“Some people are misusing ‘civilizational moment’ as a fancy word for the present moment. No, it has a real definition. A civilizational moment is that period, not a day, a period when a civilization loses touch with what made it great.” - Os Guinness
“The Lord rebukes his generation; they can read the weather, he says, but not the signs of the times. I think what’s missing in the American church is a living awareness of the nature of the times we’re in.” - Breakpoint
“There are three major models on offer in today’s world, the first two being the dominant models in most countries at the present moment….The sacred public square….The naked public square [secularism]….The civic public square” - Os Guinness
In this excerpt from his little book Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance,1 Os Guinness puts his finger on a key issue in the conservative Christian sub-culture. His comments are even more interesting when you consider the book was published in 2003:
Os Guinness’ book The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity is an important book … and a frustrating one, too. It’s important because Guinness analyzes the culture wars in light of the eternal need for freedom of conscience for all. It’s frustrating because I have little hope his rousing call for civility, persuasion and responsible engagement in the “global public square” will actually happen. I’m not sure he’s so sure, either.
