To an 8-year-old boy in Whakatane, New Zealand, Woodstock meant nothing. I had seen men walking down King Street with their girlfriends, sporting the Neill Young look—long hair, dirty jeans, leather jacket, and swagger, to boot. But the Beatles had already left their clean-cut look (much to my mother’s disgust), so nothing was new. Every Sociologist and Historian pegs the August 1969 music concert at Woodstock, New York, as either a sign of a social change, or the cause of it. Let’s face it, 400,000 young people camping in one place is a lot of people. It’s such a long time ago, I’m almost embarrassed to talk about it. (Remember, any baby born at that concert (two were mentioned) will be celebrating their 51st birthday this year.) Thus, that generation of Hippies are today’s old people. Did Woodstock change anything, probably not. But I’ll buy the ‘sign of a social change’ scenario. The Post-WWII children were raised in a stable and rapidly growing world. It was the generation that has ridden the biggest wave of disposable cash in the history of man. In previous generations, only the children of the very rich enjoyed so much freedom and money. One has to ask what will happen if all that money and freedom dies with them? What will the outgoing tide expose? Of that, I have lots of opinions, but in reality, only God knows. But this I do know. Many Christians are bewailing the demise of Christian rights and values since WWII. They, as I have done above, do a sweep of social factors during their lifetimes, and conclude that Christian freedoms and morals have been deliberately eroded by the godless rich and powerful. I appreciate their concerns, but I disagree. Instead, I believe that they were never someone else’s to take away from you, anyway. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (Jn.8:32). Ultimately, morals are individual choices. Parents and preachers teach them, but they have no power beyond that—never have, never will. We are a generation that refuses to accept a simple and powerful truth: Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching…he who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (Jn.14:23-24). Our rights and values are laid out in the teachings of Christ. Either the Word of Christ convicts you unto obedience, or you reject it in disobedience. Your choice. Choose Love!
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