{"id":42022,"date":"2025-09-11T08:38:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=42022"},"modified":"2025-09-12T13:07:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T20:07:09","slug":"currency-of-the-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/currency-of-the-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Currency of the Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A beloved former member of the OKC Thunder, Russell Westbrook proudly holds the NBA record with 198 triple-doubles in his career. But for many local children and families, his most significant impact wasn\u2019t in the arena; it was in the education scholarships he awarded, the community centers he revitalized, and programs he funded for kids who may never touch an NBA floor. What always struck people about \u201cRuss\u201d was his normalcy. It wasn\u2019t uncommon to see him grocery shopping at the local market or chatting with strangers at stoplights. This funny, vivacious fashion icon embodied the superpowers of basketball, teamwork, fan loyalty, and service to others.<\/p>\n

But isn\u2019t it interesting that by today\u2019s standards, we expect athletes, business leaders, and even politicians to \u201cgive back\u201d? After spending more than a decade in a non-profit fundraising career, I never hesitated to ask for their support in the work of human flourishing. Yet here\u2019s the million-dollar question Tom Holland raises in his book Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/em>: why do we expect anything at all?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seriously, how did we move from an era when the Roman Colosseum staged bloodbaths between men and beasts for entertainment to a society that values compassion? A walk through any ancient European city makes it clear: statues and monuments were created to recognize power. The wealthy pursued honor, glory, and status, while humility and compassion were despised as weaknesses. The idea that the greatest should stoop to serve the least would have been shocking and offensive.<\/p>\n

Holland, who doesn\u2019t claim orthodox Christian belief, openly admits, \u201cHis values and moral framework are thoroughly shaped by Christianity.\u201d[1]<\/a> That conviction forms the heart of Dominion<\/em>, which argues that Christianity is the revolutionary force that redefined Western morality. The crucifixion of Christ upended ancient ideas about honor and power. Here was a sinless man, a humble king, who washed the feet of his followers and insisted that \u201cthe last shall be first.\u201d[2]<\/a> Jordan Peterson echoes the same point: \u201cThe Western ethos is saturated in Judeo-Christian stories. Even if you are atheist, you live your life inside a structure that is thoroughly Christian.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Christianity turned the world upside down by celebrating humility and elevating the weak; however, opposing forces\"\"<\/a> have always lurked in the shadow of salvation. Particularly relevant in today\u2019s environment is capitalism, which has had a decisive influence on the Western mind and culture in ways that explicitly conflict with the Christian ethos. Our market-driven values celebrate efficiency, innovation, and consumption. To its credit (pun intended), capitalism has lifted millions from poverty and fueled progress, yet its instinct to \u2018give back\u2019 borrows more from Christianity\u2019s moral code than from the free market itself.\u00a0 Simultaneously, our enterprise system opposes the Christian revolution. A perfect example is the 2008 U.S. financial crisis and how quickly and easily markets became warped by greed, which fueled the wealth divide. Economist Joseph Stiglitz warned of this very thing – inequality eroding trust and social bonds,[4]<\/a> while Pope Francis labeled capitalism an \u201ceconomy of exclusion\u201d that forgets the poor.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

To no one\u2019s surprise, the Western mind has been molded by many competing forces. But the cross and currency have played the most significant role in shaping our understanding of success and sacrifice. Christianity insists that the last shall be first, while today\u2019s economic norms insist that the first must remain first. Adding to the pressure is the massive influence of technology compounded by the weight of social challenges, such as gun violence, rising homelessness, a decline in religion, and an increasing ambivalence toward government. The question then becomes, how will our future will be defined?<\/p>\n

At its heart, Dominion is a genealogical history about us.\u00a0 Everyday, we live at the crossroads of conflict, and every intersection calls for a choice. Will we celebrate power, wealth, and greed? Or will we follow the example Jesus modeled in humility, compassion, and grace? As Tom Holland reminds us, \u201c<\/em>The Christian revolution still echoes in every expectation we place on leaders, neighbors, and ourselves: to serve rather than to dominate, to give rather than to hoard.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Our legacy, both personal and communal, will be written by how we respond to the challenges before us. Will we love our neighbors as ourselves? Will we resist the pull of modern provocateurs emboldened by stature, power, and wealth? The Christian answer is clear: we do not become like them. We stand firm in love, steadfast in service, and confident that grace has the final word. This is the story worth living, and the story worth leaving behind.<\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> Holland, Tom. \u201cTom Holland: Why I Was Wrong about Christianity.\u201d New Statesman<\/em>, September 14, 2016. Accessed September 10, 2025. https:\/\/www.newstatesman.com\/politics\/religion\/2016\/09\/tom-holland-why-i-was-wrong-about-christianity<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> \u201cBible Gateway Passage: Matthew 20:16 – King James Version.\u201d Bible Gateway<\/em>. Accessed September 10, 2025. https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew%2020%3A16&version=KJV.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> \u201cThe Big Conversation Show.\u201d YouTube. Jordan Peterson Debates Atheist Susan Blackmore<\/em>. Last modified June 12, 2018. Accessed September 10, 2025. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JvkMd4uENX8.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Stiglitz, Joseph E. The Price of Inequality<\/em>. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Francis. Evangelii Gaudium: To the Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful, on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today\u2019s World<\/em>. London: Catholic Truth Society, 2013.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Holland, Tom. Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/em>. Paperback edition. London: ABACUS, 2020.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A beloved former member of the OKC Thunder, Russell Westbrook proudly holds the NBA record with 198 triple-doubles in his career. But for many local children and families, his most significant impact wasn\u2019t in the arena; it was in the education scholarships he awarded, the community centers he revitalized, and programs he funded for kids […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":193,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[3475],"class_list":["post-42022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp03-holland","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42022","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\/193"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42022"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42073,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42022\/revisions\/42073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}