Life in the Negative World- What to do?

I have been reading Aaron Renn’s book Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture. One might argue with some of his assumptions but personally, I haven’t found anything substantial I can argue with. Rather than look at the past I want to highlight the responses we need to implement in our lives today taken from his book and then elaborate on them a bit myself.

1. Becoming obedient- Seems straightforward but how many in the church have in the past not lived into what Christ taught. Sure, they lived out what they liked in the Bible, but harder, deeper issues went ignored. This won’t work anymore, and it never did but it was easier to hide it in the past.

2. Become Excellent- So we can show who we are and make a difference in the world. Also, in the past when minorities entered a workplace, they had a negative against them. They were expected to not just be good but great if they were to even be accepted let alone respected. One could say it wasn’t fair and you would be right, but it is the truth. When you come in with a negative in your balance sheet you have to do more than others to be even. Today, the ones who carry a cultural negative is the Christians. You can rail against it (which adds another negative) or you can deal with it. To say it another way, if you live in Texas you have to know there are scorpions and rattlesnakes so you better shake out your boot before putting them on or you will get bit/stung. We don’t have to do that in Indiana but guess what, we culturally don’t live in Indiana anymore.

3. Become Resilient- Things aren’t going to be easy and there are things we have to accept, some things that seem random. We have to understand bad things will happen. Prepare to be anti-fragile. Don’t overextend yourself or be too dependent on one. Be financially secure.  Build strong relationships.

4. Pursue Institutional Integrity- Retain your shape when things are hard. Be competent. Be trustworthy/transparent. Prepare the next generation.

5. Pursue Community – We are a minority. We have to create institutions/plans to sustain our communities without hiding away. We can’t expect the culture around us to teach our children and support what we believe.

6. Ownership – Own our own businesses and platforms so we can continue to provide places where we can prosper and resist social pressure. If we depend on YouTube, for example, to reach our community and they decide to ban us then we have lost that community. If we have strong Christian businesses we can give jobs to those who have been fired because they refused to bend to the demands of businesses that demand that their employees adopt an unbiblical stance. 

7. Be a light – Clearly speak and live the truth. This seems like what we should be doing as Christians anyway but sometimes we have by our attempt to be relevant and accepting aren’t clear. 

These are just the highlights and thoughts that this book made me consider. Read it for yourself to see what it says to you. At the end of the day, there are no easy answers and God can still do the miraculous, but the world we knew is gone and we need to adapt while holding to the truth.