“If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.” ― Malcolm Muggeridge
Muggeridge said that over half a century ago. He did so from his perch in England as a journalist, author, satirist, and Christian. He was no prophet but his cultural observation was astute. Already he saw the power grab by some and the pleasure grab by many as biblical norms were discarded and culture was about to go adrift.
Now well into the 21st century the authoritative state and the sexual revolution have pillaged and raped for decades. And the current trajectory isn’t good.
A socialist is running for president and enjoying all kinds of Democrat support. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility Bernie could be our next president; after all, he’s offering all kinds of free goodies in exchange for freedom. And free goodies sell well to a populace where 40% of adults no longer work.
“Playboy” just announced that in a few months their magazine will no longer carry full nudes. Apparently, free online porn has stripped them of market share. They have to go back to their roots of scantily clad women in provocative poses next to all the “great” articles men through the years claimed was in the magazine—at least to their distraught wife who discovered “Miss October” under his pillow.
When you pull-up the anchor and sever all moorings, culture drifts. And what Muggeridge saw in the 20th century from a boat that was at the time only a few feet from the shore is nearing a place where there is no land in sight.
Have we any oars? We do and we need to start using them.
The church has some. So does the family. In future weeks I hope to develop this further. But certainly we can pray. We can and we must.
We live in troubling times. We are at a place where many think we are better off with less political, economic, and social freedoms—they think “Uncle Sam” and “Aunt Nannystate” are great providers. The dirty little secret though is that Sam and Nanny don’t have any money of their own. They have to steal it from others. They see themselves as Robin Hood but they’re really just the Sheriff of Nottingham.
And we live in perverse times. We are at a place where many think we are better off accepting and even glorying in all manner of sexual weirdness that is going on. The Emperor doesn’t have any clothes on but who will say so? We don’t want to hurt his feelings but dang he looks silly naked.
Muggeridge argued it will be one or the other—megalomania or erotomania. Maybe he did get it wrong. We may be on our way to both. Is Adolf Hefner in our future?
Pastor Rich Hamlin
October 21, 2015