Anti-Establishment

Us "baby boomers" are known for a LOT of things, but one observation that always comes up is that our generation was all about being anti-establishment. Anything that had become an institution, we were ready to question as to how it had become one, and if it needed to be done away with. Most people think of the biggies that got questioned and eventually brought down, racial equality and Vietnam..........but it just wasn't those two. It happened in entertainment, music, sports, and just about all other aspect of American life. Laugh-In and Archie Bunker came into our living rooms weekly and questioned the status quo of segregation and many other things. Rock and Roll in general (see Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Johnny Cash, the Stones, Janis Joplin, etc.) for sure went against the establishment in all kinds of ways. They questioned politics, social issues, and in the mean time changed the way music was played and heard for all time. Broadway Joe Namath, with his outlandish white shoes, put the AFL on his back and brought down the established institution of the NFL. High flying and master dunk artist Dr. J, with his beautiful Afro and striped basketball, did the same thing with the ABA and motivated the dying established NBA to wake up. Basketball has never been the same since. Even though Ronald Reagan was not a boomer himself, he surrounded himself with folks from our era, and he was one of the main players (if not THE main player) in bringing down the established iron curtain of Communism in eastern Europe. As I have already stated, if an institution was established, it got questioned.

I am not about to say that ALL the answers that came out of these questions were good ones....or the right ones. There were a lot of mistakes made. Some people tried to stir up trouble just to cause trouble. The 60's and 70's were volatile times, no doubt. Innocent people were hurt, and sometimes killed (see Kennedy, King and Kennedy). Not all the changes that came about as a result of all the questioning were for the better. A lot were. No, a WHOLE lot were.

Who were Jesus's biggest enemies? Besides Satan himself, it was the establishment. The religious institutions of the day and their faithful followers tried to stop his ministry any way they could. Why? They felt threatened. He was asking too many questions, and advocating too many changes. Jesus was very much a boomer, in that he too was anti-establishment when the establishment became an institution that held itself above all else, including God.

In 2006, you are going to be hearing a lot of calls for "Unity". It is the theme of the Pepperdine Lectures and the Tulsa Soul-Winning Workshop. There will be conferences and meetings in Ft. Worth, Abilene, Indianapolis, and probably other places also. Why? Probably because in 1906 we had a split from some fellow believers, and 100 years later we are still split. Not everybody is going to be doing back flips with joy over these efforts. Read the letters that will be coming into the "Christian Chronicle". Some of the letters will no doubt describe those seeking unity as heretics. It won't be the first time that has happened, or the last. Before Jesus ever did it, the establishment didn't like to be questioned, and they still don't like it. When leaders of our fellowship are getting up at Lectureships and decrying that we might as well shut our doors if we quit teaching what makes us "unique and distinct", you don't have to be a prophet to predict how they are going to react to calls for unity with those who may not hold the EXACT same convictions "we" do. Change is threatening to some, always has been.

Let me just close by saying this.........if this is from God, we don't need to worry about whether or not it is going to be successful. Do we? If it's from God, no instiution or establishment or army can change it's course. If it's not from Him, we'll know it. If you want my prediction, I think it is going to be a HUGE success. Why? Because God has always wanted us to have a united front against Satan. And He has always called us to love our brothers and sisters, who also love Him. The World, with 4 BILLION people who haven't named the name of Jesus, needs us to be united. It was the last request of a dying man in John 17. That's all I need to know. Because that man ended up dying for me. And you. And the 4 billion.

I thank God for those leading these efforts for unity.