When Thomas Paine’s 47-page pamphlet Common Sense was first published in January of 1776, it quickly became something of a sensation. Over 120,000 copies were sold by spring, and over 500,000 copies were in circulation all over the world by the end of the year.
The distillation of the colonists’ yearnings into shirt sleeve English helped rally support for the American Revolution. Historians have suggested the public was initially evenly split on the war itself, with one-third favoring, one-third opposing and one-third wanting to see who won.
But clear and concise communication can move people to action.
“These are the times that try men’s souls,” wrote Paine. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
Humans have long been drawn to the concept of common sense – wisdom sometimes hiding in plain sight, but basic and fundamental, nevertheless.
But what happens when common sense isn’t so common after all?
You get America in 2024.
It’s common sense that there are only two genders, male and female.
It’s common sense that killing innocent babies is evil and wicked, that celebrating life is better than championing death.
It’s common sense that the multi-millennia understanding of one-man, one-woman marriage contributes to a thriving culture – and that polygamy, polyamory, or any other deviant sexual behavior invites chaos and confusion.
It’s common sense that mothers and fathers enjoy the exclusive authority to raise their children, and that government has no voice when it comes to spiritual, physical, or medical decisions concerning their sons or daughters.
It’s common sense that religious freedom is sacrosanct, that bureaucrats cannot bully or force citizens to do something that violates their deeply held convictions.
The vehemence and vitriol of atheists has always been perplexing. Why someone feels so strongly about something they believe doesn’t exist has baffled many.
Looking around at the beauty and wonders of the world, and the complexity and intricacy of human beings, it’s common sense that all of it didn’t come about out of some primordial ooze. It’s common sense that Creation has a Creator.
Common sense tends to involve reason, and Christianity is a matter of faith. Yet thanks to God sending His Son and leaving behind the Scriptures to help us form our convictions and make our own personal faith commitment, it makes perfect sense to become a Christian.
“God’s wisdom is just sanctified common sense,” preached the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. “It’s having the mind of Christ. It’s applying and knowing the principles of God’s Word.”
As Christian believers, we’re called to share the Good News, to take the uncommon sanctified common sense and help present it to those who neither see nor hear what is common sense to us.
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