The spirit of the age increasingly endorses Socialism as the preferable economic system, Marxism as the preferable overarching grand narrative of the flow of history, and ideological uniformity and its variants such as “Neo-Marxism,” “Cultural Marxism” and others as effective tools for social transformation and economic equity, but the Spirit of God says humans have been given a responsibility to manage God’s resources and gifts well, are called to exercise compassionate care for the poor, and presents the Grand Story of Redemption and Restoration as the true overarching grand narrative for the flow of history. In part 7 of Deciphering the Cultural Zeitgeist, Pastor Dan Cox reads from 1 John 3:11-18.
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Study Notes
Understanding the Text
- The Command to Love (3:11-13)
- The Proof of Life (3:14-15)
- The Proof of Love (3:16-18)
The Spirit of the Age Says…
- Socialism is the preferable economic system
Socialism is a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. In Marxist theory it is a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of Communism.
- Marxism is the preferable grand narrative of history
Marxism is the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism.
Communism is a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
- Ideological uniformity is an effective tool for social transformation and economic equity
My View…
Totalitarianism is a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.
The Spirit of God Says…
- God owns everything
- Humans have been given a responsibility to manage God’s resources well
- Humans are called to exercise compassionate care for the poor
- The Grand Story of Redemption and Restoration is the true grand narrative of history
Applying the Text
- Who do you think owns what?
- Do you manage what you have been given for the glory of God?
- Do you care for the poor?
- What Grand Narrative do you live by?