding to "The Generation of Contrast," an article in the current issue of Relevant Magazine**

There is an undeniable shift going on in our culture today. Multiple generations are learning what it means to co-mingle and work together. The generation popularly termed "The Millennials" is increasingly gaining relevance and momentum in the world. We are in a very unique time period and I firmly believe that properly navigating this current balance and eventual complete shift between generations is the most important task we have on our plates today. Our goal is to continue to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven... a Kingdom whose citizens have no age or demographic. A Kingdom that invites all to join at the table, free from the weight of presupposition that we so often place around each others' necks. What I am trying to say is that in order for us to embrace a Kingdom of equality, we must learn about those presuppositions we all carry to the table. Here in this unique time period, a new generation is taking the helm and a distinct fear of the unknown has bubbled to the surface. As I mentioned at the start of this series, older generations are looking at these fresh faces and don't understand what they are seeing. As one of those fresh faces, beginning to take a role of leadership, I feel a certain responsibility to accurately represent my generation and help ease this transition. Fear of the unknown can be a powerful thing indeed, and so this series of articles is my attempt to shine light on just exactly who these twenty- and thirtysomethings are, with the intent of sowing seeds of trust among all who have been invited to the table.

The 2008 presidential election in the USA was like none that had come before. This generation, previously written off as apathetic towards politics, took an abrupt aboutface and engaged the process with more gusto than anyone could have predicted. While part of that was directly due to the success of the Obama campaign's embrace of social media and unconventional campaigning, the election nonetheless served as the coming out of a new type of voter that must be reckoned with: the young Christian. In my opinion, and from what I have observed from my friends and peers, the most important key to understanding our political beliefs is identifying the tension that exists on how Christians view the political process as a means to achieve moral or spiritual success in society. I think it is pretty safe to say that the tactics of the "Moral Majority" and the "Culture Wars" do not sit too well with young Christians. We see the intersection of religious views and political stances as a bit more complicated than perhaps previous generations of Christian voters did. To what extent should Christian beliefs influence public policy? That is a really good - and complicated - question to ask. While in the past, politicians pandered to the "Christian Right" and its rock hard stances on abortion and homosexuality, this new generation is coming out and saying that, well, it's a little more complicated than just a few issues can describe. Yes we are pro-life, but we are far less likely to have that issue be a deciding factor when it comes to choosing our candidate. Yes, we (for the most part) hold the belief that homosexuality is a sin, but we're not as certain that the government should legislate upon strictly religious beliefs. Personally, I believe my vote is precious and I will not give it away so easily to a politician that obviously panders to my religious beliefs. Instead, I want to give it to the candidate whose views I believe most align with the characteristics of the Kingdom of Heaven, because that is the reason I vote - to hasten its arrival.

Now, I must caution, especially in this series, against painting a broad brush. You simply cannot describe an entire generation using broad terminology and examples. There are exceptions to every rule. All I can do is interact with the facts and statistics (as presented in the Relevant article) and compare that with the picture of my generation that I see in my friends and peers. Having done that, this is what I have seen. Now there is an inherent danger of overcorrection here - running so far away from previous generations that we run right into the arms of the enemy. That is what happens when you choose to be reactionary in your politics. My hope is that instead of being reactionary to politicians and pundits, we may be reactionary to the gospel and objectively choose poltical candidates who will further the cause of Christ. That is our goal, and I'm excited to see where we go from here. 2012 will be a test for sure, but hopefully a test that is passed by all with flying colors.

The Social Network

I've been putting off this blog entry way too long. Perhaps it is because the subject is so deep and time-consuming to articulate, or perhaps it is because it hits a little too close to home. Regardless, get ready for a series of articles on the impact Facebook and social networking has on our culture.

I recently read an absolutely fascinating article in the most recent issue of Relevant Magazine by Shane Hipps. To give background, Shane is the author of one of my favorite books of the past several years, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture. While the book is admittedly a simple revisiting of the communication theory of Marshal McLuhan from the 1960's, it was one of those rare books that you feel come to the table and present something that is actually new, and that alone made it a worthy read. The basic premise of the book is to restate McLuhan's revolutionary thought for this generation: "The medium is the message." Often we hear pastors say the medium may change in this new age of technology but the message will always stay the same. Yeah, that carries some good sentimental value and it preaches well, but it's just plain not true.  Hipps looks at the history of the shifts in culture and technology and charts a very convincing course to illustrate his thesis.  Look at the advent of the printing press. This technological advance single-handedly changed Christian theology. Whereas before the Word dwelt exclusively in the hands of learned clergy, with the printing press it could now be freely distributed to all. This greatly impacted the communal nature of Christianity. In the past, faith had to be learned in community as the Word was passed orally down from the keeper of the Word.  With the printing press, though (accompanied by the advent of modernity), a new individualistic slant appeared in our faith. The Word became mobile and thus did not require a community to access. Fast forward today and apply that understanding to our new technologies.  Take the advent of projection lyrics for example. Worship becomes a much more communal act when people are no longer looking down at individual hymnals. They now all look together at one screen, thus uniting themselves in this act of worship. The medium is the message.

Hipps takes the fundamental logic behind this and applies it to Facebook in this article and his insights are quite revealing. I will be blogging about this for the next few days. You can check out the article here. Come back tomorrow to hear more about the impact Facebook and social networks have had on our level of narcissism.