401 Children Freed from Polygamist Compound

There were 534 people in this particular compound in El Dorado, Texas. 401 of them were children, who were victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. The thing that's rather baffling about this whole situation though is the fact that there are more compounds like the one found in Texas.

According to one source on MSNBC, there could be dozens of ranches and facilities like this all across the United States. The good news is, America has seen the ugly side to privacy. Because of this huge bust, they are not paying closer attention to practices of secret societies and organizations. They've taken steps into freeing these people and try to rehabilitate them into normalcy and everyday American society.

I think for the most part, it's evident that the world has gone so complacent regarding the religious beliefs and practices of others. We're so accustomed to freedom that freedom isn't the issue anymore. The issue is then how we use that freedom. The world has taken advantage of freedom and it's unfortunate that we have to see the abuses of it. It's a vivid reminder on how much we as Christians must be always vigil and be prepared to give a ready defense to protect righteousness. Whether it'd be business practice and ethics, the lifestyle of others, and even criminal actions, we cannot grow complacent and say, "As long as it's not hurting anyone". How far would that thinking go before it is effectually damaging to society?

If we are to love the Lord with everything we've got, then we have the responsibility to defend a way of living that is most pleasing to him.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" Deuteronomy 6:5

Passing Postmodernism Fad?

I recall the surge of postmodernistic thinking within the church that occurred within the last decade. I remember that being postmodern was the cool thing to do. I don't say this to generalize or to speak out of discontentment, but I speak out of experience and curiousity.

I myself was involved in an Emerging/Emergent (I am not really sure what they would identify themselves as) youth group for a couple of years. I remembered actually leading worship as a musician in a youth group that had converted the interior of the chapel into a dark, cave-like environment so as to eliminate any form of traditionalism in the worship environment. I remember the "prayer stations", painting workshops, illustration displays, lounging area, and random pieces of art displayed during worship. By no means am I saying that worshipping with these methods are inheritently wrong in themselves, but I do question the motives for such "worship" practices. Traditionalism represented a structured worship where subjectivism doesn't exist. In an individualistic world that we live in, such a structured (or dare I say liturgical) method doesn't appeal to the general public. The elimination of traditionalism allows freedom for church attendees to make church their way. Of course, this was incredibly attractive for people who became weary of "dead" traditional churches.

But it seemed to me that this general feeling of "make-your-own-church" has begun fading away. The many friends I had who used to go to these postmodernistic congregations have looked back and felt embarrassed that they were so involved at one point. They would confess that they had the expectaction of an experience and a goal that would serve themselves benefit, instead of focusing on learning and understanding God through self-experiential practices.

In fact, I now see the opposite in my peers. There is a strong current of younger and younger generations returning their focus to the true intent of a worship service. They're much less concerned about how they feel about God, but more intent on learning about God through revelation as revealed in history by means of Scripture and the progression of the Church.

Is postmodernism fading away? Is it like Schleiermacher's modernistic theology that faded away into history?