The Old Normal

That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:15

The New Normal came and went while comfort ruled our lives. Now, in our discomfort, we’re back to the real normal. The Bible and the history books have already answered nearly all of our questions. “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) History repeats itself and if we discard the lessons of the past, the LORD’s unchanging truth will confront us. There is no basis for complaints that the Spirit has not already warned us against - the LORD will call the past to account in our present circumstances and show us what we ought to have learned.

The last four generations of Americans have lived in relative peace and prosperity and hard times only affected certain persons and regions. While some suffered, others prospered. Historically, that is not normal. Large-scale dis-ease and struggles for survival are more common than ease and abundance. Now, as we face a pandemic, shortages, inflation, discord, and more, it feels unprecedented and unjust. Ironically, our children and grandchildren are far better suited to adapt to the old normal than we are. We are like mid-millennial (BC) Israel and Judah at the height of their prestige and prosperity. The prophets cried out unheeded and the people forgot the One who made them a great nation while they worshiped their comfort and ignored the marginalized and needy in their lands. Divided, they despised each other because of differing ideologies and a subsequent cold coexistence ensued. 

The saying, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” is so often quoted that its origin is obscured. The saying’s proverbial nature accounts for its frequent use and yet, multitudes ignore its benefits in every generation. Ancient Rome and Great Britain serve as good historical examples for Americans. Edward Gibbon’s classic work, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” demonstrates how the nation changed from a republic to an empire, and collapsed due largely to debauchery, greed, pride, and self-worship. Rome followed upon the heels of Greece as a nation devoted to idols and humanism. Popular culture esteemed youth and beauty while ignoring and disrespecting elder wisdom. Feelings held more sway than facts as the people craved and cultivated violence and cultic sensuality. 

At the heights of its glory, Britain could boast, “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” That state emerged as an island of tribes fought and ultimately unified against common enemies to form a commonwealth ordered by a supreme monarchy. Unlike the Romans, Christianity and Judaism heavily influenced Britain’s ideals. Church history in the British Isles is a topic for another occasion, but Judaism’s effects fit this context. Catholic Christianity for all the world served as a popular motivation for exploration and dominion, but basic fiscal needs and commerce drove Britania to rule the seas. Jewish entrepreneurs and shrewd Christian business people saw the need for a global economy and believed it would be most prosperous under British rule. We can reasonably conclude that, while imperfect and often corrupted, the Christian monarchy of Britain was successful. Judeo-Christian virtue affected civilized peoples and the pagan natives they conquered, even without religious fervor. It was the culture of America’s founders - not always ideally Christian, but rooted in biblical morality. 

Great Britain still stands despite much suffering and its gradual decline as an empire. To her credit, some decrease was because of the nation’s willingness to release subject lands to rule themselves. Britain’s influence and dominance in the global economy it helped to create has receded substantially. One cannot help but notice that the 20th century saw rapid secularization and humanism in the great Commonwealth, especially after WWI. Britain sustained horrible losses in France and Belgium and raised a subsequent generation of disillusioned agnostics and atheists. The Great War’s impact was such that the nation’s Remembrance Day wearing of poppies, which is an allusion to the blood spilled in the battlefields where the flowers grew. The Godless brutality of the Germans and the exponential carnage of a truly mechanized war that included horrific chemical weapons caused young men and their loved ones to question the LORD's authority and the nation’s ability to make the world better in the LORD’s Name.

America’s trial by fire came in the Second World War. Justified by self-protection and self-righteousness, the sleeping giant arose and vanquished its foes at a substantial cost. Note: The Soviet Union was mainly responsible for the defeat of NAZI Germany and subsequently arose as a world power. After delivering its own horrific weapons of mass destruction, America returned lands and government to conquered peoples but maintained tight control and cultivated their dependence upon U.S. support. The Cold War began as the American ideology morphed into a kind of pseudo-Christian morality. The government grew exponentially and cultivated greater dependency from its citizens, too. 

Subsequent generations gravitated away from the American ideal and Judeo-Christian morality for many of the same reasons as the post-World War I Britains. One can surmise that America finished the second half of the 20th century, much like Britain at the end of the first half. It appears, to me anyway, that we are starting the 21st century, aspiring to be a form of the late Roman Empire at the worst and the late British Empire at best. 

What does this have to do with our shared Christian journey? First, we must consider the extent to which we are personally liable for ignoring the past. It’s not my intention to make you, beloved of God, feel guilt, shame, or anguish. Rather, I like critical thinking exercises and hope to encourage you to join me. Questions we should strive to answer are about how to thrive, as Christians did in past times of upheaval. How do we Christian Believers accept dis-ease and embrace its opportunities for courageous testimony? How do we offer hope and help to another disheartened generation? What can we learn from the past for the sake of the future, and what should we release to the dust? What if accepting historical precedents means giving up our anger and bitterness, resentment and disgust? If America is no longer what it was in the late 20th century, what can Christians do as a minority subculture often perceived as subversive? Can we win souls by presenting Christ the King instead of broken religion? What if we stop worshiping the American-Christian ideology and return to Christ’s Kingdom and worship Him? Can the love of Christ within us and the work of the Holy Spirit spark a new thing in us and in our communities?