Comments on: The Greatest Sin of the American Culture http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/ Standing in the Gap in a Society that's Warring with God. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:31:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: MInTheGap http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81042 MInTheGap Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:03:17 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81042 @Arthur Eiss: Speak for yourself-- you can have the dogs! You're main point is pretty much on target, though. My dad's church sends a group down to Haiti every year to help construction on a school and each year those that come back are changed. Pictures are not powerful enough to really make people understand what it's like to live in those places, but pictures of goodies that we can have are powerful enough to make us covet. I noticed this when we went from no television to basic cable. Up until that point there were no commercials, but once the kids started seeing commercials they said "What's this? Where's my show?" and then they started telling us about the "cool" stuff they saw. We really have to be careful about our media exposure. @Arthur Eiss: Speak for yourself– you can have the dogs!

You’re main point is pretty much on target, though. My dad’s church sends a group down to Haiti every year to help construction on a school and each year those that come back are changed. Pictures are not powerful enough to really make people understand what it’s like to live in those places, but pictures of goodies that we can have are powerful enough to make us covet.

I noticed this when we went from no television to basic cable. Up until that point there were no commercials, but once the kids started seeing commercials they said “What’s this? Where’s my show?” and then they started telling us about the “cool” stuff they saw.

We really have to be careful about our media exposure.

]]> By: Arthur Eiss http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81035 Arthur Eiss Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:38:08 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81035 I was in Bible Study with a Missionary couple who had spent 20 years in Kenya. They said that the families who brought their children with them to Kenya from the USA had told them that their children, while in the USA used to ask for many expensive presents for Christmas, but upon living in Kenya amongst the poor, they asked for very modest gifts for Christmas. I pointed out the flaw in our guidebook to our Bible study on the topic of materialism: "materialism." My point is that materialism is not the sin, it's covetousness. Those children didnt really want a Nintendo Wii, they just wanted what they saw their peers in posession of. They coveted what those around them had, just as we adults covet large houses with central air, two dogs, an in-ground pool, expensive vacation packages, big flat-screen HDTVs, tiny iPods, Blackberries with webaccess, high fashion, and the rest. We don't particularly desire these things for their inherent value or virtue, we desire them because someone else has them. If nobody had those things around us, we would not desire them. If you are someone who likes to take expensive vacations, I challenge you: make you next trip to Haiti, and don't stay in a luxurious hotel or home, stay in the home of a humble and poor family, or a Church or an orphanage. Try living amongst the poor we Christians profess to love. It might just be the most valuable, enjoyable, and edifying vacation you ever took. www.arthureiss.com (Google Ron Paul!) Arthur Eisss last blog post..<a href="http://www.arthureiss.com/?p=32">Ron Paul</a> I was in Bible Study with a Missionary couple who had spent 20 years in Kenya. They said that the families who brought their children with them to Kenya from the USA had told them that their children, while in the USA used to ask for many expensive presents for Christmas, but upon living in Kenya amongst the poor, they asked for very modest gifts for Christmas. I pointed out the flaw in our guidebook to our Bible study on the topic of materialism: “materialism.”

My point is that materialism is not the sin, it’s covetousness. Those children didnt really want a Nintendo Wii, they just wanted what they saw their peers in posession of. They coveted what those around them had, just as we adults covet large houses with central air, two dogs, an in-ground pool, expensive vacation packages, big flat-screen HDTVs, tiny iPods, Blackberries with webaccess, high fashion, and the rest.

We don’t particularly desire these things for their inherent value or virtue, we desire them because someone else has them. If nobody had those things around us, we would not desire them.

If you are someone who likes to take expensive vacations, I challenge you: make you next trip to Haiti, and don’t stay in a luxurious hotel or home, stay in the home of a humble and poor family, or a Church or an orphanage. Try living amongst the poor we Christians profess to love. It might just be the most valuable, enjoyable, and edifying vacation you ever took.

http://www.arthureiss.com (Google Ron Paul!)

Arthur Eisss last blog post..Ron Paul

]]> By: MInTheGap http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81030 MInTheGap Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:32:43 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81030 @Robin: Right, and Paul goes even further to say that we should take care to watch out for things that may not be that bad that can hinder us. Thanks for your kind words. @Robin: Right, and Paul goes even further to say that we should take care to watch out for things that may not be that bad that can hinder us.

Thanks for your kind words.

]]> By: Robin http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81029 Robin Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:17:01 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81029 I agree! Only, I think I would term it "self-indulgence." Paul tells us to discipline our bodies (which includes our emotions). Instead, we would rather indulge them. Great blog. I agree! Only, I think I would term it “self-indulgence.” Paul tells us to discipline our bodies (which includes our emotions). Instead, we would rather indulge them.

Great blog.

]]> By: MInTheGap http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81019 MInTheGap Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:05:00 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81019 @MamaArcher: So true. I think all too often our prayers are "Lord bless my plans," "Lord grant me this," or the like. We expect God to do things for us and to bless what we have in mind. We have a transactional model with God-- where we believe that we can do a few things for God and He can do a few things for us. The reality is that God is actively at work and wants to work with us-- but we must obey Him. @MamaArcher: So true. I think all too often our prayers are “Lord bless my plans,” “Lord grant me this,” or the like. We expect God to do things for us and to bless what we have in mind. We have a transactional model with God– where we believe that we can do a few things for God and He can do a few things for us.

The reality is that God is actively at work and wants to work with us– but we must obey Him.

]]> By: MamaArcher http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81015 MamaArcher Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:27:05 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81015 To often we search for our contentment in the wrong places. Only God working in our lives can bring about real contentment and too often we are praying that he will grant us our desires rather asking him to grant us contentment with what he has already blessed us with! MamaArchers last blog post..<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MamaarchersBlog/~3/314644420/water-water-water.html">Water Water Water</a> To often we search for our contentment in the wrong places. Only God working in our lives can bring about real contentment and too often we are praying that he will grant us our desires rather asking him to grant us contentment with what he has already blessed us with!

MamaArchers last blog post..Water Water Water

]]> By: MInTheGap http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81003 MInTheGap Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:36:43 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81003 @Valerie: Yes, I received your e-mail. Thank you so much! I'm in the process of reading it, and as you requested, I'll review it when I'm done. @Valerie: Yes, I received your e-mail. Thank you so much! I’m in the process of reading it, and as you requested, I’ll review it when I’m done.

]]> By: Valerie http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-81002 Valerie Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:12:28 +0000 http://www.minthegap.com/2008/06/14/the-greatest-sin-of-the-american-culture/#comment-81002 Hello. I was checking to see if you had received my e-book "Homeschooling With Encouragement" through an e-mail I sent on Saturday. If you have not, please let me know. Valerie Valeries last blog post..<a href="http://weblinkeducation.com/2008/06/to-help-new-homeschool-mom.html">To Help The New Homeschool Mom</a> Hello. I was checking to see if you had received my e-book “Homeschooling With Encouragement” through an e-mail I sent on Saturday. If you have not, please let me know.

Valerie

Valeries last blog post..To Help The New Homeschool Mom

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