5:17 - Questioning the Dominant Culture with Jodi Chaffee

The Family Culture Movement (Archive)

Welcome to the Family Culture Movement!

From this point forward my interviews will take on a new format. The main question I will ask of all my guests is, what needs to change in the dominant culture according to their area of expertise. I have interviews lined up through the end of the year with this question front and center in the discussion.

I was inspired by a BYU Devotional from Jonathan Sandberg in his talk "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace." One part, in particular, stood out to me. He said,

“…We have to develop the courage to live counter to the world’s dominant culture. You know what I am talking about—the cul­ture in which money, sex, material possessions, fame, violent behavior, and carnal exploits are the currency for success. We live in a world in which appearance and approval are the keys to social status and power. In order to find healing, we have to develop the courage to say no to this dominant culture. I love what Morrie Schwartz said to Mitch Albom about living counter to the culture in the book Tuesdays with Morrie:

“The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the cul­ture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own.

“A number of wonderful BYU devotionals have described the unhealthy culture of per­ceived perfectionism and how we have to fight against it. In two devotionals given last year, both Tyler J. Jarvis and Kristin L. Matthews encouraged us to be more accepting of our imperfections and to be more pleased with our best approximations, our bodies, our gifts, and our differences. I encourage you to reread their talks.

“Listen to what President Thomas S. Monson said about having the courage to live by truth and to avoid the unhealthy dominant culture:

“Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. . . . A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh.

“In her delightful way, author and devoted mother and grandmother Marjorie Pay Hinckley described the peace that comes when we refuse to compare and despair, as the ominant culture teaches:

“Fifty was my favorite age. It takes about that long to learn to quit competing—to be yourself and settle down to living. It is the age I would like to be through all eternity!

“In order to find healing, we have to develop the courage to avoid the culture that says there is only one acceptable way (i.e., a specific size, hair color, or ACT score) to be a good person or even a good Christian. There are many, many ways to be a righteous, positive influence in the world. If enough of us say no to the domi­nant culture, it will lose its power (see Joshua 1:9).”

Get more resources for your intentional family culture by joining the Family Success Toolbox at www.homeandfamilyculture.com or Text CULTURE to [phone].