Boomers and Zoomers: 7 GenX Takes

Spring, John McArthur, Alistair Begg, Elderly Presidential Candidates, College Campus Meltdown, the United Methodists, Pearl's Favorite Heretics, and Young People in Love

This Spring is turning out to be particularly glorious, in spite of the monstrous cutting of trees all over my town for reasons I still have not been able to apprehend. Here is the pink glow of our one flowering tree, right before a violent rainstorm scattered its glory abroad.

Let’s see, can I rustle up some takes? Let me give it the good old college (hem) try.

One

I didn’t mean to, but I did accidentally see that clip of John McArthur explaining that there is no such thing as PTSD, and that children are being turned into criminals through the application of ADHD drugs—as well as the resulting accumulation of reactions to this eye-popping take on the X app. It seemed to me, dare I say it? predictable. Both that he would say something like that. And that everyone would dance around as if on hot coals.

Thus, it seems to me, we endure in a very short amount of time another faithful preacher of God’s Word saying something that isn’t helpful and that betrays some deep ignorance about the shape and nature of the issues facing people today. The first, you might remember, was Alistair Begg who thought it might be a loving thing to go to a “wedding” of two people of the same sex. And now Pastor McArthur.

As far as I see it, what Begg said was a lot worse than McArthur’s tone-deaf assessment of the mental and spiritual state of lots of people. Begg very badly employed scripture in defense of himself. But in both cases, it feels like these two paragons of what service in the Kingdom of God should look like over a lifetime, do not really know the lay of the land. Things have shifted so quickly and so radically over the last five years, that it’s been hard for anyone to keep up. I wouldn’t really expect McArthur and Begg to be experts on the flow of information over social media, nor the changing assumptions of people day by day. For whatever reason, however, both men and ministries feel confident weighing in.

Two

It’s a teeny bit hard to avoid noticing that there are two other older men in the limelight, not of theology, but of politics. How unexpected that President Biden is still at it, and that Mr. Trump is sure he is capable enough to do the job.

I have noticed in myself an inability to remember important details about my own life and responsibilities, and I am only 47. I wouldn’t dream of trying to be president right now, and yet here we are having to choose between two old men.

Three

I’ve also been unable to tear myself away from the footage of all the happenings in America’s most elite universities. Like so many others, I check in on the Trump trial proceedings, try to catch up on what the Supreme Court might be thinking about things, and then scroll through footage of young people screaming in large groups.

Too bad there is no one with enough authority and stature to cause any of them to stop and consider if they might be doing something foolish. The college presidents and power holders are nowhere to be found, except when they finally have enough and send in the police. But not to solve any problems, not to take an honest assessment of the state of America’s elite institutions, not to care for the intellectual and spiritual well-being of the students. No—only to save their own political skin and maintain the status quo that is so obviously not working.

In the last few years, I’ve watched real people—some of whom I know personally—deal with children with serious mental, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual troubles that they did not ever think they would face. And not because they just got their children into therapy too young or not young enough. What our culture—there are plenty of people to blame for this—has done is say to the young, ‘We will not care for your future except to force you to find your own way, moment by moment, to choose not only your job but the very meaning of personhood itself.’ Is it any wonder that everyone is coming unglued? That all some people can do is scream and rage? That the young are willing to grab anything they perceive as meaningful and cling to it against all reason?

Having made such a mess, those that created it cannot then hand it to the young. That seems a further madness.

Four

Oh! and I nearly forgot. The United Methodists are beclowning themselves with apostasy.

Just to repeat myself, but watching this, of course, makes me more fully understand why some people don’t want to let go and retire. Because, really, who will come behind them?

Five

Speaking of theological clown world, by imbibing way too much Pearl Content, who is, I must point out, astonishingly young herself and yet filled with so much confidence about all the wrong things she believes, I came across this ridiculous video:

Part Two is also, you will not be surprised to hear, very very bad. I feel bad even drawing your attention to this, because neither part one nor part two has very many views, and they don’t need anymore, except that, well, it’s fascinatingly terrible.

Six

Every Wednesday evening Matt and I flee our house and go to a local restaurant to stare deeply into each other’s eyes away from our children. We are creatures of deep habit. We went to one place for almost ten years, until it embraced its own inevitable demise. Then we went to another place until it also closed down. And now we appear at this third place, between the hours of 4 and 6, depending on how beastly the work day has been, and order exactly the same thing every time. Some people say they want spontaneity and sparkle, but I actually don’t believe they do, for aren’t we all stuck watching reels of people doing the same thing every time? Isn’t it excessively soothing to know exactly what to expect?

Anyway, this week something shocking happened. The young lady who always takes our order—ALWAYS—was much distracted by the presence of a young gentleman, who was being trained by her to do her job sometimes, ostensibly when she will not be there. The two moved around the room as one. We gave up talking to each other and just watched them, because, honestly, it was an unusual sight. Flirting, I am pretty sure, is almost exclusively confined to online spaces these days. “What,” I said, “is this 1992?” We chuckled. But also, the cockles of our dark hearts were warmed. To see two young people so obviously attracted to each other—not larping, not acting for a camera, not conscious of the entire room full of restauranteurs—is far too unusual.

But, for real, it happened this Wednesday night. It’s like…I dunno, it’s like there’s a glimmer of hope.

Seven

Here is my cat, in Spring:

Have a lovely day! This is my last Catechesis training weekend for a while, which means that I *hope* I will pick back up reading the comments on Saturdays. I’ve missed so many interesting conversations going on in the comments here, that it breaks my heart.