Rex M Rogers - Discerning What Is Best

Discerning What Is Best
with Dr. Rex M. Rogers

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 20 January 2025

What can we learn from the Los Angeles area wildfires?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #188 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Undoubtedly many of us have been watching news reports and thinking about the horrific Los Angeles area wildfires. You have to go back to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that “eventually consumed roughly 3.3 square miles, killed up to 300 people and left 100,000 homeless” or the San Francisco Fire of 1906 in which “over 25,000 buildings were destroyed over 490 city blocks and 3,000 people died,” or the Hawaii fires of 2023 to find comparisons in the area affected and the number of homes and structures destroyed.

The Great Fire of London raced through the city during the Black Plague and destroyed over 13,000 homes, leaving 100,000 people homeless. And there are many other historic fires that destroyed entire cities, forcing survivors to work decades to rebuild. So, fire is nothing new, but in our modern age we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking such extensive, unstoppable power is somehow a thing of the past, that mass devastation can’t happen now, certainly not in Tinsel Town.

Then it happened.

I’ve been thinking about what’s lost and what can be salvaged or rebuilt. Obviously, loss of the lives of loved ones cannot be recovered. At this writing there are 27 lives lost and more than 12,300 structures destroyed.

“The ongoing fires could become the most expensive in terms of insured losses in California history, with analysts estimating that losses could approach $20bn.”

“Private forecaster AccuWeather estimates total damage and economic loss between $250bn and $275bn, which would make the LA fires the costliest natural disaster in US history, surpassing Hurricane Katrina in 2005.”

“Before the fires broke out, insurance groups such as State Farm and Allstate started cancelling home insurance policies in areas prone to fires. As of 2022, the Illinois-based State Farm was California’s largest insurer. In July 2024, it dropped about 1,600 policies for homeowners in Pacific Palisades, which meant 69.4 percent of its insurance policies in the county were not renewed.”

These actions did not take place simply because the insurer wanted to ditch California but because the state had previously capped the insurance premiums companies could charge, thus making the insurance an unprofitable proposition for the companies.

So, it remains to be seen if some families, particularly ones without considerable personal resources, will be left with no insurance or not enough insurance to replace their homes in the burned over communities. It’s another thing, too, even if they have insurance, whether families will want to rebuild in what are warzone neighborhoods bereft of trees and the shrubbery so prized for privacy. In addition, will families want to rebuild not knowing what the rebuilt neighborhood will look like, what the homes near them will be like, and in an area where businesses and amenities like parks, etc., do not exist.

My guess is that homes in Malibu, bordering Hwy-1 running alongside the Pacific Ocean will be the first to be rebuilt, for two reasons: one, these homes were nearly all multi-million-dollar residences and thus owned by families with substantial means, and two, the ocean beach is still there. Once cleanup takes place, Malibu will look like Malibu, which is not necessarily the case in Pacific Palisades or other canyon or hillside communities.

Like the impact of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, September 2024, families were left with properties, i.e., dirt, but they still owed the bank for the mortgage on the house that no longer existed. This could happen in California too.

Add to this the anger aimed at government officials that we’re hearing come in the wake of what many say were preventable, or at least containable, fires. Assuming this anger will continue and grow, and among the angry are celebrities with names, fame, fortunes, and capacity to talk to the media, there may be extensive lawsuits come from these hellish fires. If so, likely so, this is going to take time.

I’ve been thinking more about the fact that insurance cannot replace the irreplaceable. Earlier we mentioned loss of life, including pets. That’s of course number one. But then there is the content of these thousands of homes. For example, people’s sentimental items that have no real financial value but to the owner priceless value. This could be family heirlooms, pictures, toys, clothing, souvenirs, collections of one kind or another. It could be someone’s modest but meaningful arts and crafts, wedding or anniversary gifts. None of these things, once burned, can be replaced.

Then there are the homes wherein the owner, maintained memorabilia from his or her career, or the sports achievements of a family member, trophies, medals, awards. I’ve already seen one picture, which frankly could have been generated by A.I., that showed a movie Oscar lying amongst burned rubble, tarnished, damaged.

Now whether this was a real picture or a generated one, the point stands, many film and television celebrities lost homes too, and some of them indeed had won Oscars and featured them in their homes.

Years ago, when we lived north of New York City in Westchester County, the surrounding communities featured high-end homes like those found in Pacific Palisades. While the houses were million-dollar structures of far greater value was the fact a few of these homes contained artworks, sculptures, and artifacts within them that were worth tens of millions, sometimes ten times the value of the house.

It’s not too much of a stretch to think that many of the homes that burned in the California fires, especially perhaps those belonging to higher net worth families, contained serious valuable artworks within them, art now lost. None of these original artworks can be replaced.

Insurance cannot replace the irreplaceable.

The 2023 Türkiye/Syria earthquakes killed 53,537 in Türks and up to 8,476 Syrans, and left 1.5 million homeless: at least 518,009 houses and over 345,000 apartments were destroyed in Türkiye. It’s too hard to estimate in Syria. In the aftermath, the ministry with which I serve, SAT-7, Middle East and North Africa satellite television and online media, reported on people’s needs.

Of course, like for many in the Californian wildfires, the immediate need is “physical relief,” the basic human requirements of safety, shelter, food, medical and health assistance. People need rescue and aid addressing life-threatening and other injuries, they need somewhere to stay, and they need physical stability and sustenance. They may need transportation to get to safe havens. This took place in Türkiye and Syria as tens of thousands of international aid teams came to help from all over the world. It’s happening now in Los Angeles County.

Very quickly, once what amounted to M.A.S.H. units set up in Türkiye and Syria attended to serious medical and health threats, our staff were told by doctors and nurses on site that people began expressing a desire not simply for physical relief but for “spiritual relief.” They began asking existential questions, like,

Where is God? Did he forget us; is he punishing us? Why did I survive but my brother did not? How could a fair, loving, and just God allow something like this to happen? Why didn’t an all-powerful God stop this from happening? What will happen to us now?

Right now, and assuredly in the days ahead, these kinds of existential “spiritual” questions are being asked and they’re going to be asked for the foreseeable future.

People made in the image of God, whether they acknowledge him or not, look for spiritual solace in the face of adversity, destruction, and in some cases death. People what to know why and they yearn for hope.

News reports have tended to focus on who’s to blame for the fires? What political leaders and what political party is responsible? Could the fires have been prevented or at least fire prevention and mitigation efforts better employed? If not prevented, could the fires have been curtailed sooner? These kinds of questions are likely to go on for weeks if not years to come.

In the meantime, people will privately if not publicly ask why? As believers, we can cite a tremendous Os Guinness insight, we do not or will not always know why, but we know the God who knows why. We can help those who ask existential questions. We can respond with faith and assurance, knowing the Sovereign God is not surprised and has not departed, indeed he is there to bless those who respond to him.

I’m not sure what all God wants this nation to learn from these horrific and tragic fires, but I do know “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Ps. 46:1-3).

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. Or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers for more podcasts and video.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers or https://x.com/RexMRogers.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 14 January 2025

An inescapable element of a social media age, memes are everywhere, but are they all harmless? What about the ones that employ Scripture, especially for political ends?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #187 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Meme is a word most of us would not have recognized ten years ago. Now they’re a daily occurrence.

The word meme was first coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. He derived the term from the Greek word "mimema," which means "that which is imitated." For Dawkins, a meme referred to a unit of cultural transmission or imitation, such as an idea, behavior, style, or practice that spread within a culture, e.g., melodies, religious beliefs, catchphrases, or fashion trends.

More recently in the 21st century, internet memes are now understood as visual, textual, or video content that spreads virally online, often through humor, satire, or commentary on societal or cultural phenomena.

Visit any social media platform, and you’ll see images of animals, people, landscapes, you name it, usually along with some printed observation that makes a joke, takes a potshot at a political rival, celebrates some human event or achievement. The uses of memes are limitless.

Since this is audio podcast, I can’t put a few memes up on screen for you to see, but I think you understand what I’m talking about. Memes can be funny, serious, insightful, honoring and honorable, and because we’re human beings, memes can also be ill-advised and unwise, offensive, vulgar, mean, pornographic, derogatory and more.

So, what about memes? First, there’s no “Thou shalt not meme” in the Bible. Memes, of course, did not exist when Scripture was written. But the use of images as such existed, and images are not condemned in Scripture, nor considered intrinsically evil, though we are warned not to make graven images or idols out of that which we artistically create.

So, like anything else we engage in life, memes should be something we consider carefully, and about which use good discernment. In other words, it’s possible to use them harmlessly or harmfully, or wisely or unwisely.

As I said at the top, memes can be funny or make thoughtful points. I’m not “against memes,” nor is this some kind of legalistic anti-meme screed. I’m just thinking aloud with you about something that has become a part of contemporary life.

Since 2024 was a presidential election year, political memes dominated social media. But I’m not sure 2025 and thereafter will be much different. Biden memes, Harris memes, Trump memes, they’re endless.

Scripture offers several straightforward comments about Christian involvement in what we call politics.

For example,

Jesus’s words from the Sermon on the Mount: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matt. 5:14

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.” Titus 3:1

Forfreedom Christ hasset us free; stand firm.” Gal. 5:1

These verses, and there are many others, teach us that Christians should care, be involved in politics and government as they deem appropriate, and trust God in all of this. So again, nothing here that suggests Christians who produce memes with political messages are somehow acting improperly.

But as I said earlier, it is possible to create memes, just like it is possible to speak or write, in a manner that is indeed an improper application of Scripture.

I confess the memes that make me uncomfortable are those that quote Scripture alongside highly partisan presentations, or ones that use Scripture or biblical imagery alongside candidates as if to bless that person as God’s choice for the office. I am even more uncomfortable with memes that basically offer not Christian but civil religion, memes that wrap the candidate in the Bible and the flag. Worst of all, there are memes that I consider sacrilegious.

Interestingly, as I was thinking about this topic and did some research in the past week, I found few memes portraying Mr. Biden or Ms. Harris in association with Christian themes or imagery. A few, but very few. Meanwhile, I found almost innumerable such memes portraying Mr. Trump in association with Christian themes or imagery.

Now let’s pause for a disclaimer: I want to talk about memes that mix or apply Christian themes or imagery alongside given candidates, mostly Mr. Trump, without this being heard as a) me blaming Mr. Trump, or b) me attacking Mr. Trump or his policies. Partisanship and politicking are not my points here.

What I want to focus upon is us discerning together whether given memes are appropriate or wise. I wish I could show you visuals, but in lieu of this, think of memes this way: memes I consider—

Uncomfortable
Civil religion.
Sacrilegious

So, memes that make me uncomfortable—Think of memes in which Mr. Trump is being hugged by Jesus or wherein Jesus is standing with his hand on a seated Mr. Trump’s shoulder. Or another one depicting Jesus and Mr. Trump walking on water. Uncomfortable? I am.

What about civil religion? Think of memes depicting Jesus sitting beside Mr. Trump in a courtroom, or Jesus embracing Mr. Trump in the Oval Office or standing ethereally behind Mr. Trump who is seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office with the meme captioned: “Jesus is guiding Trump; Democrats and Satan are trying to stop him.

Finally, there are memes I find so offensive and impious I label them sacrilegious. One meme shows Jesus hanging on the cross in the background and Mr. Trump standing victoriously in front of him—I don’t even know what this means.

Another meme depicts Mr. Trump as a great image in the sky above a crowd of people while heavenly aura beams out from Mr. Trump’s image. I guess this one is attempting to make Mr. Trump a deity. There are memes in which Jesus wears a MAGA hat, memes where Mr. Trump is dressed in a white robe, hands folded in prayer and a halo glowing around his head.

One blasphemous meme depicts a shirtless Mr. Trump wearing a crown of thorns and hanging on a cross alongside a caption: “I drained the swamp. Promises kept. They had me impeached. Jesus wept…Never…forget.”

Then there’s the meme that portrays Mr. Trump in a white robe wearing a crown of thorns with a cross on a wall behind him. Strangely, four or five Jesus characters stand behind him.

Lastly, a profane meme portrays a dark-haired Mr. Trump, presumably to resemble Jesus, with his hand raised like a pope and a caption: “He shall rise again in 2024.”

I know it is more difficult to follow this on audio than to see these memes in visuals. Just do a search like “Trump and Christian memes” or “Trump and Jesus memes.” Then go into the image pages and you will see some of the memes I’ve highlighted and more. Draw your own conclusions on whether any of these make you feel uncomfortable or are indeed sacrilegious, irreverent, or desecration.

Again, I am not saying all memes are bad or wrong or unspiritual. I’m not blaming Mr. Trump for these memes. I’d make the same observations if my image was being propagandized as somehow especially blessed by Jesus. Toward good discernment, remember these points:

Scripture should never be equated with partisan politics, or a given politician.
Memes often misapply Scripture.
There’s no verse saying, “Do not meme,” but if you meme, do so with discernment.
If others meme in a way you find offensive, you can forget it or give them space to be different à la Christian liberty or double-check you are not doing the same—like a speck in their eye and a plank in our eye—or approach them personally to share your concern.

Blessings to you.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 06 January 2025

It’s a new year – I haven’t made resolutions, but I do have hopes for the days ahead; how about you?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #186 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Hope springs eternal, so they say.

“Hope springs eternal" is an idiomatic expression that conveys the idea that humans inherently possess an enduring sense of hope, no matter the difficulties they face.

It expresses the notion that people retain hope and optimism, even in discouraging circumstances. The phrase…comes from Alexander Pope's poem ‘An Essay on Man’ from the 18th century. The full line reads, ‘Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.’ This poetic line emphasizes the unwavering spirit of optimism in humans.”

>At the end of the magnificent movie about the Civil War era, “Gone with the Wind,” after years of tragic destruction, despair, and death, central character Scarlett O’Hara said, “Tara. Home. I'll go home…After all, tomorrow is another day."

>In the Broadway musical, “Annie,” Orphan Annie sang, “The sun will come out Tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar That tomorrow There'll be sun! Just thinking about Tomorrow Clears away the cobwebs, And the sorrow 'Til there's none! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya Tomorrow! You're always a day away”

>In the movie “Cast Away,” Tom Hanks-as-Chuck Noland wraps the film by saying, “And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”

>In Scripture, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah said, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

I recently shared in this podcast about what scholars are calling the “Anxious Generation,” an entire cohort of American youth who are growing up filled with anxiety and despair, not so much because they do not have material goods and well-being but because they have no sense of purpose or meaning.

Some scholars blame the hours adolescents spend on smartphones, detached in another world and this without friends, without social integration. Some blame this era’s rejection of the “God who is there,” the Sovereign Creator of the Universe who not only made each of us but who gave us a desire for purpose and meaning, then told us he is the foundation and center of this purpose and meaning. Reject him and you end up with no hope, just delusional, psychotic anarchy.

Scripture gives us another view of the future: Jeremiah says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’” (Lamentations 3:21-24).

The Shepherd-King David in the Old Testament, reminded us, “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18).

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, we’re instructed, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” (Jn. 16:33).

“Christian hope gives believers the resilience and strength to overcome the misery in the world, the Devil’s distractions, and the hardships of life in the body.”

“What is a Christian hope? It does not simply dream of a better existence or dwell in the clouds. It’s not only a fantasy of who or what people would like to be. Due to God’s presence and the concept of life, death, and Christ’s resurrection, this Christian hope is also a source of power for living independently, rather than according to the principles of a society built on greed and competitiveness.”

So, I have hope for the future based upon who God is and what he has promised. I am, or try to be, an “optimistic realist,” optimistic in the sense that I operate with that Christian hope, but a realist because Scripture has taught me about the depravity of mankind and the presence of sin.

I look forward to year 2025 with certain hopes.

I hope the work of the Sovereign God will be acknowledged in public and private life. This is the beginning of wisdom, the Scripture says, and nothing is needed more in the West than a recognition that God is the great “I Am.”

I hope the existence of absolute or objective truth is once again acknowledged in public and private life. There is a spiritual application for this hope, of course, but here I refer mostly to the vital necessity for this acknowledgement because of its far-reaching practical effect upon education, law enforcement or criminal justice, science and healthcare. Without this, America will continue to drift in confusion, chaos, and distrust.

I hope illegal immigrants can be identified and deported with no violence, minimal expense, and quick disposition. I’m not anti-immigrant, just anti- illegal, unvetted, entitlement-minded, unassimilated foreign actors coming to assault American society. The migrants President Biden welcomed to America are decidedly not, for the most part, the “tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” of Emma Lazarus’s “The New Colossus” poem printed on a bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty.No, the Biden illegal immigrants are the product of misplaced philosophic multiculturalism and political Machiavellianism.

I hope for a restoration of legitimate American patriotism. I do not mean triumphalism or imperialism or rabid nationalism. I mean a genuine love for and appreciation of America’s heritage, yes, warts and all. I think this is already beginning to happen if the expressions of football fans in crowded stadiums over the holidays is any indication. Such patriotism is a gift. It brings unity, reinforcement of the best ideals upon which the country was founded, which allowed it to flourish for a time, and which can empower the country to flourish again going forward.

I hope for a realistic attitude toward the temptations and dangers of debt. The National Debt is 36.3 trillion and rising as I write. “Americans owe an average of $17.8 trillion in consumer debt.” We can whistle past the graveyard all we want but this is simply unsustainable. Debt is a time bomb; and like gambling, it usually comes in a pretty package, but eventually its negative impact goes off. The shine will not last long in our shining city on the hill if the shine is built on debt. Americans, especially politicians, have become profligate, meaning we are given to or characterized by licentiousness or dissipation, reckless waste or wildly extravagant. Kicking the debt can down the road only pushes this problem off on our children and grandchildren, or it risks economic collapse in the here and now.

I hope for economic growth and prosperity based not upon greed, gouging, and materialism but upon problem solving, creativity, work ethic, deferred gratification, and risk based upon a hope for a better tomorrow. This kind of economic growth really does have a trickle-down effect, blessing all kinds of people, whether they helped create or own part of a given product or service or not.

I hope the American people are finally awakening to the serious culture-wrecking dangers inherent in so-called “social justice” ideas that have been called Woke or political correctness or critical theory, which argue society can be explained by the Have vs Have Nots, Oppressed or Victims vs Oppressors. This set of ideas has taken over education, law, government and military, some commerce, some religion, even influenced sports and entertainment. But the concepts are rooted in Marxist ideas about division, chaos, equity as opposed to equality, class and race warfare, sexual libertinism, the view facts are simply someone’s bias, i.e., there’s no truth. What America needs is common sense based upon reality as God created it, not human irrationality. American society has been deeply damaged by these ideas, and we must work and pray they are jettisoned forever.

Scripture says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11).

I hope you enjoy a wonderful, blessed new year.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 30 December 2024

Have you ever wondered if smartphones and social media are as wonderful for us as they are cracked up to be?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #185 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

For those of us over 30 years of age, the idea of a cell phone is still a tool of wonder. We can remember B.C.P., before cell phones. We can also remember B.I., before Internet. While the internet was used in academia during the 1980s, most of us didn’t encounter it until the mid-1990s during the Clinton Administration.

I remember my first car phone in the 1990s and my first mobile flip phone not long thereafter. I remember cell phones first being shown on television shows in the 1980s, like Miami Vice, when Sonny Crocket would pick up a phone the size of a brick.

We remember we had a life back then. We communicated, just differently. We researched information and learned, just differently. We listened to music and radio, just differently. If you’re over 30 you remember all this.

But it is in the 2000s that internet and cell phones became foundations for what we now call smartphones. The smartphone hit the market in 2007. (p. 32) You may also remember sensing the emergence of “a widely shared sense of techno-optimism; (the belief) these products made life easier, more fun, and more productive.” (p. 3) This technological, commercial tsunami launched what scholar Jonathan Haidt calls “the Great Rewiring of childhood,” based upon a rapid introduction of new handheld techno wizardry. His book—The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness—"tells the story of what happened to the generation born after 1995, popularly known as Gen Z, the generation that follows the millennials.” (p. 5)

Was embracing smartphones wise? Was it safe? No one knew. New York University Professor Haidt noted, “We don’t let kids buy tobacco, or alcohol, or go in casinos,” but we ignored the harmful effects of the overuse of smartphone technology. (p. 5)

Professor Haidt says “happened to the generation” because American youth were handed a powerful new tool or toy that captured hours of their time each day, literally transformed how they thought and learned, engaged them with an unknown online set of contacts mislabeled a “community” while disengaging them from family, friends, recreation, and the great outdoors, thus introducing a massive wave of social detachment. Smartphones exposed the minds of youth to personal and world problems through a daily immersion of the worst news. (p. 39)

MIT professor Sherry Turkle described life with smartphones this way: ‘We are forever elsewhere.’ (p. 34) So not long after this new tech access is it any wonder a global teenage mental health crisis exploded?

The Great Rewiring via smartphones “hit girls much harder than boys: the increased prevalence of posting images of oneself, after smartphones added front-facing cameras (2010) and Facebook acquired Instagram (2012), boosting its popularity. This greatly expanded the number of adolescents posting carefully curated photos and videos of their lives for their peers and strangers, not just to see, but to judge. Gen Z became the first generation in history to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternative universe that was exciting, addictive, unstable.” (p.6)

“While girls' social lives moved onto social media platforms, boys burrowed deeper into the virtual world as they engaged in a variety of digital activities, particularly immersive online multiplayer video games, YouTube, Reddit, and hardcore pornography—all of which became available anytime, anywhere, for free, right on their smartphones.” (p. 35)

Interestingly, “there was little sign of an impending mental illness crisis among adolescents in the 2000s. Then, quite suddenly, in the early 2010s, things changed.” Two mental disorders skyrocketed among adolescents in the 2010s: anxiety, depression. For example, “E.R. visits for self-harm increased 188% 2010 - 2020 for girls. 48% for boys.” “Suicide rates increased 91% boys and 167% girls 2010-2020.” (p. 30-31)

“Between 2010 and 2015, the social lives of American teens moved largely onto smartphones with continuous access to social media, online video games, and other internet-based activities. This Great Rewiring of Childhood, (Professor Haidt) argues, is the single largest reason for the tidal wave of adolescent mental illness that began in the early 2010s.” (p. 44)

“The sheer amount of time that adolescents spend with their phones is staggering, even compared with the high levels of screen time they had before the invention of the iPhone. Studies of time use routinely find that the average teen reports spending more than seven hours a day on screen-based leisure activities (not including school and homework).” (p. 139) This results in social deprivation – less time with real human contact – sleep deprivation – yielding “depression, anxiety, irritability, cognition. deficits, poor learning, lower grades, more accidents, and more deaths from accidents.” Then attention fragmentation – not able to focus and stay on task, and addiction – with social media companies using behaviorist techniques to “hook” youth into being heavy users. (p. 140)

From this social psychologist’s point of view, “social media is a trap that ensnares more girls than boys. It lures people in with the promise of connection and communion, but then it multiplies the number of relationships while reducing their quality, therefore making it harder to spend time with a few close friends in real life. This may be why loneliness spiked so sharply among girls in the early 2010s, while for boys the rise was more gradual.” It makes girls more vulnerable to stalking, or boys in their school pressuring them to share nude photographs of themselves. It makes boys more vulnerable to cyberbullying and pornography. (p. 173)

Where does religion if not biblical Christianity fit in this smartphone social media Great Rewiring?

“Soon before his death in 1662, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote a paragraph often paraphrased as ‘there is a God-shaped hole in every human heart.’ (p. 215) The scholar-author Jonathan Haidt states that he agrees with Pascal but in an earlier book Professor Haidt tried to explain the source of this God-shaped hole in the human heart by drawing on Darwinian evolutionary theory. “Many of my religious friends, (Haidt says) disagree about the origin of our God-shaped hole; they believe that the hole is there because we are God's creations and we long for our creator. But although we disagree about its origins, we agree about its implications: There is a hole, an emptiness in us all, that we strive to fill. If it doesn't get filled with something noble and elevated, modern society will quickly pump it full of garbage. That has been true since the beginning of the age of mass media, but the garbage pump got 100 times more powerful in the 2010s. It matters what we expose ourselves to.” (p. 215-216)

Religion, particularly Christianity, teaches us that to be “slower to judge and quicker to forgive are good for maintaining relationships and improving mental health. Social media trains people to do the opposite: Judge quickly and publicly, lest ye be judged for not judging whoever it is that we are all condemning today. Don't forgive, or your team will attack you as a traitor. From a spiritual perspective, social media is a disease of the mind. Spiritual practices and virtues, such as forgiveness, grace, and love, are a cure.” (p. 211)

Professor Haidt observes, “There is a ‘God-shaped hole’ in every human heart. Or, at least, many people feel a yearning for meaning, connection, and spiritual elevation. A phone-based life often fills that hole with trivial and degrading content.” (p. 218)

To combat the effects of the Great Rewiring, Professor Haidt concludes his seminal work with “four foundational reforms:

No smartphones before high school
No social media before age 16
Phone-free schools
Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence.”

This is a scholarly book. It is thorough, well-documented, current, and loaded with common sense. Parents should heed the warnings and recommendations in this book, as should church youth groups, and certainly all educational institutions.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 23 December 2024

Probably most of us look forward to Christmas, the memories, the family, friends, and food, the traditions. Ever wonder where some of those traditions started and why?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #184 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

In the past 2,000+ years since the humble but majestic birth of Christ the Savior in Bethlehem, people the world over have celebrated this event with now thousands of Christmas traditions.

The Bible does not provide specific practices for us to follow regarding the celebration of Christmas, as it does, for example, regarding communion or baptism. But as with all things in our lives, believers should assure our practices and traditions align with or do not violate Scripture.

Christmas traditions include the Nativity story or Christmas crèche, Advent, Christmas trees, Christmas carols, special foods and family gatherings, gift-giving, and varying traditions developed by different Christian groups worldwide.

“In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous—a lot like today’s Mardi Gras parties. By the early 1800s, Americans made Christmas a family holiday for warmth, tranquility, and peace. Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870.”

“The Christmas crèche, also known as the Nativity scene, “a beloved Christian Christmas tradition…originated in Italy during the 13th century, when St. Francis of Assisi wanted to create a live representation of the Nativity story…The Nativity scene holds deep symbolic meaning for Christians. It reminds believers of the central message of Christmas: the love and grace of God.”

“The Nativity story is more than just a religious Christmas tradition or a way to celebrate the holiday season. It is a reminder of the profound and powerful message of Christianity – that God loves humanity so much that He sent His only Son to earth to save us. The Nativity story reminds us of the importance of humility, kindness, and compassion, values that are at the core of the Christian faith.

The Nativity story also reminds us of the miracle of the Christmas season – that even in the darkest days of winter, there is hope and joy to be found.”

My Good Wife and I are blessed with four children. When they were little and on into their college years, we developed a family tradition around the Nativity scene.

Early in our marriage before we had children, we began buying individual, 4”, realistic-looking Nativity set figures at the big Sears store at the mall. As I recall now, we purchased these over two or three Christmases. Once we had a full set, I made a manger or barn out of spare lumber, a piece of old paneling, and sticks—yes, sticks from trees in our yard. Then I added a brown felt cloth for the ground and sprinkled fake straw. Voilà, we had our manger scene.

Every year, day after Thanksgiving, we’d find the manger and its Nativity figures and then I’d unwrap them one by one as the kids took turns placing them in the manger. Mom unwrapped a few figures too or watched nearby. We always saved the Baby Jesus until last and rotated each year who got to place the Baby in the manger. Our tradition did not take long, but it was fun and a big deal for the kids. This kicked off the Christmas season with a focus on the meaning of Christmas and the message of the nativity.

Our kids were spread out in age, a daughter and son two and one-half years apart, then 4 years, and another two sons two and one-half years apart. So back then, I’d come home and ask, “Where’re the kids,” meaning the older, followed by, “Where’re the little boys?”

It was one of the little boys that introduced a funny story. One day after the placing of the figures in the manger, I walked into our bathroom, then found my wife and said, “There’s a cow in our tub.” One of the little guys stole a cow from the manger scene, carried it awhile, then pitched it in the tub. Thankfully, it did not break. Not even a chip.

Interestingly, when they were wee little like that, all the kids tended to focus on the Baby Jesus and could frequently be found carrying the Babe around in the house. Something about the Baby attracted their little hearts.

Later with our children and now with our grandchildren, you can peak into the Nativity scene and perhaps find Yoda or a dinosaur or maybe an elephant. It’s all in good fun.

In Frankenmuth, Michigan, we are blessed with Bronner’s CHRISTmas WONDERLAND, reputedly the world’s largest Christmas store. “Founded in 1945 by Wally Bronner, Bronner's CHRISTmas WONDERLAND is visited annually by over two million people.” We visit this store every few years simply to walk through the acres of lights and ornaments and Christmas wonder.

My favorite stop is the Nativity section, wherein Bronner’s features a not-for-sale collection of several Nativity sets from around the globe, along with many varieties one can purchase. The interesting thing about the global Christmas crèche representations is that the people in the manger scenes look like the people or cultures or countries that created them. In other words, there are Korean and central African, SE Asian, Eskimo, South American, and Pacific Island people in the manger scenes, representing the key characters of the biblical story.

Some people reject this, saying it is somehow improper because the real Nativity characters were Jewish. Some go a step farther and criticize this as “cultural appropriation,’ the supposedly imperialistic commandeering of others’ cultures for your own designs. Some see this as a threat to the biblical account.

But I do not. I like this. In fact, when one can see oneself in the Advent and the redemptive story it portends, I think this is a wonderful application of Scripture.

This said, perhaps not all Christmas traditions are worthy, so how should believers evaluate the appropriateness of Christmas practices and traditions? We might “lament how friends, families, churches, and in some ways, we ourselves get drawn into the craziness. Folks would get to the end of the season worn out, in debt, overweight, and with this weird and depressing sense that they’d missed the point of Christmas.”

One key doctrinal source of direction is what’s called “Christian liberty.” This doctrine allows for differences in practice among believers, but at the same time provides direction for our evaluation. Did we inherit our traditions from our culture? Are they harmless or harmful? The Scripture says all things are lawful for us, but not all things are helpful or build up (1 Cor. 10:23-29).

In some countries, certain Christmas traditions are mixed with pagan ideas that are presented alongside or integrated with Christian teaching. It’s difficult to understand how the German Christmas demon figure called Krampus that supposedly visits children and punishes badly behaving ones is at all edifying or good for children. It certainly is not biblical.

Or we could get carried away so much with the secular emphasis on gift-giving and lights and materialism, that we lose sight of what we sometimes call “the real meaning of Christmas.”

For a while in the US, a secular movement tried to remove religious references from Christmas entirely – saying “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas,” nixed playing religious carols in stores or public spaces, and removed Nativity displays from county courthouse lawns, etc. It’s now a cliché, but we do, indeed, need to “Keep Christ in Christmas.”

Another tradition: though he is a kind-hearted, merry old soul, some argue the Santa Claus tradition should not be celebrated with children.

“The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around A.D. 280.

St. Nicholas, a Christian saint known for his kindness and generosity. gave away his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children.

St. Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 18th century among Dutch families in New York…In 1822, Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas poem called ‘An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,’ more popularly known today by its first line: “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The poem depicted Santa Claus as a jolly man who flies from home to home on a sled driven by reindeer to deliver toys.” It’s all harmless fun.

Clearly, Christmas is a special time. I wish you a Merry Christmas and pray you and yours enjoy many worthy traditions. If not, I encourage you to start some traditions for your family.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 16 December 2024

If you are conservative, you probably feel like the country dodged a bullet in the last presidential election, whatever your feelings about the winning candidate. If so, what now?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #183 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential election is in the books, and former president Donald J. Trump, Republican, soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrat. While I don’t think the President-elect walks on water and in fact have a few concerns about his persona, I confess that I was greatly relieved at the election results.

I am one, in fact, who believes the U.S. dodged a bullet – or rather based upon my Christian faith, believe that in God’s providence this country has been spared what could have been a rapid spiral into greater socialism, authoritarianism, and consequent diminishment and weakness of America. And I believe, or at least I hope, we’ve been given an opportunity to adjust several threatening policies and trends – including an ongoing politicization of government agencies like the Department of Justice, FBI, and more, a continuation of so-called “woke” or DEI policies rooted in Marxist, racist theory, an escalation of abortion on demand and the promotion of sexual libertinism including the mutilation of children in the propagandistically-named “gender-affirming” care, and much more direct threats, most especially those undermining the First Amendment.

I believe this because the Democrat Party has long since been captured by what’s called the – ill-named again – “Progressives.” While President Joe Biden promised in his 2021 inaugural address to govern in the middle, on his first day in office he tacked left—not liberal, people who still believe in the U.S.A., but left, people who reject nearly every ideal upon which the United States was founded, and Mr. Biden then governed in a way promoted by these extremists in his party.

This produced a highly inflationary economy, a debacle in Afghanistan, weakness on the world stage including the Middle East, and an intentional, some say treasonous, policy that ruined U.S. borders and invited a host of military-age men to flood the U.S., not in a desire for freedom or a chance to work, as was the case of millions coming through Ellis Island a century ago, but rather displaying an aggressive entitlement desire for handouts—smart phones, free hotel rooms, free food, transportation, health insurance, monthly income – which political leaders foolishly gave out in a brash effort to secure future votes and power.

Not every Democrat for sure, but the national Democrat Party is now decidedly not the party of my father-in-law who as a Marine fought on Guadalcanal, coming home with a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. Back then, the Democrats were the working- or middle-class man’s party that cared about opportunities for the economic have nots. Now, national Democrat Party leaders and activists are elitist, leftist, woke, pro-choice, anti-capitalist, open border globalists who seem to despise their own country and the freedom ideals that made it strong in the first place.

This does not mean the national Republican Party is the epitome and emblem of all that’s peaches and cream, right and good. While the Republican Party’s policies, including what we’ve seen thus far of what will be the new Trump Administration, focus on law and order, fiscal responsibility, peace through strength, traditional morality, and the rediscovery of truth, standards, excellence, and common sense, still, Republican politicians are just people, at times drawn into unwise political initiatives or, as we’ve seen in the so-called Establishment, “do-nothing,” “keep your head down” efforts to maintain their positions.

So, yes, I think our Sovereign God blessed America, gave us another chance to be “a shining city on the hill” and a beacon of freedom and prosperity for our citizenry and to the world. But the election is only a beachhead. We must follow through.

In this podcast and, actually most of my writing over the last 30 years, I’ve tried not to write in a simply partisan way. One reason is that I believe biblical teaching and a Christian worldview should be brought to bear on all things political, social, and cultural, including political parties. In other words, as in the title of this podcast, we should exercise “discernment” in all things.

Another reason I’ve avoided openly partisan writing is that I wanted to preserve my own freedom of conscience to express my views as I deemed appropriate without allegiance to partisan politics. Finally, the political parties are not always right or correct or even morally astute. At least in writing, I wanted to be free to say this if I thought it was warranted.

I never liked and still don’t when conservative writers or Republicans lob cheap insults at President Joe Biden for his obvious dementia and other indicators of advancing age, e.g., make fun of him when he stumbles or slurs his words. This comes to us all if we live long enough. It seems to me there is a boatload of Mr. Biden’s policies and political initiatives or public statements with which I disagree, all fair game for critique, so why resort to vocabulary borrowed from World Wrestling Entertainment?

Besides, I hold Mr. Biden’s family and staff partly responsible for propping him up in what could legitimately be called elder abuse.

I never liked and still don’t when conservative writers or Republicans lob shallow arguments at Vice President Kamala Harris. By shallow arguments, I mean references to her being a woman, a Black or Indian woman. Who cares about her sex and race?

Though I will say this, Vice President Harris proved to be what many already knew or suspected going into the coup-based campaign – an inept candidate unable to handle even softball interviews, let alone in-depth questions about national political issues. In my view, President Biden made a mistake during his campaign to become president when he publicly promised to choose a woman as VP. I am not against women being VP. In fact, that’s part of my point. I knew when he did this, he would come under enormous pressure to choose a woman of color.

Nothing wrong with this either, but candidate Biden backed himself into corner where he felt forced to choose from a short-list handed to him by leftist activists.

Point is, there are many women and many women of color who could handle the job of Vice President or President and who could run circles around VP Kamala Harris in talent, political skills, experience, and vision. Yet Mr. Biden chose the weakest in his list. Makes you wonder why.

I honestly feared for Mr. Biden’s health and well-being. I still do. I don’t want any president, no matter his politics, to die in office. But I most certainly do not want this to happen to Mr. Biden, then or now till Jan. 20, 2025, because I genuinely think a “President” Kamala Harris would put the USA in a vulnerable position.

So, if indeed we’ve dodged a bullet – and the Lord has given the USA both a reprieve from what could have been and an opportunity for what could be, what are we going to do with it? I’ll share this here:

Restore what Trump followers call “common sense,” especially in recommitting to the idea of absolute truth in law and order. Arrest and prosecute perpetrators. Respect and reinforce people like Daniel Penny. Re-establish federal government agencies committed to serving the American people by being transparent, honest, and diligent in the maintenance of blind justice and equality before the law. Stop political leaders, starting in the Oval Office, from lying, dissembling, prevaricating, misleading, or whatever fancy word you want to use for spreading falsehoods that undermine trust.

The economy is a funny thing. It works based on tangible goods and services, but it also functions on emotions—people’s hope for a better tomorrow. The Trump Administration needs to keep doing what the President-elect has so far done, talk about “Making America Great Again.” This is a political slogan and a cliché and an exercise in patriotism, but it does capture two things: Tomorrow and Optimism. This together with the President-elect’s business background, hopefully a few deregulation policies, and a plan to “drain the swamp,” including reducing the size of government via the new DOGE or Department of Government Efficiency, is already affecting Wall Street in a positive way. May the power of promise be multiplied. This rising tide lifts all boats.

Give DEI or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion or Woke or Critical Race Theory a quick death in every corner of government, especially the Pentagon, and restore meritocracy, objectivity, individual responsibility, equal opportunity, color blindness, free market principles. If this can be accomplished in American education, the military, government agencies, and the law, the USA will once again become a bastion of freedom of opportunity for all.

There is much more, of course, but let’s remember what Scripture says:

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish” (Ps. 146:3-4).

And also, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers or https://x.com/RexMRogers.

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