The church of Jesus Christ is living in an age of turmoil. How we respond to this turmoil is indicative of our faith and our view of God. Often, we as Christians give the appearance of loving the world and the things of the world, the reason I began this Perspective with a quote from 1 John 2. Furthermore, we often give in to the quest for power and allow the “deceitfulness of sin” to shape our decisions and goals for this life—the reason I quoted from Hebrews 3.

Saul’s fear and pride lead him to destructive decisions that affect his family and the nation of Israel.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas on earth. More than 2 million people live inside a sliver of land, just 25 miles long and 7 ½ miles at its widest. On Saturday morning, 7 October 2023, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip broke down the barriers separating Gaza from Israel and engaged in a well-planned and well-executed series of raids involving mass murder, the kidnapping of children, elderly and women; the storming of a music festival to shoot and kill whomever they could find; and rape, execute and slaughter every Jew they could find. To add to this horror, Hamas terrorists filmed all of this and placed it on social media sites for the entire world to see.

Saul deals with his first crisis as king and Samuel delivers his farewell address.

With the 1945 victory in World War II, the United States began to construct an entirely new world order based on freedom of movement, global trade and a monetary system rooted in the American dollar. The implementation of that order produced the United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund and other entities. Today, that order is coming apart and its effects are widespread and potentially destabilizing.

Samuel proclaims Saul king and gives him three signs from God to confirm his anointing.

Gerard Baker of the Wall Street Journal makes this astute observation: “At the heart of America’s political and cultural turmoil is a crisis of trust. In the space of a generation, the people’s confidence in their leaders and their most important institutions to do the right thing has collapsed. The federal government, big business, the media, education, science and medicine, technology, religious institutions, law enforcement and others have seen a precipitous decline. As public faith in the performance, credibility and integrity of these institutions has collapsed, so too has mutual trust—the social glue that holds the country together. Americans have become suspicious of one another, distrusting their fellow citizens as much as they distrust foreign adversaries.”

Anyone who is intellectually honest can only reach the conclusion that American civilization, morally and ethically, manifests a depravity and decadence that permeates almost everything. There is polarization, anger and bitterness. There is confusion, dysfunction and moral chaos. There is loneliness, isolation and seclusion fostered and enhanced by the social media phenomenon so pervasive within our civilization. Public education is adrift in terms of curriculum, the absence of discipline and the depressing results of the basic requirements of life—reading and math skills. Columnist David Brooks laments all of this in a recent essay declaring that American civilization now lacks a reliable vehicle for what he calls “moral formation.” In this Perspective, I want to quote extensively from this essay and then offer a conclusion sourced in Scripture.

Israel asks for a King, Samuel warns them of the consequences and Saul is introduced as the king.

One of my favorite columnists is Ross Douthat, who writes for the New York Times. Douthat is a devout Roman Catholic and has written extensively on his faith and the Church. I do not always agree with some of his theological conclusions, but I am usually challenged by his insights. Recently, he wrote on the theological and cultural divisions within his Church—between the “liberal Catholic” and the more conservative Catholic on certain cultural issues. The typical “liberal Catholic” is pushing for greater accommodation of the Church to the broader culture. Among other things, they argue, this is a necessary step for the Church to remain relevant in this postmodern world.