The book of Daniel tells the story of four teenage friends, born in the tiny state of Judah about twenty-six centuries ago. As young members of the nobility, they were taken captive by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and transported to his capital city to be trained in Babylonian administration. Daniel describes how they eventually rose to the top echelons of imperial administration.
What makes the story of their faith remarkable is that they did not simply continue the private devotion to God that they had developed in their homeland; they maintained a high-profile public witness in a pluralistic society that became increasingly antagonistic to their faith.
That is why their story has such a powerful message for us today. Strong currents of pluralism and secularism in contemporary Western society, reinforced by a paralyzing political correctness, increasingly push expression of faith in God to the margins, confining it, if possible, to the private sphere.
What was it that gave that ancient foursome, Daniel and his three friends, the strength and conviction, often at great risk, to swim against the flow in their society and give clear courageous public expression to what they believed?
Join us this summer as we explore God’s call to go against the flow!