OPINION:
Just above the main entrance of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, an iconic office building and home of the NBC television network, hangs an architectural relief from another time, and in more ways than one.
Created by the sculptor Lee Lawrie in the early 1930s, the Art Deco-styled display depicts a man with calipers parting the clouds of ignorance. Beneath him, in all capital letters, we read the words from the Old Testament’s book of Isaiah: “Wisdom and Knowledge Shall Be the Stability of Thy Times.”
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Few would argue that we’re living in uneven days, and while sin’s ever-present sting is part of the reason why, the increasing absence of wisdom – God’s point of view – is another key ingredient in culture’s collapse.
“Wisdom is the principal thing, get wisdom,” wrote Solomon. “And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
People pursue many things these days, including all the classic vices from money to power to sex, but rarely do they reach for prudence and savvy, hallmarks of good judgment. But then again, why should they?
SEE ALSO: Is it fair to say because Jesus didn’t mention homosexuality, he was for it?
I’m reminded of what the late Chuck Colson once told me: “You don’t get angry at a blind man for stepping on your foot.”
Listen to the ReFOCUS with Jim Daly podcast, where Jim digs deep and asks the hard questions to help you share Christ’s grace, truth and love.
Culture is full of metaphorical blindness, individuals raised without both a mother and father modeling life, never seeing what it means to have a healthy relationship. They may hear of God or see caricatures of faith in culture, but they don’t know who Jesus is and what He did for them.
My heart breaks when I survey the chaos in the culture, so much of which is self-inflicted, incited by ignorance and inflamed by the absence of meaning and purpose in an individual’s life.
June’s annual focus on “Pride Month” brings the subject of sexual confusion front and center each year. In fact, more and more young people, especially girls, are experiencing gender confusion. Ten years ago, the prevalence of transgenderism in children was 0.1% in the United States. It’s now between 2 and 3% – an increase of 4,000%.
Media will often portray this rise as a good thing, of a person breaking free from bondage, becoming the man or woman they were always meant to be. In reality, it reflects a painful, tortured, devastating and chaotic journey. Despair, anxiety and depression are common within the transgender community.
Over these last few years, I’ve spoken with many who have deeply regretted attempts to “transition” from one gender to the other. The process required the surgical mutilation of their bodies.
Many of these individuals believed their transitioning to a different gender was their salvation from confusion and struggle. Thankfully, many later discovered their salvation was in Jesus Christ alone.
Ironically, directly in front of the entrance at 30 Rock, opposite the call for “Wisdom,” stand dozens of rainbow flags ringing the famed plaza. Of course, the flags are a nod to June’s designation as “Pride Month.” Although many strongly disagree, God’s plan and point of view represent the best path towards wisdom – not the celebration of an identity that runs contrary to His Word.
The sexual revolution has brought chaos. God’s ways bring peace and orderliness.
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Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family and host of its daily radio broadcast, heard by more than 6 million listeners a week on nearly 2,000 radio stations across the U.S. He also hosts the podcast ReFocus with Jim Daly.
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