History shows the failures, successes, and illuminates the mentalities of humanity. At many levels humanity is very simple. Even at the complex levels and the levels of highest competition, simplicity is king. Under pressure, the human mind panics unless there is a filtering out of distractions and only the key elements of a situation are held to and focused on.
To grow and create new, we must understand the past. As the current culture desires to grow they continue to forget lessons already learned from previous generation, culture, and people groups. While there are many new ideas being developed in technology and industry that can be functional, there are no new systems that have not already been seen which will lead to better function and rhythm of life as cultures and people within them relate.
Culture easily forgets the past. History is one of the least understood topics in education and even less by those who are removed from it. There is nothing new under the sun in culture, only those trying to feel better about who they are and their purpose in life. As people look to change culture, they are making the same futile mistake as those that have come before. As culture tries desperately to reinvent the wheel of governmental and societal systems, failure and conflict arises.
If Christians desire to address culture in better ways and serve each other with a deeper loving heart they should study church history, and culture rather than chasing cultures approval. If the Christian Chruch really desires to love others, they would first understand where the church has come from and where the world typically goes. many christinas minister, serve, and function more out of their pain and past without even knowing it. The greatest threat to Christianity is not from the external, but from those who are leading internally who don’t know histroy and do not havae a deapth of foundation theologically.
Creating theories on what will work to impact others is easy to come up with, but creating a new idea is like writing a song. There are only so many notes that can be played, only so many tempos at which will elicit certain emotions. So to is cultural functioning. There are only a few ways that culture functions the most proficiently. Church history and scripture are two elements that give a vast ability for the current church to learn from. These two elements have been lacking in study and meditation and as a result the current church argues more than loves. The current church is not in a position for Iron to sharpen iron.
If the current Christian culture is to impact the world, it has to get back to understanding its roots, its recent history, and the basic human nature. History offers a lot to learn from, the question is not if history address current problems. The question is why does culture continue to say it doesn’t. History is nevery truly lost, it is rarely fully told.
To deepen the process of sanctification, we must learn from history. There is only one in charge, and that is lost on many of culture today.