Learning an Important Lesson from Our Fallen Culture

The Lego Group has been making LEGOs since 1949. I played with their building blocks, as did our sons. Now our grandchildren are continuing the tradition. Heretofore, LEGOs were known for two characteristics: they can be used to build nearly anything, and they are very painful to step on barefooted (I can attest to both facts).

Now we can add a third: LEGOs are promoting LGBTQ activism. The company’s tweet reads: “We’re super excited to reveal our new set—LEGO Everyone is Awesome! Because we celebrate every LEGO builder.” An emoji of a heart and a rainbow follow, along with a picture of LEGO figures in a variety of colors and physical characteristics. The creator of the series adds that the purple figure is meant as “a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there.”

Chip and Joanna Gaines are in the "news"

In other news, this headline from The Hill caught my eye: “TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines donate to campaign against critical race theory in schools.” The headline is what is known as a “hit piece.”

If you read the article, you learn that Chip Gaines’ sister Shannon Braun is running for the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD School Board in Texas. She has voiced her opposition to teaching critical race theory in schools. Chip gave $1,000 to his sister’s campaign, a donation The Hill‘s headline then described as it did.

The article adds, “In 2017, it was reported that the Gaines family attended a church known for its anti-LGBTQ+ views, according to BuzzFeed.” The article to which The Hill linked was itself a hit piece, as I noted at the time. The website of the Gaines’ church states, “Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.” If their church is therefore “known for its anti-LGBTQ+ views,” so is every church that affirms biblical morality. A commentator called the BuzzFeed article “harassment” and stated that it had “no journalistic content.”

As The Hill announces on its website, it is about “Changing America.” Clearly it is “reporting” the news in line with the changes it wishes to see.

You might think that my purpose today is to disparage The Lego Group and The Hill for their decisions. Actually, I am writing to encourage us to learn an important lesson from them.

Why companies are going "woke"

More and more companies are becoming “woke,” adopting progressive agendas that usually include LGBTQ advocacy. They do so for at least one of five reasons:

Their younger employees have been immersed in Critical Theory and want the company to adopt their mission of advocating for “oppressed” minorities.
Their employees see the company as a platform for their personal brand and want to use its influence to expand their influence.
CEOs are concerned about “cancel culture” threats if they do not adopt progressive agendas.
Companies see minority groups as potential customer demographics.
Company leaders personally embrace the ideology their company then expresses.

I know nothing about The Lego Group’s announcement except what they have made public. But if reason number 5 is true of them, they are fulfilling their vision in a very strategic way. Influencing children with LGBTQ ideology through the toys they enjoy and play with for hours is clearly a calculated move. The other four reasons are also obviously met through the company’s decision.

Similarly, The Hill’s headline is part of a long-term strategy in American society to promote LGBTQ acceptance: normalize LGBTQ behavior through television, movies, and other popular culture; legalize same-sex relationships, as we saw with the 2015 Supreme Court Obergefell decision; and then stigmatize those who disagree. The article’s characterization of two very popular and very public evangelical Christians is clearly part of this third step.

Five biblical imperatives

Jesus noted, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).

While many evangelicals have been living as though the world would always be what it has been, those advocating for LGBTQ advancement and other progressive agendas have been working systematically and strategically to bring about the changes we are witnessing today.

It is time for Christians to respond in kind.

I believe the following biblical imperatives to be crucial to the future of American society. For each, I will offer resources from our ministry to help.

Be empowered daily by God’s Spirit to be the change you wish to see (Ephesians 5:18). For a daily worship video, devotional, and guided prayer time, visit www.First15.org.
Study Scripture daily and systematically (Psalm 119:15). For encouraging and practical biblical teaching, visit www.JanetDenison.org.
Respond biblically and redemptively to current events and cultural issues (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:32). For resources, visit www.DenisonForum.org.
Focus on discipling your children and grandchildren, remembering that the Christian faith is always one generation from extinction (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7). For practical resources from trusted experts and experienced parents, visit www.ChristianParenting.org.
Develop your gifts and calling to maximize your cultural impact (Matthew 5:13-16). For my spiritual gifts assessment, visit here. For leadership resources, see www.APastorsView.org.

As the story goes, a woman came up to D. L. Moody and said, “I don’t like the way you do evangelism.” He asked her how she did evangelism. She answered that she didn’t. He then replied, “I like the way I do evangelism better than the way you don’t do evangelism.”

How will you do evangelism today?

NOTE: For more on being salt and light today, please see my website article, “Southwest Airlines flight attendant assaulted by passenger: Why I chose to write on this story.” For more on the transformation Jesus makes in our lives, see my website article, “I missed the Super Flower Blood Moon: Three cultural and biblical responses.”

Publication date: May 27, 2021

Photo courtesy: Pixabay

Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. Denison Ministries includes DenisonForum.org, First15.org, ChristianParenting.org, and FoundationsWithJanet.org. Jim speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.