The pace of change

We can sometimes be bewildered by the speed at which the world changes, and new ideas and fashions take root.

In the West there has been a headlong plunge towards identity politics, and a promotion of ideologies of sexuality and gender which seemed unthinkable just one or two decades ago. At the turn of the millennium it was ‘normal’ to talk of two genders, and of marriage between one man and one woman. Now the new ‘normal’ is very different.

Less than 50 years ago Newsweek printed an alarming scientific report warning of an impending ice age. Scientists were wringing their hands at the inaction of politicians in the face of this crisis, and were urging the stockpiling of food; some suggested melting the ice caps by covering them with soot. There was concern that laypeople (i.e. non-scientists) were not taking the issue seriously enough (Newsweek, 28 April 1975). Yet today we are told that it is global warming which is the problem.

The political world swings even more quickly. It was only a few months ago when the whole nation was weary of a Conservative government and longing for an election. But already the new Labour government is mired in controversy and accusations of impropriety. Since a landslide victory in July there has been a precipitous decline in their popularity, and a recent poll suggests that two thirds believe that they will lose the next election.

These rapid changes in public mood and popular convictions might trouble us, particularly when there is a decisive turn away from Biblical truth and the gospel. But it is a reminder that we should not be too easily swept away by the latest trends and ideas. The apostle Paul speaks of the ‘foolishness’ of this present age. Rejecting the truth of God, and sometimes rejecting any notions of objective truth in the realm of God’s created order or morality, we should not be surprised that the world thrashes around from one idea to the next looking in vain for some satisfactory way of making sense of the world and trying to give life a sense of direction and of purpose.

And we should not give up hope. The mark of the faithful is to see the world through the lens of the promises of God. Such were the pioneers of the modern missionary movement, like William Carey who seemed crazy, even to some of his own denomination. But he believed that India was not doomed to dwell forever in the perpetual darkness of idolatry and ungodliness. As he went forward in faith, extraordinary gospel progress was made and the seeds of cultural change were planted, even in his lifetime.

‘Humanly speaking’, the spiritual situation of our nation looks bleak. But we are not those who think and speak according to human wisdom. With the eyes of faith, we are to take hold of the promises and believe that the Lord can yet do mighty things in our day. Revival can change a culture and a nation, as we have seen in former centuries. And it can happen very quickly. We need to start praying with faith, that very soon the tide will turn, and we will look back in perhaps just a few years’ time marvelling at how suddenly the landscape has been transformed.