Is nothing sacred anymore? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately as a result of a few items I’ve seen in the news recently. When I say “sacred,” I’m not speaking from the purely religious perspective, but in broader terms of the values and mores that define us (or once did) as a nation and culture.

I must confess that I am writing with a bit of trepidation simply because the news accounts touch on hot-button issues in our culture, and I run the risk of furthering the “partisan” divide that dominates our discourse and prevents us from having civil conversations and debates surrounding such issues. But, writing helps me process, so write I shall. You don’t have to agree with it. Heck, you don’t even have to read it. Just keep right on scrolling. You won’t hurt my feelings at all.

Defining the Sacred

When I speak of sacred, I speak specifically to mean that which is regarded with awe and reverence, and yes, there are things in our culture which should be (or used to be) regarded with reverence. I know that for something to be sacred means that it is set apart, holy or consecrated. Those terms certainly carry religious connotations, but the idea goes beyond the purely religious.

In the News

So, what has been in the news that prompted my thinking? The first news item was the reporting of the “Pride” month gathering at the White House back in June and the subsequent kerfuffles surrounding the prominent display of the “pride” flag at the White House (read about it here) and the trans-activist who exposed him(her?)self on the White House lawn (cautiously read about it here) during said event.

A second news item (click here for the story) that captured my attention was the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s release of guidance for “chestfeeding” of infants (read the guidance here). Okay, so it’s not really guidance on chestfeeding, but more an acknowledgment that men can produce milk and feed babies from their breasts–to which I say, “What?”

I thought surely I can dig deep to find the nuance of these events so as to arrive at a point that included everyone’s perspective, but the more I reflected, the more I prayed, the more I studied, the reality settled on me that no matter where I landed in my thoughts, someone was going to be excluded. The fact that anyone might be excluded is the very reason that nothing can be sacred anymore.

A Christian American

Let me preface this section with this statement: I am a Christian American, with the emphasis on Christian. I can acknowledge the danger in making that claim of slipping into a christian nationalism mindset. That fact notwithstanding, I believe it is possible to be both a faithful disciple and a strong patriot and I try desperately to be both.

As an American, I’ve always seen the White House as a sacred (set apart, consecrated) place to be held in awe and reverence. It is one of the places in our nation that symbolizes the values that define our nation. It is the people’s house, and as the people’s house, I no more want to see a “pride” flag waving there than I would want to see a Christian flag waving there (although a Christian flag would be more appropriate given the Judeo-Christian principles upon which the nation was built). The White House isn’t a place for any flag except the flag of the United States of America. To display ANY flag other than the American flag is to diminish the sacredness of the space.

And, the man boobs? Well, I never! So, I really don’t care if the President and the White House wanted to host an event for LGBTQI++++++ folks. He’s the President. Go for it, big boy. Do your thing. This is America. I don’t have to attend. I don’t have to like it. I can even speak out against it (this is America, right?), but for an invited guest to expose himself on the White House lawn is a bridge too far for me. It was an expression of utter contempt (udder contempt?) and disrespect for the sacredness of the space. No, there is nothing sacred anymore.

Then, there’s the whole chestfeeding thing. I’m sorry. Men are not women and women are not men. A man can look like a women, can dress like a women, can act like a woman, can live as a woman, but he is still a man. Follow THAT science. A woman can look like a man, can dress like a man, can act like a man, can live as a man, but she is still a woman. It is basic biology. Women cannot be men and men cannot be women, surgery and drugs notwithstanding.

I can remember a time when motherhood was sacred. Heck, even womanhood was somewhat sacred, given the woman’s ability to give birth, to be the source of life. That certainly doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. The sacred nature of motherhood (and womanhood) is lost to the selfish whims and unnatural desires of an individual whose mental wellness can certainly be questioned. But, heavens, let by no means exclude them!

The Problem Before Us

And, therein lies the problem. The sacred is always a bit exclusionary. The sacred evokes a sense of awe, a sense of mystery, that points to something above and beyond itself, or above the person seeking to understand the sacred. In this post-modern, post-Christian world, we just can’t have that.

By rejecting the sacred, we can remove all restraints that hinder us. If nothing is sacred, then any behavior can be justified. If nothing is sacred, legitimacy to any lifestyle can be granted. I’m telling you, folks, losing the sanctity of motherhood (womanhood) puts us on a short path to ultimate evil. Write it down that on this day Lynn Malone wrote that men “chestfeeding” infants is the gateway to legalizing pedophilia. Hyperbole? I hope so, but I think not.

When a sense of the sacred is lost no one stands out, everyone wins a trophy and every passion is ripe for the fulfilling. Everyone must be equal whatever the cost. Every whim, every passion, every desire must be not only legitimized, but also affirmed. To do otherwise is to make someone less than, and we just can’t have that under any condition.

As a sense of the sacred is lost, we begin to replace the truly sacred with the ordinary. We see the elevation of the ordinary to places of sacredness–things like sports, entertainment and materialism. It’s not a huge step until “sin” becomes sacred and to call it out is to commit blasphemy.

I think it points to a larger issue that gets lost in our secular culture. We lose a sense of the sacred in society because we have lost a sense of the sacredness of that which is holiest. We fail to recognize that there should be things set apart for the worship and service of God. When we lose sight of the holiness of Jesus Christ it leads directly to the suppression of the sacred in daily life. We shouldn’t be too surprised to see it happen in culture. It has happened in the church, too. Perhaps it happened in the church before it happened in culture (see an example here).

Jesus is the Answer

Until Jesus Christ is exalted, until Jesus Christ is loved completely and adored genuinely, there can be no surprise that anything else will be viewed as sacred. Until Jesus Christ be high and lifted up, nothing is stable. Until Jesus Christ be worshipped and adored, nothing is safe. Until Jesus Christ be praised forevermore, nothing will be sacred anymore.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Until next time, keep looking up…