“Socialization is the process of interacting with others by
which we learn our culture and it becomes a part of us” (Lecture 2,
Culwell). Society has an interesting influence on who we are, what we
do, what we believe, and what we value. As a “born again” Christian, the
message of the gospel of Jesus Christ has had an impact on my life at
whole. Although my up bringing sheared me away from Christianity, may
heart was taken captive to the gospel, at 16 years of age. Through the
affluence of His Word, the gospel created in me an “impact of belonging”
and an inevitable remolding of my behavior. Moreover, as a regenerate, I
occupy new statuses and accompany new roles. The influence of this new
social agent, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, causes in me a new way
of life, that I go out living everyday.
“We need socialization to survive” (Lecture 2, Culwell). At 16 years of
age, I realized that I needed the socialization of the gospel to
survive. It was not until then that my good Saviour regenerated my heart
and gave it a kick-start. I was lying dead in my philosophies, dead in
my passions, paralyzed to reason, and deceived of my true social status.
“Just as culture is a key social force, socialization is a key social
process by which we become participating members of society” (Lecture 2,
Culwell). The socialization of the gospel is no different. The
socialization of the gospel is the key social process by which
we become participants of the gospel in society, to the glory of God.
Therefore, the socialization of the gospel is imminent for survival.
James M. Henslin in his book, Essentials of Sociology writes,
“Language is the basis of culture” (43). Language is the basis of
culture because language provides a shared past, a shared future, a
shared perspective, and shared goal-directed behavior. The Bible
describes Jesus as the “Word,” because Jesus provides the basis for
biblical-culture. Biblical culture, therein is a reflection of the Word.
“Language allows culture to develop by
freeing people to move beyond their immediate experiences” (Essentials
of Sociology, pg. 42). Jesus identically, as the “Word” in the gospel
allows culture to develop by freeing people to move beyond their
immediate and past experiences. The essentials of sociology are
fundamentally rooted in the Word as the basis of culture.
The specificity of the ways of who I am, what I do, what I believe, and
what I value have been influenced by the God-man, Jesus Christ. The
process of His interaction with me is leveraged by the inerrancy of His
Word. By regenerating me He woke me from my sleepy slumber and came to
occupy a new status in my spirit. Jesus changed the way I slept, He
changed the way I worked, He changed the way I studied, He changed the
way I treated my family, He changed the way treated others, He changed
my friends, He changed the girls I lusted after, He changed
everything... and He is still changing me. In doing so, Jesus gave me a
beautiful bride with beautiful blue eyes and a heart that I envy. Jesus
gave me a community that shares my testimony, Jesus gave me friendships
with non-regenerates and professors I can share the gospel with. Jesus
gave me everything I was not deserving of.
The impact of belonging to this structure has evidently changed my
behavior. Before I was 16 years of age I did not believe in love, I
hated God, I hated people, and I hated who I was. To be sure my status
changed. Before I would not have been found in good relationships, now I
am. Before I would not have been found ever leading people to know more
about Jesus, as God, but now I facilitate a Bible study on Saturday
mornings to create Christ-centered community and Christ-centered trust.
Before I would not have dated, spoke to (nicely) or hung out with a
Christian, but now regenerates feel closer than family. The impact of
belonging to this structure changes the influence I have on society.
A key element to Christianity establishes the biblical importance of
others. We take on the roles of significant others, “individuals who
significantly influence our lives, such as parents or siblings. By
assuming their roles... we cultivate the ability to put ourselves in the
place of significant others” (Essentials of Sociology, pg. 64). The
necessity of elders, mentors, teachers, peers, and spiritual “parents or
siblings” is the purpose of cultivating the attributes in the likeness
of Christ. Cultivating the likeness of others in Christ is a key element
in why we are called Christians. We essentially clothe ourselves in the
spiritual attributes as sons and daughters of Christ. “As our [new]
self gradually develops, we internalize the expectations of more and
more people. Our ability to take the role of others eventually extends
to being able to take the role of “‘the group as a whole’” (Essentials
of Sociology, pg. 64), the bride of Christ.
In conclusion, society and our socialization has an influence on who we
are, what we do, what we believe, and what we value. As a regenerate, I
shared how the socialization of the gospel has had an impact on my
personal life. Although, my social and personal natures sheared me away
from Christianity, my heart and mind were taken captive to the Word of
God, as a sophomore in high school. Through the affluence of His Word,
the payment of His life, Jesus wrote a check with His life and at the
sign of the resurrection we all cheered, because that meant the check
cleared. We are then were adopted as sons and daughters of a mighty and
good God, in whom we are being clothed in spiritual likeness
with distinct roles. Therefore, socialization is the process by which we
interact with social agents, like Christianity, and learn about culture
and how it becomes a part of who we are.
I had a young gal come up to me the other day and ask me if I had any
advice for her, when looking for a guy. Many women struggle with what
to look for before they get into a relationship. The common
misconception by men and women alike is that they believe that once they
fall into love (e.g. true love) they will live happily ever after. I am
not saying that I believe in "true love," but if true love has any
substance then it is only found in Jesus Christ. Therefore, all my
answers will be Christ-centered, because everlasting intimacy is only
found in Jesus Christ. If salvation is in no one else, then there is no
other name under heaven given among men by which we might fall into true
love.
True happiness is not found in any other man,
besides Jesus Christ. Therein, my answers will be focused and allotted
to Christ and him alone. If in Christ the full assurance of humanity is
secure to eternities future, then the full assurance of his love is ever
applicable in our daily lives, moreover in our relationships. Lastly,
without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw
near to Love must believe that he exist and that he rewards those who
seek him (Heb. 11:6).
Advice for single women:
1.
Never date a man you would not want your sons to aspire to be like.
2.
Never pursue a man, he must ALWAYS pursue you first.
3. Be
modest. Show him you respect yourself, otherwise he will not respect
you.
4. Be whole. No one should ever date someone who is not
content being alone.
5. Do not settle.
Never
date a man you would not want your sons to aspire to be like.
Ladies choose men that are going to raise godly, honorable, young men.
Men that respect women and who love God. Ladies only date a man that
treats you the way you want your daughters to be treated like. If he is
abusive, he will be abusive to your daughters to. If he is not gentle
with you, he will not be gentle to your daughters. Your daughters will
turn around and pursue men that are just like their father, because he
is the spiritual head of the household. Women date men that are like
their fathers. If daughter's fathers are pour fathers, then men will
take advantage of your daughters. Also, date men that will teach your
sons and daughters the gospel.
Never pursue a man, he
must ALWAYS pursue you first. Ladies you want to date and marry a
man that is always going to pursue you. You want a man that is in love
with you. You want a man that proves he will always pursue, provide, and
protect you and your family. You also want a man that not only will
pursue you romantically, but holistically. After all Jesus is the man
who pursues us, like wise men pursue your brides. Jesus' bride
understands the value in Jesus as a man pursuing them for relationship.
Why should we, men pursue our brides any different than Jesus?
Men
that continue to pursue women holistically are Jesus men. "Husbands,
love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"
(Eph. 5:25). Men that understand this love their wives holistically,
even to death. Jesus men are men that provide, work hard, are gentle,
honorable to their wives, role models to their sons, and reflections of
what kind of man their daughters should marry.
Be
modest. Show him you respect yourself, otherwise he will never respect
you. Ladies dress to be reflections of the women you want your sons
to marry. Ladies, you are the most influential women to your sons of
the kind of women that they ought to pursue. Be women of valor, strong,
unshakeable, prudent, wise women that understand they are daughters of
Christ. Call men to be men. This begins by not dating boys that can
shave, but men that can be men.
Be whole. No one
should ever date someone who is not content being alone. Ladies
before you can get into a relationship you must be complete on your own,
you must be content to be content with Christ alone. If Christ is not
enough for you in your singleness, your husband will not be enough for
you in your marriage. Hearts that are not captivated and completely in
love with Jesus are in no way capable of becoming whole without him. Two
sinners married does not produce fulfillment, but more sin. Likewise,
two cups half full does not produce two whole cups. That is a prime
reason why so many marriages end up in divorce, because the cups are not
full. Jesus is the only one who can fill the cups and cause them to
overflow. No one should ever marry someone who has only half a cup.
Do
not settle. Ladies it is better to be alone, than to be with a man
that tears down your home. Too gals settle for mediocrity. Ladies do
not settle for a man that promises, "you can have it all," but does not
have it all. Do not be foolish. Their promises are like chaff that the
wind drives away, but a man who delights in the Word of truth is like a
man who leads his family well. Ladies it is better for you to live on
the corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a destructive man
(Prov. 25:24).
Topic: Do you believe that external social forces are more or less important than individual internal characteristics and motivations in shaping our lives?
C. Wright Mills said that, “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography” (Essentials of Sociology, pg. 4). Society’s influence is what “enables” us to connect to the timely flow of history and stimulates the perspective of personhood in structural facets. External social forces are more heavily influential than individual internal characteristics and motivations. In a big way because external social forces give direction to latent functions. We all have relative tendencies to varying characteristics and motivations, but it is those external social forces that give those individual characteristics and motivations kinetic stimuli.
Ask someone what they are passionate about and why they are passionate about it. They will tell you a story of a person, an advertisement, a social event, a life transforming day when their heart ignited with passion. They will tell you they are passionate about what it is because they saw something that attracted them to what it was. Now, that can be external or internal, but what gave them the idea about what they are now passionate about was an outside force that motivated them. But why were they motivated by that one thing in the first place?
Although outside forces are at work, inside forces are at work as well. Inside forces or internal forces, are build in, designed intentions of a Creator. The witness is is that you look in any family and you will see what motivates them by what they do and who they are individually. Not only that but you will acknowledge that each individual in a household, dorm, club, community, office has varying characteristics and motivations even though they are operating in the same nuclear family or social location. The point is is that, though internal forces are at work and present, external forces are what give manifested desire guidance to what is socially functional.
