[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fpendulum-swings":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fpendulum-swings-surround":69},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":51,"date":52,"description":16,"extension":53,"image":54,"meta":55,"minRead":56,"navigation":57,"path":58,"postType":59,"publication":60,"publicationUrl":54,"seo":61,"stem":62,"topics":63,"__hash__":68},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fpendulum-swings.md","Pendulum Swings",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"1 Chronicles",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":47},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,29,32,35,38,41,44],[14,15,16],"p",{},"My son-in-law Charles collects clocks. On his shelves and windowsills are classic timepieces with Roman numerals on their faces, and modern digital ones in slick plastic cases. There are clocks that clang, bong, and cuckoo on the hour, and silent ones that keep perfect time but never make a sound.",[14,18,19],{},"There are serious ones trimmed in polished oak and cherry, and a silly one that features a monkey dangling on a rope. There are classic grandfather clocks that lean against the wall with silent dignity, and a creative model that winds itself by rolling slowly down a two-foot wooden incline once a day.",[14,21,22],{},"Many of the clocks have pendulums. There's something soothing, almost hypnotic, about pendulum swings. Steadily the pendulum moves from side to side, from far right to far left, then back again, regulating the hour and minute hands.",[14,24,25],{},[26,27,28],"em",{},"The Push and Pull of Big Ideas",[14,30,31],{},"It's important to understand the times in which we live. Like pendulum swings, history has been punctuated by actions and reactions—pulls to the right and to the left. Some sociological pendulum swings are temporary and trivial, like long sideburns and disco music in the 70s, while others have far-reaching consequences.",[14,33,34],{},"Church history is filled with examples. Reacting against the Roman Catholic theology of the Middle Ages, which taught that good works and church dogma are the pathway to salvation, reformers like Luther and Calvin pushed the pendulum back to the side of God's sovereignty and grace. Unfortunately, the pendulum moved so far that today large numbers of believers influenced by Calvinism struggle to find a proper place for human responsibility and obedience to the Lordship of Christ.",[14,36,37],{},"Reacting against dry, rationalistic religion that quenches the Spirit, many have opted for the vigor and spontaneity of the charismatic movement. Yet as the pendulum swings, excessive emotionalism and shallow teaching have weakened the church by elevating personal experience over the authority of Scripture and making the intensity of one's feelings the test of truth. Doesn't the Bible call us to love the Lord with both our minds and our emotions?",[14,39,40],{},"Reacting to what they perceive as stale, outdated traditions, frustrated church-goers opt for informality and more expressive styles of worship. However, among many young people the pendulum is already starting to swing back, with a growing interest in ancient church traditions, spiritual disciplines, and classic hymns. If we could step away from the pendulum, we would find that worship is a lifestyle more than a musical style. And we would discover a balanced biblical approach that is meaningful in the present while still honoring and preserving the wisdom of the past.",[14,42,43],{},"Most of us are so caught up in daily living that we seldom stop and think about the competing worldviews that battle for our minds and for the hearts of our children and grandchildren. If we don't think biblically, we will end up riding blindly wherever the pendulum happens to swing.",[14,45,46],{},"The church needs to do better, and we'd better get busy. The clock is ticking.",{"title":48,"searchDepth":49,"depth":49,"links":50},"",2,[],"First Look","2005-01-02","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fpendulum-swings","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fpendulum-swings",[64,65,66,67],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Discipleship","Intergenerational Ministry","8Sk_1PvEom5rY7Ua66WogIojTU8s_n2FnlO9hfmNrIA",[70,75],{"title":71,"path":72,"stem":73,"description":74,"children":-1},"Peace Quest","\u002Farticles\u002Fpeace-quest","articles\u002Fpeace-quest","Trivial Pursuit may be a clever name for a game, but it's a terrible way to live your life.",{"title":76,"path":77,"stem":78,"description":79,"children":-1},"Perilous Power","\u002Farticles\u002Fperilous-power","articles\u002Fperilous-power","Jesus never said, “Blessed are the powerful.” However, our culture persistently communicates the message, “Assert yourself. Be the boss. Climb the ladder. Make a name for yourself.” The story of King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles chapter 26 cautions us about the perils of personal power."]