The Dignity Revolution: Reclaiming God’s Rich Vision For Humanity

Need to recover this idea of human dignity in the way that we think about public policy think about our civic debate when the church said that it becomes a great time. This is family policymakers with the NC family Pres. John Weston thank you for joining us for family policy matters. What we just come through a significant midterm election.

I think it's safe to say that the level of mudslinging victory all and just downright disrespect is at an all-time high. This is so frustrating because most of the people that I've met who are running for office are genuinely nice people who have good intentions, and are truly seeking to serve their fellow citizens are too often though what comes through. During the campaign season is far from respectful, dignified, and sometimes even truthful. Unfortunately, I think the results of this has pushed many Christians and other citizens for that matter into two distinctly different directions.

The first is getting disgusted and completely disengaged from anything political whatsoever, or the second is feeling angry and frustrated kind of digging in their heels and considering anyone who opposes them as quote unquote the enemy but what if we embrace the fact that every one of us is created in the image and likeness of God, will our guest today is Daniel Darling who is the author of a new book, the dignity revolution reclaiming God's rich vision for humanity in this book. Dan seeks to challenge Christians to lead a new revolution of sorts founded on the simple premise that every human being possesses dignity and that we should act toward ourselves and each other. With that in mind Dan walking to family policy matters. It's great to have you with us on the show that I wanted to be on the greater problem. Great work that you do in your team. There are glad to talk about this great start out our discussion by defining human dignity. What is the notion of human dignity originate and what does it really mean well it really. I believe originate from the Christian story. In other there are traces of the idea of human dignity and other religions and philosophies.

Princeton, but really I think it borrow from the Christian story really originates from the opening pages of Scripture where Moses described the way that God created the world and he speaks into existence. The natural world. Then Moses slows down his narration talks about he's really rich language to say that God reaches with his hand in scope. Humans from the dust of the ground and pleasing to them. The breath of life and of course a couple of times says that humans are created in the image of God. King David later says that every human being is knit by the hand of God carefully in the mother's will is exalted language about about what it means to be human and what it means, essentially, is that humans are not God. But we are created by God will also not animals either were distinct from the rest of the creation. How have we lost this perspectives regarding fundamental human dignity in our current culture. It seems like some of the. The notions that you speak of about creation and God crafting with his own hands human beings.

It is really kind of lost in our society to many people these days, at least think that this was these were acknowledgments that in prior centuries, many folks kind of assumed was the case and not that there was perfection. Back then, but that there was a sense of dignity calls people generally have this understanding that yes we were creations of the mighty creator, but I think the couple and nothing in one sense this is been an issue since the Garden of Eden right since when sin entered the world to corrupt the human experience mentally corrupted cause loss but corrupted humans and humans instead of turning upward in worship toward God.

They turn inward and we turn inward selfish that we lash out at other image. We stopped seeing fellow humans in this parable to see them as obstacles to our own flourishing. We find increasingly innovative ways to to assault other humans to to alter dignity as it happened since the Garden of Eden. But in another sense, you know, I think every generation of the church by regeneration of humans find some kind of assault on dignity right in our generation. It now abortion and it's it's racism that's the way we talk what immigrants and refugees and some other things that euthanasia previous generations it was that in a whole classes of people were considered less than human. He could but the slave trade and in America and Britain he think about 1940s Germany were whole whole race was almost extinguished because you still can select that humans always battled every the church when she's at her best, is the one voice saying standing up for those who missed the rest of society says is less than human in the rest of society says our disposable thing. The way to the human here. They have dignity at work in the church at her best is dumbest, but at times know the church has has listened to that been influenced by certain cultures, and has actually been on the side of question that has times made torture argument is that the major groups are less than he may think of the Lutheran Church in Germany, siding with Hitler acting humanity of the Jewish people he think of many many churches and in the United States in the antebellum South kind of either silently acquiescing to the slave trade to this slavery or even saying that indeed this was something that God ordained and so I think that's the trick recovers. This idea came to dignity and is the one thing you know with the Bible so the board means to be human. You're listening to policy matters of resource to listen to our radio show online resources have a place of persuasion in your community website. Collecting let's talk about your bill of course it is entitled to dignity revolution in most revolutions, people are rising up together against something that they see is evil or unjust, what is the revolution revolting against her that you're calling folks to essentially revolt against in your book and who are you calling to lead this revolution. Well first of all I would say that I want to fully understand what Bible says about being human about human dignity.

It really disrupts your worldview.

It disrupts your politics and sent because you understand the purpose for me as a pro-life conservative that I consider myself as I live out that in many ways this moral vocabulary of what of human life is given by the colectomy movement but also cosmic thing okay I think this about the unborn Overlook like if I had this ethics work. Other kind of vulnerable people group.

The kind of structure politics a little bit in the way that your tribes like that or if you're someone who comes in with a real strong sense of justice for things that think that razor things done on for the poor.

But any real at the mouth of the him didn't you also have to comply thing I have to be pro-life or I can't not do that I needed that. What just for you and in other ways it is a revolution to the disrupts or tries and caused it to speak about human dignity wherever being assaulted regardless of what that does to our politics.

Secondly, I think it turned who believe that. I think it would be wonderful if we had leaders who would embrace human dignity and fly thick you see people on both sides embrace some aspect of human dignity for certain bottle people groups would be greatly leaders who said I'm really both pro-life and pro-justice, care about the unborn and the immigrant, and so on so forth.

But I think the revolution be led quietly by ordinary people who live live out the ethic of the gospel in their local communities. I think too often we look to our national leaders to solve our problems and are some of the problems that only they can fix. Would you want to be involved and engaged.

More importantly, I think those of us who have influence can use our voice to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves. So how does the dignity revolution address and deal with differences among Christians on social issues, clinical issues and even theological issues. Sometimes we can have general understandings and come together on on broader things but then when we get to come into the details.

It can start to reveal disagreements or differences of opinion and things like that.

And sometimes those can be quite frankly difficult overcome. Yeah, I think I think right uses are there are some issues about which we to be a follower of Christ.

The Bible is pretty clear right but was pretty clear but distinctive human life.

About abortion and that that that the unborn life is a life and is not competitions or cells or deserves protection. Think about was pretty clear on a biblical sexual ethic the Bible is also clear on our attitudes toward the stranger toward the immigrant toward the poor, the way that we think about poverty, but there are ways in which good Christians can disagree on the mechanism for which we solve these problems right what's prudent to solve is proceeding.

If you like poverty good Christians will disagree on the exact finer points of how we sell how he felt anything what what should we know at what level should the government help will be private enterprise know that there is good agreement, good disagreements and good things. I must thank for no specific political ideas that to good people may disagree or agree on the prudence of them are things that we should agree on the theological issues. The same thing. I think core matters of orthodoxy that define you as a Christian, but then there are things that are secondary and third tertiary issues that we have deep conditions on think like PEO, the nature of the end times or some discussion about about the gifts of things like that. The good people disagree on her, but also can have fellowship his brothers Christ and psychically to learn to have have robust disagreements on these issues. Robust argument but also understand that the person making that argument on the other side. It is a person worthy of respect and dignity is the dignity revolution are called it's directed primarily to Christians or to people of all faiths and beliefs. I accept two motivations that made my first motivation is to speak to the church to say if the church is to live out the values of the kingdom of God.

We are to embody the kingdom to to be at the church is to be an outpost of the kingdom of God that we we must come alongside the vulnerable. We must stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. To recover this idea of human dignity in the way that we think about public policy in the way that we think about our civic debates in the way that we think about others think that word sexuality. All these things, when the church does that, it becomes a great signpost to the kingdom of God become an evangelist to people say there's another king and another kingdom and not a better way that a better story straight down so that I think it does.

Welcome people to ask questions about the gospel. My second motivation is to speak to those who may not be Christian to say you have instinctively some of these notions about what it means to be human. You have these ideas in your mind that there are certain injustices you see in the world. This is where it comes from. This is where it stems from an enterprise that the Christian story to people to send the Christian gospel offers the most robust vision for what it means to be human. And even if you don't believe it. I like to say to people you wish it was true you know human dignity is one of the best gifts I think that Christianity gives to the world. Note Dan for some simple steps that our listeners can take to become a part of the dignity revolution of all for all of us to look around in our world and our sphere of influence, and ask yourself the question of who is it that we are most likely to pass by illicit that were most likely to not consider the humanity cannot that her eyes are trained is not to see that those are the people that God wants us to most care about reach out to. So when Jesus is telling the parable of the good Samaritan he saying that when he is asked, who is my neighbor he saying your neighbor is that person you're most likely not deceive you most likely passed by the road to Jericho, so number one who wear the lumber to know in what way can I use my timely resources.

My influence to help those who are less fortunate. Last visit was a partnering with existing organizations working to my church.

Some of the programs that they have. You know what can I do to help this one.

I think just thinking enters our worldview and our politics. Yet, in this age of social media. All of us have a voice and to Holly using that voice in my even in the way I engage politic the way engage these things in my using my voice in such a way that recognize the dignity even of those with whom I really strongly disagree with you and those who I think are really wrong about certain things in my using a distinctly Christian way of speaking about that issue about those people.

I know this is been very encouraging and inspiring for many of our listeners and before we go I want to give you an opportunity to let them know where they can get a copy of your new book. Well, it's available everywhere. Book books are sold.

So, if you prefer to order books online through Amazon or through other places.

You can also go to my website Daniel Darling.com with links to all your favorite retailers. There is also go to likely Christian stores and it's available at your local likely store for purchase there and I believe likely it might even have the best price on where you get both available. Also available in audiobook going on.

Thank you so much for being with us today on family housing. Thank you for having appreciated listening to family policy matters production to listen to our radio show online resources and information about issues important to families in North Carolina website and see family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook