Thank you for your observations, Mark. I agree with a lot of your comments. We often don't act as Christ would have us act, partly because we're still sinners on a journey, and partly because we prefer our selfish, comfortable lives to following the hard life of Christ. And as we attempt to live our Christianity, we have the habit of tying Christ to one culture or another. I believe Christ can transform any culture to have that peace and harmony between one another and the earth as we enter into God's peace, but I don't think that means he is limited to one culture (such as Enlightenment or Marxism).

I will say that, unfortunately, the picture of Christianity often comes more from media than everyday Christians, and this portrays a distorted picture, both because the media likes extremes (not just in Christianity) and because the Christians in the media, motivated by selfish ambition, seek the attention of the media. Most Christians I know seek to love God and their neighbor, serving in simple, unnoticed ways.

I wish you the best as well.