{"id":20615,"date":"2018-11-29T17:53:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T01:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=20615"},"modified":"2018-11-29T17:53:03","modified_gmt":"2018-11-30T01:53:03","slug":"who-is-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/who-is-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is god?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) <\/strong>
\n“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other; you cannot serve God and mammon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is not the most accurate verse to describe Scott Galloway\u2019s book \u201cThe Four,\u201d but from a Christian perspective, it seemed the easiest to tie in. Even though the analogy of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse was a predominant part of this book, the premise that \u201cat some point, there will be a Fifth Horseman[1]<\/a>,\u201d I found the biblical nature of impending doom was somehow lost at this point in the analogy. Ultimately however, perhaps the impact that caused the thought for Matthew 6:24, was the comment that read, \u201cThe dominance of the four has an outsized effect on the competitive landscape and the lives of consumers. But what is their impact on the average career path of the educated individual?[2]<\/a>\u201d In regard to Global Evangelism, it is thought provoking to ask what effect commerce has on the individual when they look at the changing process of the financial world.<\/p>\n

Though I was not only disappointed by the \u201cGod\u201d and \u201cJesus\u201d parallels, but actually offended by the comparison that said, \u201cSteve Jobs became the innovation economy\u2019s Jesus\u2014and his shining achievement, the iPhone, became the conduit for his worship, elevated above other material items or technologies,[3]<\/a>\u201d I still could not dispute the fact that money has always been a major sinful downfall for mankind. Though possibly outdate, but I still believe relatable, Al Mohler wrote, \u201cComparisons to the Great Depression are inevitable, but today’s crisis bears little resemblance to the total economic collapse of the late 1920s. Capitalism is not in crisis and the fundamentals of the American economy remain strong[4]<\/a>.\u201d The reason I chose this quote, was if we still evaluate things like economy and commerce on a Christian scale, and things today are as bad as is presented in our reading, then from a Christian perspective\u2026is this a strong economy we live in today or a poor one? If people are worshipping the \u201cgods\u201d of commerce rather than the God of heaven, then maybe we should be warning churches of the deadly fall that is coming\u2026or maybe even already upon us.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I still remember the ad by Carl\u2019s Jr. for their new \u201cgod of the burger,\u201d ad. Again, highly offended, I went to the church and warned them of the lackadaisical attitude possessed by our society when we failed to notice the problem with such an ad. To my dismay, it was only a few weeks later when one of our elders at that time came in talking about how good his burger at Carl\u2019s Jr. was. However, I struggled with part of this reading in this aspect because it was not that Amazon, Apple, Facebook, or Google had declared themselves god\u2026but rather, the author Scott Galloway. This struck me with a new dilemma:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If these four companies are the future downfall and controlling being that is to guide our future as a society\u2026not as a church\u2026then rather than god\u2026they are the devil; but if the devil, how do we justify using them so freely. Is it time to boycott the evil corporations and only buy our wares from the lesser quality, more local, higher priced companies; I mean, is that the answer to this problem? After all, Christ said, \u201cYou shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve[5]<\/a>.\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. However, if these four companies are just the product of society and its love for possessions over its love for God, then it does not matter who the \u201c4 horseman\u201d are, or even who the 5th<\/sup> horseman will be. The reality of this problem would be that the love for commerce, wealth and possessions have been, and seemingly always will be present, regardless of who is selling. Jesus also taught, \u201cThey are not of the world, just as I am not of the world[6]<\/a>.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So in regard to the issue of Global Evangelism, as well as the connection this topic may have to my own dissertation, I have found that the goal of those taking the gospel to the world must also take the warnings against the world as well. Jesus said, \u201cMy kingdom is not of this world\u2026;\u201d therefore, we must be able to demonstrate that the world has always presented an image of acceptability that was in complete opposition to God\u2019s plan for His people. In my dissertation, I am demonstrating that many modern churches have changed the implications and teachings of water-baptism, even though I see Jesus commanding it in Matthew 28:18-20. When the world begins influencing our decisions as evangelists of the gospel, we risk taking a false religion to the world. Another one of those lies is that God wants us all to be wealthy, driving fast cars and living in the biggest houses; if that were the truth, then what is the point of promising us all heaven?<\/p>\n

    We have a family at our church that is always present for church events; truly dedicated to participation. However, they also love to get that next paycheck, possession, or opportunity to spend. Well, they went to the local car races one weekend, and during their evening, they won a $500 in a drawing they had. The couple that won then came to church that Sunday, so excited about their winnings that they wanted to share the story with me. In the story, they revealed that they wanted to do what was right, so they put $20 in the collection plate and donated $100 back to the track, because they thought they could use it. In spite of all the ministries that we have going on here, many of which they have been part of, their view of what was more important to spend their money on was the race track. For me, I saw the many times we helped them with bills, was there in the middle of the night when their house burned down, helped them get a new car, and provided them with numerous food boxes; and yet\u2026they thought the track where they just won $500 was more in need. That is the challenge to Global Evangelism! We have to figure out how to reprogram the hearts and minds of people so that they do not see Amazon or Apple as their god. We need to show them that God\u2019s Word has done far more for them than a Black Friday sale or IPhone XS could even begin to do. Maybe then, and only then, can we show them the importance of clinging to God\u2019s Word in their lives.<\/p>\n

    To be honest, I have not fully understood the implications of many of these readings we have had in regard to the area of Global Evangelism, however, one thing this book successfully showed me was that we must never forget the danger of materialism on a ministry. To make my point, I offer one last illustration:<\/p>\n

    Bibliography<\/h1>\n

    Galloway, Scott. The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.<\/em> New York: Penguin Random House LLC, 2017.<\/p>\n

    Mohler, Al. A Christian View of the Economic Crisis.<\/em> September 29, 2008. https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/ct\/2008\/septemberweb-only\/140-12.0.html (accessed November 29, 2018).<\/p>\n

    Silverstein, Nathaniel Lee & Sara. Businessinsider.com.<\/em> April 21, 2017. https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/scott-galloway-explains-big-four-amazon-apple-google-facebook-2017-4 (accessed November 29, 2018).<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    [1]<\/a> Galloway, Scott. The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google (p. 183). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition, p. 183.<\/p>\n

    [2]<\/a> Ibid, p.230.<\/p>\n

    [3]<\/a> Ibid, p. 66.<\/p>\n

    [4]<\/a> Mohler, Al. A Christian View of the Economic Crisis.<\/em> September 29, 2008. https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/ct\/2008\/septemberweb-only\/140-12.0.html (accessed November 29, 2018).<\/p>\n

    [5]<\/a> Matthew 4:10.<\/p>\n

    [6]<\/a> John 17:17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other; you cannot serve God and mammon.\u201d Perhaps this is not the most accurate verse to describe Scott Galloway\u2019s book \u201cThe Four,\u201d but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1031,1414,1411,1409],"class_list":["post-20615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dminglp8","tag-horsemen","tag-scott-galloway","tag-the-four","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20615"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20617,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20615\/revisions\/20617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}