It’s amazing how much our culture has embraced debt and snubbed family. Over the years when the book of Proverbs was written, there was no banking system. All debts were personal, or in some cases towards (or between) governments. I suppose it was still possible to “buy on credit,” but the circumstances were so different. And generally family was considering an asset, rather than an annoyance.

For the past few decades, many “experts” have argued that our debt-based society was simply the modern way to do things, and there was nothing wrong with it. But look where that line of thinking has taken us.

Likewise, the supposed freedom of no-strings-attached relationships has spawned a society full of hurt, loneliness, abuse, and crime. And of course there is the tragedy of abortion, with its effect of creating apathy towards the gift of life.

These characteristics of our culture — debt and anti-family attitudes — are so embedded that we can easily become blind to them. Many Christians have.

• Today’s 21 year olds have spent 20,000 hours watching television, 10,000 hours playing video games, 10,000 hours talking on the phone, and have sent and received 250,000 emails or instant messages.
• More than 70% of U.S. 4 year olds have used a computer.
• 1 out of every 8 couples married in the U.S. in 2005 met online.
• The amount of technical information is doubling every two years. By 2010, it is predicted to double every 72 hours.