Toasting the Frog
by Kathy Brown on July 21st, 2009 | 0 comments
Most of us have heard the analogy of putting the frog in cold water, slowly heating it up to a boil without it objecting. This is like watching the culture around us becoming more and more accepting of immorality, barely noticing the decline. Toasting the frog is not a pleasant experiment in tolerance, but at least it has the sense of “otherness.” It is more difficult to actually live through the incremental decay of values.
What is the easiest approach to the observation that sex no longer has boundaries, cheating on taxes is a winkable offense, coveting another’s wealth commendable, shifting personal responsibility to burden someone else normal or yada yada? Just blame someone else.
It is quite remarkable to notice that, in the book of Isaiah, the age-old disdain for sinfulness is framed as it should be. God put the responsibility on the people who knew better: the Jewish nation. From a worldview perspective, unbelievers have no real reason to adhere to a set of standards other than the ones they design for themselves. (Foundational Presupposition Chart) They are legitimately inclined toward relative ethics. The expectation for God’s people is entirely different. The “salt” that preserves righteousness is Christians living out their faith in obedience to the One who has revealed what is evil and good.
The foundation for living out a Biblical life is not feelings. Although emotions are part of human response, they are mostly towed behind our thoughts and actions. We, who put our faith in Christ, are called to get serious about the ideas we embrace. We must be careful to consider what we accept and reject and work to align ourselves with the Truth.
Jesus followers are not powerless, destined for complacency. Through the Holy Spirit we are transformed and energized for a reason. As things heat up, we are called to resist conforming to the world’s system or hopping out of the roil all together. We are made to make a difference in the mix, unlike the satisfied amphibian in the hot pot.
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