Editorial
Declining Self-Esteem
A First Step in Cultural Salvation
by Thomas S. Buchanan
"May you live in interesting times" is a well-known ancient Chinese curse. Although it may be apocryphal, it certainly applies to the state of the Church today. We Christians see a turning away from the faith that is astounding in its abruptness and impact.
Of course, we have been on a bad trajectory for several decades. We have seen many churches embrace moral positions that Paul clearly condemned. We have faced dilemmas from new technologies—from birth control to embryonic stem-cell research to trans-sexual reassignment surgery—and have not fared well. Many churches today put banners in their front yards proclaiming their acceptance of the ways of those whom previous generations would have considered to be in need of prayer and calling to repentance.
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Thomas S. Buchanan is the George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware. He has studied at UCSD, Northwestern University, and MIT, and has held visiting professorships at the University of Western Australia and the University of Aix-Marseille. He has served as department chairman, deputy dean, and institute director, president of the American Society of Biomechanics, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Applied Biomechanics. He is on the Board of Trustees of Saint Katherine College, the editorial board of Touchstone, and the board of The Fellowship of St. James.
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