As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“The video game industry especially fosters this by creating addictive virtual worlds, oftentimes filled with occultism, profanity, sensuality, triviality, and lurid violence. Gamers are rewarded for their distractibility, recklessness, greediness, and perversity, and they are encouraged to think of themselves as heroes for conquering fake substitute realities in a short period of time.” - ACCC
Resolutions Committee chair: “I believe that the best resolutions are the ones that seek to state Southern Baptist opinion and not shape Southern Baptist opinion…They help us to clearly articulate what we believe to our local congregations.” - BPNews
“Here are four lies to watch out for as we scroll. Lie #1: We should expect and prize dramatic results.” - TGC
Many Americans have welcomed 2022 by making New Year’s Resolutions. “A new year resolution,” according to one dictionary, “is a commitment that an individual makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous, and it’s done to improve [a person’s] wellbeing.”1 According to a recent study by Statista,2 the 10 most popular New Year’s resolutions are as follows (which I’ll list in reverse order):
“Resolutions have yielded a mixed bag of successes and flops over the course of Christian history.” - BPNews
“…more than 2 in 5 Americans (44%) say previous New Year’s resolutions have focused on their health. More than 1 in 4 say they’ve made resolutions on their relationship with God (29%), their finances (29%) or their relationship with a family member (26%).” - Lifeway
“Resolved by the messengers of the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, meeting together in regular conference June 28 to July 1, 2021, at Bethel Baptist Church in Schaumburg, Illinois.” - GARBC
Salt Lake City, Utah – 1998
WHEREAS, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 NAS); and
WHEREAS, Serious allegations continue to be made about moral and legal misconduct by certain public officials; and
“It’s a great time of the year for reflecting and looking ahead, but how do we do this with a sound biblical perspective?” - IFWE
This year my New Year’s Resolution is to celebrate New Year’s at a time more conducive to change and renewal—oh say, spring instead of the dark, dead of winter when I’m just coming off the sugar high of the holidays. Somehow I think we Gregorian calendar devotees have got this one all wrong.
Historically, New Year’s Day hasn’t always fallen on January first because our calendar hasn’t been a consistent entity. Factor in a few mythological gods, Roman emperors, and a pope or two. Add a dash of Protestant Reformation and you’ll find that in the past, the New Year occurred anywhere from January 1 to March 25. (Surprisingly, it wasn’t until 1752 that England and the American colonies began celebrating New Year’s on January 1st.) That’s nothing to say of the multiple cultures that celebrate it in recognition of their own calendars. And if you really want your head to spin, don’t forget all our dear southern hemisphere friends who experience the seasons opposite to us and whose Christmas and New Year’s celebrations include BBQs on the beach.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that, in my experience, making resolutions on January 1 is a bad idea.
Because there’s nothing particularly organic about celebrating the New Year this way. For most of us, it’s simply a function of the calendar and happens primarily because we’ve reached the end of the month and need to turn the page (or in my case, glue magnets on the back of my 2012 office-sized calendar from Target and stick it to the side of the refrigerator.) Think about it—there is no seasonal change or religious celebration that would motivate us to make resolutions; it’s simply a cultural obligation. Or, in my experience, the result of the guilt from eating too much, exercising too little and overspending in the last six weeks since Thanksgiving.
Discussion