Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Eclectic Web Journal!

Why the new name and why the new website?

The short version of the story is that Google Classic sites, which hosts The Eclectic Kasper, no longer allows users to edit those sites.

We thought that this would be a good time to rebrand, and start anew, though we still want to bring the same great variety of articles about theology, politics, history, movies, music, and more.

In this inaugural edition of The Eclectic Web Journal we will discuss a passage about fighting anxiety, and we also evaluate a Christian film that tries -- but fails -- to present gripping new truths about eschatology.

Some of or current events articles in this edition were intended for September, so they are not as current as they used to be! However, we still wanted to mention a few recent turns in our “NewsBytes” section, and we also have some things to say about Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

For the time being, we will still direct you to our The Eclectic Kasper Facebook page; you can “like” that page and leave comments or ask questions there.

The nice thing is that even with the name change, we can still use our old tag line, so . . .

Thanks for reading, and stay eclectic!

NEWSBYTES, OCTOBER 2021: AOC, ESPN, and a Chant to an Aztec Deity

by Matt Kasper

AOC Is Out to Lunch

We’re all at least a little hypocritical. Some, however, have perfected the art.

Junior United States Representative from New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended the swanky 2021 Met Gala on Monday, September 13. It is bad enough that someone who positions herself to be a champion of the ordinary working person would show up at a $35,000 per ticket event. That level of hypocrisy alone was not enough for AOC.

She also wore what is reported to be a very expensive dress that had in large red letters the phrase “Tax the Rich” scrawled like graffiti across the back of the dress. I liked the meme that said: “Cost per Ticket: $35,000. Virtue signaling to your base while partying—without a mask—with the people you claim to hate: Priceless.”

Her attempt to make a statement backfired as what was spent on the ticket and a customized dress cost more money in one evening than many Americans make in one year. AOC feigned innocence regarding the irony of what she did, but the rest of us saw right through the profound hypocrisy. She didn’t just go to an expensive dinner event; she’s clearly just out to lunch.

ESPN’s Pretend School

It’s not just 24-hour news networks that are full of lies and deception anymore, but a prominent 24-hour sports network decided to get in on the deception game, as well. Whether they were deceived or culpable in the deception is hard to tell, but something doesn’t smell right.

On August 29, sports network ESPN aired a High School football game between the Bishop Sycamore High School Centurions, allegedly from Columbus, Ohio, and IMG Academy. Perhaps questions regarding the legitimacy of the Bishop Sycamore Centurions would not have come up if they didn’t get defeated in a 58-0 slaughter.

A little bit more digging reveals that there are many questions about the existence of the Bishop Sycamore High School football program and even the existence of Bishop Sycamore High School. Some are even calling the situation and the fact that ESPN would air this game a scam. It seems that there is a lot to straighten out in this tangled web, and someone will need to discern whether the problem was a matter of ignorance, incompetence, or pure deceit on the part of ESPN.

Taking a Big Chants

If singing songs to God on Sunday mornings has lost its appeal, then there are plenty of other deities to raise your voice to, and California is helping public school children achieve that.

Parents sued the California Board of Education on September 3 over directives in its new “Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.” Part of this cultural sensitivity curriculum allegedly encourages children to chant to Aztec deities.

According to a Washington Times article: “Also included in the curriculum is another ‘affirmation’ dedicated to the Yoruba ‘divine force’ known as Ashe. After sentences such as ‘Who is going to have a positive day?’ or ‘Who will represent their people, this day?’, students are told to say, ‘Ashe!’” So much for the separation of church and state!

Learning about other cultures, both past and present, is important and can have a variety of benefits. But at some point, like when students are instructed to chant to primitive deities, the lesson goes way too far.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Overcoming Anxiety, Matthew 6:25-34

Michel de Montaigne, a fifteenth-century French philosopher, said: “My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.”

We are in anxious times. But sometimes we worry about things needlessly, and we often worry about things we can’t change. Even worse, we spend a great deal of time concerned about things that never end up happening.

How are you handling your anxiety? Scripture gives us some great truths to help minimize our worries so that we can focus on God’s priorities more effectively. You can have a life of peace, not one filled with terrible misfortunes which usually never happen.

Worry is a litmus for your spiritual life. Also, it is contagious, a disease that spreads to those around us and deprives them of joy and peace, as well.

In Jesus’ first major discourse in the NT, He spends almost a third of a chapter on the subject of worry and anxiety. This passage in Matthew 6:25-34 shows us at least five ways to overcome anxiety.

And if you are not a worrier, you probably know someone who is. I hope you will share these points with them. Being able to handle anxiety and teach others some ways to do so will make you look like a wizard with some magical power. Peace is a rare commodity; we have an obligation to train and disciple others around us, especially believers, to overcome anxiety.

First, don’t spend time worrying about subsistence details, including food, clothes, water, shelter (6:25-26). Most of us already have these, and if we make good decisions and uphold the relationships around us, we will probably be able to maintain these. When we focus on subsistence living, this distracts us from gaining meaning and joy out of life.

Jesus says that we shouldn’t worry about our “life,” but the Greek word used in v. 25 is psuche, or “soul,” and we get the term “psychology” from this word. We should not worry about the basic needs but also we need to make sure that we are not giving into many of the psychological anxieties of our day. Life is more than food, drink and clothes, and we need to be focusing on more important things. God loves you enough to provide for the necessities (v. 26).

God has granted many of us the ability to exist far above subsistence living, and that itself should be a cause for rejoicing. Of course, if you are struggling from paycheck to paycheck, then you may need to pare back so that your life is simpler and cheaper. But the probability is that there is food on your table, so we shouldn’t worry about God’s provision, and we should realize that life is more than just getting more food on the table.

Second, we need to recognize that worry is not productive (6:27-29). We often fool ourselves into thinking that worry is productive, however, it is not. You can’t add a single hour to your life by worrying (v. 27). There is nothing productive, helpful, nor beneficial in worry. We may have some concern for a situation, and that should motivate us to work hard or to proceed wisely, but worry itself doesn’t fix anything. It’s a better bet that worry prevents us from getting to a solution faster. If you are a worrier, it is worth trying to discern the difference between being concerned about a situation and being worried unnecessarily or even paralyzed with anxiety about it.

Jesus uses an example: worry doesn’t contribute to the beauty of lilies in the field (v. 28), yet they are better than the best house or car or clothing we could ever have (v. 29). Worry isn’t helpful, productive or beautiful. A 2005 study at Cornell University found several things about anxiety. About 85% of what we worry about never happens; it is fine to plan for contingencies, but worrying about them doesn’t contribute anything. The study also revealed that of the 15% of the worries that did happen, 79% of these difficulties the people in the study could handle better than expected, or the difficulty taught them a lesson worth learning. The conclusion is that 97% of our worries are baseless and useless. Therefore, why should we waste time, energy, and mental capacities with worry and concern?

Third, we need to recognize how worry in our lives undermines our trust in God’s care and love (6:30). God cares for things that are more temporary than us (v. 30). Don’t you think that He will care for us, too?

What is the opposite of belief? Disbelief? That is true, but the end of v. 30 indicates that the opposite of belief is worry. Alternately, worry and disbelief are essentially the same thing. Worry is a symptom of the presence of unbelief, even for a believer. In some cases, the problem is not just worry about circumstances, but also vanity, or worry about what others think about us. Worry, insecurity, vanity, and pride can all be factors that marginalize our faith God and His plan and provisions for us.

Fourth, we should consider that worry reflects worldly thinking not godly thinking (6:31-32). Baseless concerns about subsistence issues (v. 31) characterize the thinking of Gentiles or pagans and non-believers rather than believers (v. 32). Worry is a pagan thing; it is not consistent with someone who follows Jesus and who believes in the omniscience of God (vv. 31-32).

To put that another way, we don’t usually doubt God’s power, but His knowledge: Is He aware of what I’m going through? Does He understand my needs right now? Despite these nagging doubts, He is aware, and He is loving, and willing to help, perhaps not in our timetable, but certainly in His own. The apostle Paul notes in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Fifth, we need to be aware of how worry distracts us from understanding God’s priorities for us (6:33-34). We were created and saved to pursue the kingdom of God (v. 33; see also Philippians 3:12); this is what we should be seeking, even while we’re working to make ends meet. Again, if you are a worrier, it is worth analyzing your worry, and trying to recognize how worry may be distracting you from your ability to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

Part of God’s priorities includes focusing our attention on today rather than worrying about tomorrow (v. 34). We should be mindful of the past and concerned about the future. However, we really need to be thinking about what we are doing today. I can’t change what has happened in the past, and I can’t predict the future. I can focus on what I am supposed to do today and how I can try to advance God’s kingdom now; that has to be my priority. Of course, we do need to plan some things for the future: IRAs, vacations, doctor’s appointments, meetings with clients. The key is to plan responsibly for tomorrow (or for next week, or for next year, or for retirement) without worrying about it.

American novelist Arthur Somers Roche said, “Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained.” We need to capture anxious thoughts (see 2 Corinthians 10:5) and redirect them toward prayer and toward productive activity.

In the end, you can be characterized as someone who worries about things that never happen and allow worry to govern your thinking. Or you can be a person of true Christian peace. That peace is something that will help and encourage those around us, as well.

TV/ MOVIES: The Bait-And-Switch of Before the Wrath, Part 1

My wife and I recently watched the film Before the Wrath, a 2020 documentary about the end times from Ingenuity Films, a California faith-based production outfit that makes good-quality but low evidence films about eschatology.

This film lasted about an hour-and-a-half, and was narrated by the dispassionate voice of Kevin Sorbo of Hercules fame. Intriguingly, Sorbo’s connection with this film is not mentioned at all on his Wikipedia page nor on his IMDB page.

I grew up in the era (1970s and 1980s) of painfully cheesy and poorly produced Christian movies. I’m glad to say that the quality and cinematography of Before the Wrath was quite good and compelling; the scenes and costumes used to portray an ancient Galilean town were very well done. I came to realize, however, that the scenery and ambience were just a cover for a lot of repetition and a lack of actual content.

In fact, this movie may be the biggest bait-and-switch in evangelicalism since Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. The realistic scenes were merely a façade for a lack of content. The whole point of the movie could have been communicated in a YouTube video in five minutes.

After some preliminaries, the film starts off with an extended quote by someone hunched over a manuscript writing about the end times to other Christians. However, this is neither Paul, Peter, nor John, nor could I find this quote from any of the early church authors. It is a mishmash of religious sentiments made to sound like Scripture, when it, in fact, is not. I was waiting for them to tell us where this quote came from, but they never did.

The premise of this movie is that there are critical connections between New Testament eschatology and Jewish marriage customs. The bridegroom making a covenant with the bride is like Jesus forging a new covenant with His disciples (Matt 26:27-29). The groom then goes back to his father’s house to build an add-on room that he and his bride would live in, like what Jesus says in John 14:2-3. Only the father knows when this room will be ready and when the groom can come back and receive his bride, which explains Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:36. The groom goes back to gather his bride at an unknown time (Luke 21:34; 1 Thess 5:2; Rev 3:3), with trumpet fanfare (Matt 24:31; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thess 4:16; Rev 4:1), and as a public spectacle (Rev 1:7). The tie-ins between eschatology and Jewish weddings are reinforced by the imagery that Jesus utilizes in the parable of wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1-14) and the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).

The film Before the Wrath portrays these insights as though they were brand new discoveries that we have just learned recently and that you would not have known if you had not seen this film. The documentary drips with a deluded sense that these discoveries were a big reveal that nobody had ever heard before. However, the tie-ins between New Testament eschatology and Jewish wedding customs have been taught for years; there was little that was new or groundbreaking in this film. In fact, my wife remembered that she had written a paper for a class in 1995 on the covenant and eschatological symbolism in Jewish weddings. I wish they would have brought her on as a consultant when they made this film.

I have studied and taught extensively at churches about eschatology and the tie-in with Jewish wedding customs. I have used much of the material that was mentioned in this film, except, I actually mentioned the verses and passages that they came from. That said, I have also come to wonder, and have even read some evidence, that Christianity has made too much of some of these tie-ins. The notion that the son completes the room but then has to wait until the father allows him to go back and get the bride makes the father seem sadistic. The idea that the bride and her bridal party just sit around waiting indefinitely for the groom creates many logistical problems for an ancient Jewish town or family. The notion that the wedding procession comes in the middle of the night doesn’t seem to have any evidence, and doesn’t even seem that practical.

Furthermore, the movie claims that the wedding party and guests are together in a room for seven days and nights with nobody being permitted to enter nor leave; this would be a logistical nightmare for many reasons that I will not go into here!

Additionally, I suspect that some of these customs were not applicable to all Jewish weddings. Not every ancient Jewish family could afford all of the pomp that we sometimes associate with these customs. Also, I imagine that only a small percent of ancient Jewish families could afford the lavish procession or a seven-day wedding feast that we discuss in our eschatological charts and graphs.

We have a few more critiques to make about this film, and we will do so in “Part 2” below.

POLITICS: The Debacle in Afghanistan

by Martha Kasper, with Matt Kasper

There is no other way of describing what happened regarding the withdrawal of the US presence in Afghanistan than to see it as a bumbling, embarrassing debacle. The Biden administration continually attempted to defend a premise that nobody disagreed with, specifically that we needed to get out of Afghanistan. No administration since Obama disagreed with that, and this opinion was probably the most unifying principle in our country before August.

The Biden administration has declared that the war in Afghanistan is over. This pronouncement juxtaposed with the desperate attempts of locals to flee and the Taliban fighters roaming the streets may be among the most damning displays of Biden’s incompetence. Since when in war does one side get to declare it “over” while the enemy remains in power? Or has our politically-correct overreach now re-imagined terms like “victory,” “war,” and “honor” as well?

Although few would argue that soldiers should stay in Afghanistan, a hasty pullout was a disgrace, reminiscent of a previous scramble out of Saigon during the Vietnam War. In Afghanistan, this prolonged peace-keeping mission has become a black eye to the American reputation and any of the accomplishments are rendered hollow.

At fault is the inability to understand the Muslim worldview, which desires the elimination of Western power and influence in the Middle East and the re-establishment of Islamic authority. To radical Islamists, this is a war that has been going on for over 1,000 years, not twenty. Muslims see worldwide conflict as an effort to restore all Muslim land; the US is just a tiny pawn in this long game. It seems our military was focused on playing capture the flag while the Taliban is perpetually playing chess.

It has been gut-wrenching to watch the fall of Kabul and to see the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan. But it must be especially heartbreaking for the families of 2,461 American soldiers who gave their lives in this effort. You don’t need to be an expert or a five-star general to recognize the horrifically clumsy way in which this was done. It is simply the result of a bumbling and clueless president and his naïve and clumsy administration.

And, as if this debacle couldn’t get worse, now “California Democrat Representative Adam Schiff has called for a full investigation into President Joe Biden’s failed airstrike that killed an innocent Afghan aid worker and nine others, seven of which were innocent children,” says a report from Patriot Alerts released on September 20. The military has since admitted that this airstrike was a “mistake” and that they targeted the wrong vehicle.

Either way, it seems like an investigation, perhaps even one led by Democrats, is in order. It will be interesting seeing where this goes as the Democratic tail begins to devour the executive head.

ROMANS: The Superiority of the Gift, Romans 5:15-17

Christians complain a lot. Of course, the Bible speaks directly to this kind of behavior (Phil 2:14; 1 Pet 4:9). But the problem is not just the behavior, but the underlying mindset that drives that behavior.

Perhaps, many Christians simply don’t realize what we have. We have a gift of salvation by God’s grace that is so bright and blessed that it should dispel the clouds and gloom of any mood or situation.

The second half of Romans 5 seems like a depressing section discussing how we are all sinful and fallen because of Adam’s sin (v. 12). But that would be missing the point. Having suggested that Adam is a type of Christ in v. 14, Paul now suggests in v. 15 how Adam and Christ are not alike, and specifically, how the “free gift” through Christ is far superior in effect to the “transgression” of Adam. The gift of salvation is immensely superior to the curse of fallenness.

In Romans 5:15, Paul reminds us again that sin and death entered the world through Adam’s transgression. Leon Morris comments: “The effect of Adam’s sin . . . was disaster. It meant death for everyone” (Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, 235). But Adam was merely human, and therefore, Paul makes another “how much more” kind of argument, which he had used in vv. 9, 10, and will use again in v. 17.

The second half of the verse gives several reasons why the gift is superior. First it is energized by the “grace of God” rather than by the folly of man. Also, it is called a “gift of grace” or a “free” or “gracious gift.” Transgression entered because of something that was done by humans. Grace enters by something given to – and undeserved by – humanity. Also, the gift of grace was provided to humanity by the God-Man, not by a mere mortal.

The last word in the verse in Greek is perisseuo meaning “to be left over, to be more than enough.” This describes the extent and availability of God’s grace. Whereas the transgression and sin of Adam permeated humanity, so also is there plenty of God’s grace for all who trust Christ by faith.

Paul draws another contrast between the work of Adam or, “the one who sinned,” and the work of Christ in v. 16. Adam committed one transgression and that alone resulted in condemnation of himself and the entire human race. In contrast, the gift of God that came through Christ was from many transgressions, or rather, it arose as a moral need created by many transgressions. That is, the many transgressions and their implications of death and separation from God drove humanity’s need for a Savior. As a result, God provided the gift of grace and a Savior, whose work resulted in justification. Justification is that gift and declaration that when we believe in Christ’s sacrificial death and literal resurrection for us, we receive pardon, forgiveness, and the righteousness of Christ.

Again in v. 17, Paul makes another comparison relative to the effect of sin through Adam versus salvation through Christ. Through Adam, sin accomplished a reign over the human race. The word here, basileuo, is usually reserved for a monarch extending their rule over a people and an area. The people over whom sin rules is “all people”; Paul strenuously verified in chs. 1-3 that all people inherit a sin nature and have sinned as heirs of Adam.

Another “how much more” device here in v. 17 carries along Paul’s argument: how much more and how much greater is the effect of Christ’s deliverance upon this situation than even the effect of Adam’s transgression? Through Christ, abounding grace rather than lethal sin reigns for those who believe and receive life.

In summary, the gift of salvation through Christ is far superior to the power of the curse of Adam for three reasons. It is superior because it overturned the effects of sin for those who believe (v. 15). Second, it is superior because it is not dealing with just one sin, but it covers all transgressions and sins (v. 16). Third, salvation through Christ is better because it introduces the power of eternal life, which has more authority than the reign of death that we live under if we do not trust Christ (v. 17).

This passage implies a few things. First, all people are capable of sin, because sin “reigns” in the human condition. Even the most selfless-seeming activities are riddled with falsehood and selfishness. Sin holds full sway over the thoughts, inclinations and actions of all people, and therefore, all people are guilty before a holy God and deserve punishment.

Another implication is the power of Christ over sin and the effectiveness of His propitiation and resurrection. Christ dethroned sin for those who believe in Him; He is the Master of the one who believes, so that we no longer have to let sin reign in our lives (Rom 6:12, 14).

One final implication: for the believer who has trusted in Christ, we have the choice to obey our new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, or to continue to obey a dethroned, defrocked, and neutralized master, who does not deserve our allegiance. That gift of salvation not only delivers us from the power of sin; it also liberates us for a life a holiness, truth, kindness, and impact for God’s kingdom in a world which is still enslaved to sin and death.

In The Eclectic Web Journal, we will continue our tradition of doing a verse-by-verse study through the magisterial book of Romans. You can see those previous articles through Romans in our “Eclectic Archive” here.

TV/ MOVIES: The Bait-And-Switch of Before the Wrath, Part 2

When I began this review of Before the Wrath, I didn’t expect it to become a two-part article. I expected just to raise a few innocent comments and concerns. But the longer the article became, the more I realized that there are more truth and scholarship problems with this film than I had realized.

In “Part 1” above, we noted some concerns about the misleading nature of this film. It is true, and we have known for many years, that there are some fascinating connections between Jewish wedding customs and New Testament eschatology.

There are dangers, however, in taking these customs too far, in forcing them to say things that Jesus may not have intended, or pretending like these customs have never been considered previously. Thus, this movie contains a lot of false promises that never get realized, and a lot of bait-and-switch tactics that are hidden behind the otherwise good production quality.

The film contains another bait-and-switch tactic by emphasizing ad nauseam that these wedding customs were known only or primarily to those in Galilee, which is curious because many of Jesus’ recorded teachings were in Judea and Jerusalem. Surely, these were not just Galilean customs and traditions, but ones that Judean Jews would have understood, as well. This notion that only Galilean Jews would have been familiar with these customs was another bait-and-switch gag that lacked any evidence.

I’m not one to speak well of the state of evangelicalism today, but those interviewed in Before the Wrath make some misleading claims about modern evangelicalism. They demonized theological debate that takes place in Christian circles regarding the timing of the rapture, specifically, whether it takes place before, during, or after the Great Tribulation. In reality, these debates are good and healthy, compelling people to investigate Biblical passages; I would prefer to see people doing good exegesis from Scripture than doing cheesy, headline eschatology that takes people away from Scripture. An example of a healthy forum for this debate includes books like Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation (Counterpoints Series, 2010), where three scholars discuss and debate the timing of the rapture using exegetical methods and then they interact with the views of the other authors.

Those interviewed in Before the Wrath also seem to believe that most evangelicals are asking the when question regarding Jesus’ return. When will He come back? When will He appear? The interviewees suggest that we should be asking the question of why Christ is coming back. This is misleading, however, because most Christians avoid fake date-setters, and most believers do want to understand why Jesus will return to earth.

The contributors decry the lack of interest in eschatological themes among Christians today. It is true that too many pastors avoid controversial eschatological topics. However, there are still many prophecy and eschatology conferences, and an excessive amount of books on eschatology are still being produced by evangelical publishing companies. In fact, after events like September 11, 2001, the financial crisis in 2007–2008, and a global pandemic of 2020-2021, interest in eschatology and apocalypticism is quite high.

There were more false promises in Before the Wrath. The film frequently alluded to some great archaeological or historical discovery that it was going to reveal to us. This lie was emphasized with scenes of archaeological digs, and people holding skulls and ancient artifacts. However, there was never any mention of a single ancient manuscript that was discovered, nor an artifact that was unearthed, nor a dig at a specific site in ancient Galilee. There were no interviews from professional archaeologists to give insight into these wedding customs, and no mention was made of a unique recent discovery that would justify the production of this film.

One last bait-and-switch tactic: The film asserted frequently that Jesus’ followers would have understood exactly what Jesus was talking about; His allusions to agrarian, wedding, or merchant imagery would have made Jesus’ teachings very clear. In reality, however, the Gospels portray the disciples frequently not knowing what Jesus was talking about. They were often painfully ignorant, like most of us today, about the bigger plan and program that Jesus was laying out during His teachings (Matt 16:9, 11; Mark 4:13; 8:17, 21; 9:32; Luke 9:45; 18:34; John 10:6; 12:16). Some of these verses listed are parallel passages in the Gospels; I include them all to note the widespread testimony of the ignorance of the disciples throughout the Gospels. These verses undermine any notion that the disciples completely understood Jesus. They may have appreciated examples of cultural imagery that He was using, but they clearly did not get the theological implications of those images until later.

I could go on, but I’ve probably beat up this sad little film enough. I appreciate their concerns that evangelicals do not know and are not taught good eschatology. I also resonate with their sense that understanding ancient Jewish customs helps elucidate the text and theology of the Bible. But the film teaches little that is brand new, it is tedious and repetitive, and its scholarship is suspect. While we can be grateful that the quality of Christian films has improved in the last few decades, Before the Wrath indicates that the content of Christian films has not.

QUOTES FOR CONTEMPLATION: The Sagacity of Sagan

Carl Sagan was a polarizing figure, a champion of science to some and a harbinger of secularism to others. His 1995 book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark was his attempt to encourage people to think about the difference between science and pseudoscience. There is some hauntingly accurate prognosticating in this quote, and whether you are conservative or liberal, or religious or secular, you will probably find some prophetic insight in this passage.

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time — when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness. The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.”

- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science
as a Candle in the Dark, pp. 25-26.