May I offer a possible justification for disregarding the wisdom of elders in certain circumstances: the fruit of their "wisdom" demonstrates that whatever "wisdom" they are offering does not embodying the "tried and true" but idolatry and sin. This is the exception that proves the rule. And even in this exceptional siatuation, because we are in covenant with our elders, we cannot escape their guilt. Thus, all criticism of elders must be done in humility, not with a revolutionary zeal.
Daniel 9:8 - "To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you."
I am not prepared to offer any comments or criticisms of this post. But as a Boomer on the north side of three score and ten, I thought I might share a few personal observations. I have always been a risk-taker: one who has not so much stretched boundaries as one who ignored them to pursue new ideas and techniques—to live on what used to be called the, “bleeding edge.” I spent my early years building and maintaining mainframe-based portfolio management systems for investment counsel firms where such risk-taking was not only encouraged but rewarded. While mostly successful, I also “crashed and burned” more times than I could count before (finally!) learning that there are certain boundaries that cannot be ignored except at extreme peril. To traverse them is to lose one’s soul. That God pulled me back I cannot say enough. I learned to pray for wisdom, for humility, for strength, for perseverance not for myself alone but for also for my family, for the church, and for this world. God has been pleased to grant me much. He also reminds me, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:48b)
I will stop rambling with a brief admonition from Psalm 111 that’s echoed throughout Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
I think there are segments of society that have seen such a tremendous decline that we need to be cautious in writing off the wisdom of “the old guard.” (I’m not saying you’re doing that.) For instance, our education system has declined significantly. Knowledge, especially cultural knowledge, is reduced to the reliance on “a quick Google search.” Why bother learning anything in-depth when the world is literally at your fingertips? Just as an example, most of the youth I meet now have never read the Constitution and cannot even tell you the basic pertinent facts about it. In fact, they know very little about our nation’s history before their lifetime, and what little they know is skewed by social agendas. I’m not saying this is true of all of them, but an alarming and growing number of them are ignorant of the basic facts of our national history. Don’t even bother asking about any world history. But they can get you an answer in 0.002 secs from a search engine. Not only does this allow for intellectual laziness, but it discourages critical thinking, discernment, and rational social and political engagement. There’s so much more to this too—including the breakdown of the nuclear family structure, the dramatic increase in mental health issues (often brought on by too much tech), and the change to an antagonistically post-Christian nihilism. I say this as part of the Millenial caught-in-the-middle generation. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this.
I've been struggling with the same issue, and I suspect many Christians our age are (I'm 45). Sometimes I want to ask: Who's been at the switch all these years, and how's it gone? I don't though! Showing our fathers honor while disagreeing with their advice is possible and necessary at times. Is it timeless wisdom from a humble Biblically obedient senior saint? Honor and heed. Is it self-assured proclamations from a senior whose past proclamations have shown him to neither know the times nor what should be done? Be respectful for the Lord's sake, but don't heed for Lord's sake. When a new world order is coming, the Sanhedrin misses it. Nevertheless, Paul is reticent to speak evil of Ananias. Who am I to do differently?
May I offer a possible justification for disregarding the wisdom of elders in certain circumstances: the fruit of their "wisdom" demonstrates that whatever "wisdom" they are offering does not embodying the "tried and true" but idolatry and sin. This is the exception that proves the rule. And even in this exceptional siatuation, because we are in covenant with our elders, we cannot escape their guilt. Thus, all criticism of elders must be done in humility, not with a revolutionary zeal.
Daniel 9:8 - "To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you."
I am not prepared to offer any comments or criticisms of this post. But as a Boomer on the north side of three score and ten, I thought I might share a few personal observations. I have always been a risk-taker: one who has not so much stretched boundaries as one who ignored them to pursue new ideas and techniques—to live on what used to be called the, “bleeding edge.” I spent my early years building and maintaining mainframe-based portfolio management systems for investment counsel firms where such risk-taking was not only encouraged but rewarded. While mostly successful, I also “crashed and burned” more times than I could count before (finally!) learning that there are certain boundaries that cannot be ignored except at extreme peril. To traverse them is to lose one’s soul. That God pulled me back I cannot say enough. I learned to pray for wisdom, for humility, for strength, for perseverance not for myself alone but for also for my family, for the church, and for this world. God has been pleased to grant me much. He also reminds me, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:48b)
I will stop rambling with a brief admonition from Psalm 111 that’s echoed throughout Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
I think there are segments of society that have seen such a tremendous decline that we need to be cautious in writing off the wisdom of “the old guard.” (I’m not saying you’re doing that.) For instance, our education system has declined significantly. Knowledge, especially cultural knowledge, is reduced to the reliance on “a quick Google search.” Why bother learning anything in-depth when the world is literally at your fingertips? Just as an example, most of the youth I meet now have never read the Constitution and cannot even tell you the basic pertinent facts about it. In fact, they know very little about our nation’s history before their lifetime, and what little they know is skewed by social agendas. I’m not saying this is true of all of them, but an alarming and growing number of them are ignorant of the basic facts of our national history. Don’t even bother asking about any world history. But they can get you an answer in 0.002 secs from a search engine. Not only does this allow for intellectual laziness, but it discourages critical thinking, discernment, and rational social and political engagement. There’s so much more to this too—including the breakdown of the nuclear family structure, the dramatic increase in mental health issues (often brought on by too much tech), and the change to an antagonistically post-Christian nihilism. I say this as part of the Millenial caught-in-the-middle generation. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this.
I've been struggling with the same issue, and I suspect many Christians our age are (I'm 45). Sometimes I want to ask: Who's been at the switch all these years, and how's it gone? I don't though! Showing our fathers honor while disagreeing with their advice is possible and necessary at times. Is it timeless wisdom from a humble Biblically obedient senior saint? Honor and heed. Is it self-assured proclamations from a senior whose past proclamations have shown him to neither know the times nor what should be done? Be respectful for the Lord's sake, but don't heed for Lord's sake. When a new world order is coming, the Sanhedrin misses it. Nevertheless, Paul is reticent to speak evil of Ananias. Who am I to do differently?