As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“The [Pew Research] study further divides the end-times believers into two groups: those who believe Jesus will return to Earth someday and the world situation will worsen until then (14% of Americans) and everyone else who believes these are the end times (25%).” - Lifeway
“Several million people did not randomly, suddenly have several million individual changes of heart in the space of 40-odd years. Kudos to Bullivant for his cultural history, summarized in six clear statements at the end of the chapter.” - CToday
“2022 saw a 1740% increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year.” - Merriam-Webster
“26% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats – say large corporations have a positive effect” on the country. - Pew
In these strange new “perilous times” (2 Tim. 3:1), it takes an awful lot to shock us. An unexpected trend has emerged, however, that is so unthinkably disturbing that we hate to even fathom it. It involves pushing a random stranger down onto subway tracks, or even in front of an oncoming train.
If more evidence were needed for the depraved nature of man, I am not sure where it could come from. But this is not mere depravity—it is a form of debauchery and degradation that only occurs in the final stages of cultural descent.
“Views of the impact of same-sex marriage on society are largely unchanged since 2019. However, there has been a dramatic increase in public support for same-sex marriage over the past two decades.” - Pew
“…many Christians agree abstractly that the Lamb should come first, but then say, in essence, ‘The Lamb is riding on the elephant’ or ‘The Lamb is trotting next to the donkey.’” - Marvin Olasky
“…most Americans experience positive emotions when sitting in a church building, reporting they feel ‘peaceful’ (47%) ‘connected to God’ (42%), ‘safe’ (40%), ‘welcomed’ (39%), ‘comforted’ and ‘hopeful’ (37% each).” - Barna Research
“Augustine doesn’t assess isolated trends within late Roman culture. Instead, he engages with deep structures and fundamental assumptions: the culture’s virtues as well as its vices, its piety as well as its philosophy, its political environment as well as its popular entertainment.” - TGC
“(77%) say that churches and other houses of worship should not endorse candidates for political offices. Two-thirds (67%) say that religious institutions should keep out of political matters rather than expressing their views on day-to-day social or political questions” - Pew
Discussion