Mini Review of Os Guinness' Impossible People

A lot of people ask me: “How do you know that?” when I start one of my mini speeches about literature, philosophy, history, or current events. I can’t seem to stop myself sometimes because I have so much information to share and I want people to discover something about a subject as I have.

I thrive on discovery. I love it when after some doing some digging, I find some tidbit of information that no one else knows or that hasn’t been unearthed in a long, long time.

It gives me quite a thrill when I am curious about something and store it in the back of my mind and later pick up a book that offers some answers inside its pages. Connecting the dots is exciting, especially when I find a solid answer to a huge question about culture or any other issue.

Reading is such an integral part of discovery. Books hold so much information, some of it trash and some of it treasure. You have to know how to differentiate between the two in order to not digest lies. This is also a very important part of digging. If you dig up an old coke bottle in your pursuit of a diamond, you wouldn’t keep the coke bottle and throw out the diamond once you found it, right? You’d know which one was more valuable. Plus, digging for diamonds is hard work. Coke bottles tend to sit underneath the brush where the litterbug dropped it.

Reading Os Guinness’ book titled Impossible People about the West and how it will continue its decline if we don’t recapture our moral moorings has really shown me where we are as a society. In the final chapter, Dr. Guinness brings to light the fact that if we are unengaged with the culture we will not be able to discern the times. Being engaged with the culture means reading the books it is producing and knowing how to call them trash or treasure.

Ultimately, whatever is happening in our culture today and around the world is under the control of Almighty God. But God expects us, as Christians, to know how to defend him to those around us. I see it as a form of love for him. I love him enough to know how he fits into our culture (you know, because he created us) and enough to tell others how he fits.

I may not always be right, but I do think it is important to form strong arguments for an idea and be willing to present that idea in conversation with those who might disagree. And if there is one thing I hate, it is believing something that isn’t true! I don’t want anyone else to, either.

Reading and then writing about what you’ve read is an important part of forming an opinion. In my own home, we talk about issues our culture faces pretty much every day. We are always reading a book tied to the idea or cultural happening, then discussing what information we’ve found. It is an endless cycle of discovery. There are days when I must consciously turn my critical thinking switch off so that I don’t drive myself nuts!

Although, it is definitely healthy to think critically and to consider ideas that are different from your own. But that doesn’t mean you must agree with every idea, because there are a LOT of bad ideas out there.

After my early years as a homeschooled student, family vacations to historical places, and traveling on my own overseas, I’ve come to see how critical thinking, constant study, and travel all form a well-rounded, knowledgeable mind. You may find this odd, but I’ve come to believe in travel as a way of study. It helps us to compare where we’ve come from historically and where we are headed in the fast approaching future.

Being able to discern the times spiritually speaking is important for Christians especially. Refusing to engage in the turmoil that is our culture would bring unimaginable chaos to the world. We are to see ourselves as little lights, especially when the times are dark.

I don’t always agree with my Christian brothers and sisters on politics or theology, but that’s okay. It is important for us to learn from each other. Spiritual gifts play a very important role in our relationships also. I see that in myself because my gift of prophecy (seeing things in black and white) can be a turn off to a lot of people. But I also speak the truth and don’t want people holding onto a theological or political idea that is wrong.

Dr. Guinness’ book touches on so many important ideas and philosophical issues, and you would be hard pressed to find anything that is better. Reading it is almost like watching the nightly news and analyzing everything you see reported. It is a timely and much needed work that encourages and challenges us to be engaged. Read it. I dare you.