The deep-seated commitment to the pursuit of personal autonomy, the vital center of the Postmodern, Post-Christian American culture, has produced several tragic effects. The Millennials, who passionately have bought into this commitment, have no loyalty to institutions. For that reason the local church, even if they are Christians, is not that important to them. Technology has enhanced this pursuit of autonomy, enabling Millennials to create and fashion their own digital reality. Recent census data confirm that Millennials prefer cohabitation to marriage, at least until they reach age 30.

Years ago my son gave me an article from the journal Wired that envisioned the future of human technology, which will be organized around genetics, robotics and nanotechnology. The article was indeed prophetic for the 21st century. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a synthesis of both robotics and nanotechnology. It is a remarkable advance in human understanding and mastery of the world of technology. As a Christian, I can also view this advance as an example of God’s common grace, enabling humanity to exercise dominion over His world.

Solomon lives a life of complete self-indulgence, discovering that it too is futile and empty. 

In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled, in what is now known as the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, that Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker who had declined to make custom cakes for gay weddings, had been treated unfairly by members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, who had made comments hostile to religion. Phillips had pursued his claims based on his rights to the free exercise of religion and the freedom of speech in the First Amendment. The US Supreme Court handed down a limited decision based on religious issues. It did not rule on the freedom of speech claim that Philips had sought.  

Solomon tests his thesis with the pursuit of human wisdom, finding that this too is “vanity.”

One element of the mission of Issues in Perspective is to provide biblically-centered perspectives on cultural issues. Therefore, periodically I give emphasis to developments within Christianity. Recent census data demonstrate the significant changes occurring within Protestant Christianity. Daniel Sillman of Christianity Today provides a helpful summary of this data.