The Devaluing of Values
Value: “worth, merit, or importance; in Sociology, the ideals, customs, institutions, etc., of a society toward which the people of the group have an effective regard.”
In the arena of economics, it is axiomatic that the more you have of something the more its value decreases. Thus, competition drives down prices. Farmers hope, and some pray, for good yields. But bumper crops flood the market with their product, causing prices to plummet.
Shortsighted leaders sometimes attempt to fix economic problems by printing more money. But a market flooded with currency sees the value of that currency drop and the cost of goods rise.
When it comes to values in the areas of ethics, morals, and Biblical standards of right and wrong, less is certainly not better than more. The generations since WWII have not only witnessed but also been instrumental in the devaluation of values. Values have been a major part of public discussion in recent years, but the proliferation of this discussion has done little to stem their devaluation.
Some of us are old enough to have witnessed a complete reversal of what is valued by American society. Recent revelations have highlighted the flippancy with which human life can be regarded while animal life is at the same time reverenced. Even some of the most avid abortion supporters are wincing at the cavalier way Planned Parenthood personnel discuss the harvesting and selling of fetal body parts. At the same time, there is a hue and cry for “justice” to be done to the man who killed a beloved lion. What leads a society to adopt such “values”? What leads to the devaluing of human life, the devaluing of what is holy and truly valuable?
In reality, we should not be surprised that a society which has become so comfortable with the elevation of choice and convenience over life and responsibility would find itself confronted with the moral horror of baby parts for sale. Minds and souls that find life so cheap and choice so valuable have ceased to impose the restraint that causes society and individuals to make selfless, sacrificial, and loving choices. When sex is a toy to be played with at will and babies are an interruption to the fun of the toy, any choice that preserves the toy is understandable and even preferable. One cannot help but wonder how far we are from removing the other inconvenience to our fun, comfort, and convenience: the elderly. In such an environment, who’s to say that their lives are any more valuable than those of unborn babies.
It is indeed horrific to watch “professionals” discuss the business of baby parts for sale. It is tragic and disconcerting to see leaders unmoved by such moral wickedness and depravity mixed with callous disregard for human life. But what is even more frightening is that a moral climate prevails that spawns such values and that the church has so little influence for righteousness. Can a society be moved by the display of such evil to embrace a higher view of human life? Will Christ’s church be moved to value what He values, to leave its own love of the world’s toys, and cease worshiping at the altar of comfort and convenience? May God be pleased to change the church before the eyes of a world in darkness and give us an influence for Him that has lasting fruit.
Charles Cavanaugh
