Choices for Troubled Times – 6. Who to Follow

Can you remember making what you would consider the “big choice” of your life?  For me, the “big choice” was the lady I would marry—a choice I made in September, 1968, almost exactly 52 years ago.  Of course, my choice and marriage proposal rested on whether Alvadell “Abby” Moser would say “Yes!”  Thankfully, she did.  That choice led to other “big choices,” especially my choice to surrender to God’s call to repentance and surrender to follow Him.  My saying “Yes” to God saved my life, physically and spiritually, and gave me meaning and purpose in spite of my slow-learning tendency.

Recently, my attention was drawn to another man who made a big choice.  But first, let me give you some background on an exciting filmmaking project.

Remember “The Chosen?”
As readers may remember, Abby and I have been excited about the filmmaking project known as “The Chosen” which portrays the amazing life and ministry of Jesus Christ based on Bible accounts. We were deeply moved and impressed by the eight episodes of Season 1, and now we are among many others who are “paying it forward” to assist writer/director Dallas Jenkins and VidAngel in the completion of all eight episodes for Season 2.

As subscribers to the YouTube channel of “The Chosen,” we regularly receive updates on the progress toward completion of Season 2.  This weekend, we were treated to a sneak peek of the scene in which Jesus extends His call to “Follow Me” to a despised tax collector named Levi (Matthew 9: 9; Mark 2: 14; Luke 5: 27).  Levi, who came to be known as Matthew, is the man who would later receive the inspiration from God’s Spirit to write what we now call the “Gospel according to Matthew,” the first book of the New Testament of the Bible.  According to the biblical accounts of the “four gospels,” Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we know that Jesus had already called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave their fishing nets and become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4: 19; Mark 1: 17).   But Jesus’s call of Levi (Matthew) to become one of His disciples was much more striking and radical.

"Matthew, Follow Me.”
Matthew was a despised tax collector, an employee of the Roman Empire!  During the time of Christ, the Romans were harshly ruling the nation of Israel as one of its Roman colonies.  Jews who had chosen to serve Rome as tax collectors were naturally despised by their Jewish countrymen.  Therefore, Matthew was hated as one of those who profited from extracting hard-earned money from his Jewish brethren and had gotten rich doing so.  It is likely that Matthew lived a life of luxury from his allotted share of the taxes he collected, plus any additional monies he may have illegally taken for himself.  And, never mind—Matthew was protected by Roman soldiers stationed not far from his “collecting booth.”

Many years later, Matthew remembered Jesus’s abrupt and brief call, perhaps a wonderful memory to him, like it happened only yesterday.  From his account, Matthew’s response was nothing short of decisive, and almost spontaneous:

And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, “Follow Me!”  And he arose, and followed Him (Matthew 9: 9).”

Before you watch how “The Chosen” film portrays this scene, realize that this was Matthew the tax collector’s “big choice.”  His decisiveness seems almost unbelievable.  Breathtaking!  Inspiring!  Matthew’s choice to follow would be costly from the moment he arose and walked out of his secure, lucrative tax office. 

Consider for example, the reaction of Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  These former fishermen had left their fishing boats, possibly with the fresh memory of having been taxed many times by Matthew.  Imagine their surprise and disgust at seeing this despised tax collector being invited by their new Teacher to join them!  How did Matthew feel at that moment?

Portrayal of the Call of Matthew
So abrupt and decisive is this account that we wonder if Jesus had already had an ongoing impact on Matthew in times past.  Indeed, the life of Matthew as portrayed in “The Chosen” during the eight episodes of Season 1 reveal a fascinating relationship between Matthew, the Romans, and the Jews.  The historical fiction account presents a Matthew that is increasingly stirred by the Spirit of God while he watches from a distance the ministry of this unusual Jewish rabbi, Jesus.  “Followers” of “The Chosen” who have watched Season 1 will be greatly impacted by the sneak peek of the scene in which Jesus calls Matthew.

Now why not take a few minutes to watch the short clip from “The Chosen,” entitled “Jesus in Every Language?” This clip from Season 2 includes Jesus’s decisive call of Matthew, and Matthew’s resolute response.  Additional footage of the clip reveals its main purpose-- to showcase how writer-director Dallas Jenkins and staff are editing the “The Chosen” with dialogs in multiple languages?  

Please click HERE to watch, then come back for the remainder of this article.

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“Follow Me.”  Who, me?
Matthew, a despised tax gatherer, couldn’t believe Jesus was inviting him to be His disciple, meaning “a dedicated Christ-follower.” After all, wouldn’t Jesus rather invite “good people” like the Jewish religious leaders known as Pharisees?  Gospel writer Luke (Luke 18: 11) records how a “Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”  Surely, if this Pharisee knew the difference between despicable sinners and “the righteous,” wouldn’t Jesus know?  The answer is “Yes” according to Luke’s account of Jesus’s call of Matthew (Luke 5: 30-31).

Luke reveals that one of Matthew’s first actions as a Christ-follower was to invite his friends to come to his home to meet Jesus!  Can you imagine the drama of this scene in which some Pharisees also come and observe this odd mix of people?   Luke recorded the larger context of the call of Matthew (Levi):

After these things [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So, he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?
Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

Matthew heard the call of Jesus, “Follow Me.”   Soon he invites his friends to meet this Man who had shown love, compassion, and welcome to a lonely, despised tax collector.  Jesus is still calling needy sinners through His followers around the world in many different languages.

“Follow Me.”  Do You Hear Him?
“Follow Me.”
'Siga-me.'
'Sígame.'
'Следуйте за мной.'
"跟我来。
"اتبعني"
“Follow Me.”

The call of Jesus to “Follow Me” is becoming clearer to more and more people regardless of language, culture, or ethnic group.  If you watched the short clip from “The Chosen,” you met Luiz Laffey, International Language Manager with “The Chosen.”  According to Luiz, “When I heard about ‘The Chosen’ and its purpose to share an authentic Jesus Christ and His story in a way never seen before…it gave me chills.”  Luiz has not only answered the call of Christ to “Follow,” he has also committed to use his knowledge of language, culture, and audio technology to manage production of “The Chosen” in five foreign languages so far, with more coming.

Jesus’s invitation is a call to discipleship.  We saw in the Gospel accounts of Matthew’s decisive answer from within his collection booth to Jesus’s call, “Follow Me.”  He came out, locked up the booth as a symbol of his past life, gave the key to his Roman superior, and followed Jesus.  The following description of Christ’s call to discipleship is clear:

According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "through the call of Jesus, men become individuals." The necessity of this individualism is again the call of Christ to come apart from the world. He wants to be at the center of our world. The break with the world is 'identical with the acknowledgement of Christ as the Son of God, the Mediator'." When we receive the call of Jesus, we realize that our present physical world has been built on an illusion. When we receive His call, we realize that even in such relationship as Father and Son, husband and wife, stands Christ the Mediator, and no other relationship can be as important as the one with Christ the Mediator." (From: Shepherd's Notes-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship (1998)).

“Follow Me.” Your “Big Choice?”
As I said at the beginning of this blog post, my “big choice” in life was who I would marry.   Through my marriage to Abby, I have been humbled enough to be able to hear and respond to Christ’s call in my life.  Since then, through our marriage and devotion to Christ, my selfishness is regularly challenged and surrendered in the power of Christ’s love.

If you would like to know more about what it means to respond to Christ’s call, “Follow Me,” and to experience the life of an individual, filled with the Spirit of Christ Who comes to dwell in you, please check out the online booklet entitled, “Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life?” 

Maybe you have questions you’d like to ask, or comments you’d like to leave.  Please use “Comment” below if you believe other readers can benefit.  Or you can write to me at silviusj@gmail.com.   I would love to hear the story of your “big choice.”  Thank you for reading, and I welcome you to “Subscribe” and “Follow” Oikonomia if you haven’t already done so (see right sidebar).

Choices for Troubled Times – 5. Encouraging Empathy

Teachers who understand that learning is a life-long process will often have opportunities to influence their students in meaningful ways even after graduation.  Brett Hiner, an English/Language Arts teacher at Wooster High School, pursued just such an opportunity to impact a former student, an African American female.  Mr. Hiner spotted his former student’s Facebook post expressing her deep concern over what appeared to be preferential treatment by police when they apprehend White crime suspects compared to apprehension of Black suspects.  The former student’s call for someone to “help me make sense of this” in her Facebook post inspired Hiner to empathize with her, leading to an article entitled, “'Mockingbird' Remains Must-Read for Students” in his weekly column, A Work in Progress (in Wooster Weekly News).

Mr. Hiner summarizes his empathetic response to this Black former student’s concern over the violence and deaths during the recent racial unrest:

Setting aside the current political unrest between various groups, my heart was broken by the comment accompanying the video posted by my former student, an African American female: “Someone, please help me make sense of this.” She posted the video alongside various examples of African American suspects being treated very differently than this white murderer by police.

“Help. Me. Make. Sense. Of. This,” she pleads.

Educating for Empathy
Mr. Hiner believes that all of us have the responsibility to respond according to our abilities in ways that convey understanding and empathy to those who are hurting.  Hiner writes (emphasis mine):

Teachers, clergy, poets, medical professionals, scientists and, most importantly, parents ultimately have one unifying job:  to help people make sense of a too often terrifying world.

In this statement, Hiner beautifully expresses the fundamental purpose and benefit of learning, and what ought to be the “mission statement” for all of us as teachers; namely, to help our students “make sense” of their world.  While teachers and administrators in our schools and universities may disagree on philosophy, content, and pedagogy, every educator has a role in shaping the worldview of his or her students. 

Each of our students, like Brett Hiner’s former student, is attempting to “make sense of the world” as they view it.  Indeed, all of us are seeking answers to the basic “worldview-shaping questions:”
Who am I? 
What is wrong with the world? 
What is the remedy? 
What is my duty and purpose?

It is clear that Mr. Hiner understands his worldview-shaping mission as a language arts teacher when he writes: “Sometimes, the power of literature can guide our conversations, helping us shine a light on answers we often cannot find ourselves.”  Readers of Brett Hiner’s article, “'Mockingbird' Remains Must-Read for Students,” will find an example of how a committed teacher uses a classic selection from American literature to teach an important character quality-- empathy.

Learning to Empathize from Literature
Interestingly, as Hiner notes, Lee Harper’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960, J. B. Lippincott & Co.) celebrates its 60^th anniversary this year.  He summarizes Mockingbird as “the story of young Jean Louise Finch, aka Scout, growing up in Maycomb, Alabama with an aging lawyer for a father, an annoying brother, and an African American housekeeper…”  Scout’s lawyer father, Atticus Finch chooses to defend Tom Robinson, an innocent young black man who was accused of raping a White woman.  According to Sparknotes, “In this story of innocents destroyed by evil, the “mockingbird” comes to represent the idea of innocence.  Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence.”

As Scout tries to make sense of the people and circumstances surrounding her life in the midst of the realities of racial injustice, her father takes time to teach her important lessons.  One lesson from Mockingbird that stood out to Mr. Hiner features Atticus explaining the value of empathy in wonderful descriptive prose (emphasis mine):

First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.

The young Scout begins to apply her father’s wise teaching to empathize with Tom Robinson,  her reclusive neighbor Boo Radley, and eventually a lynch mob that threatens Tom’s innocent life.  As Scout attempts to “climb into the skin” of these innocents, her growing empathy is symbolized by the life of the mockingbird, an innocent songbird with a lovely musical repertoire.  Here, Mockingbird may convince some readers to assign the same moral standing to the mockingbird as to innocent people and to each living creature in its own right, based on empathy.  But this biocentrism is found wanting both as a legal defense of life and as an environmental ethic.  While attempting to elevate nonhuman creatures, biocentrism tends to diminish the moral standing of humankind.  For example, the great missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s biocentrism seems to have been motivated as much by his European guilt and desire to make retribution over past colonial injustices to Asia and Africa than by his empathy for existing humans and other creatures.  Clearly, we need a more objective ethic upon which to assign moral standing to humankind and to all of life than either biocentrism or contemporary “critical theory.”

Christian Gospel in Mockingbird
Thanks to the biographical information on Harper Lee by Southern historian, J. Wayne Flynt, her long-time friend, we now know that To Kill a Mockingbird was based on her experiences growing up in 1930’s-1950’s Alabama.  According to Flynt, she was also marked both by the Christian testimony of her father (her pattern for Scout’s father, Atticus Finch) and by the influence of Christianity on Southern literature.   Notably, Flynt considers Lee’s masterpiece “. . . an allegorical tale of the Gospel” (See “The Gospel:  Power that Saves, Heals, Assures”).

The Gospel of Christ revealed in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures is divine revelation of objective answers to each of the “worldview-shaping questions” noted above.  Sin entered God’s perfect creation and led to corruption and death.  Christ, the “second Adam” (1 Corinthians 15: 45) was the incarnate God in human form, perfect and without sin, who gave up His life as a sacrificial lamb to take away our sin.

Harper Lee, being heavily influenced by the Bible, expresses this influence through her counterpart, Scout, in a dialog with Miss Maudie:

"'Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
'Your father's right,' she said.
 'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

This conversation between Scout and Maudie moves the narrative into a more objective moral framework.  To kill an innocent mockingbird or an innocent human being without moral justification is sin.  This claim suggests that true empathy must have an objective, moral foundation, not a subjective sense of guilt or desire to be woke by making reparations.  

But how can imperfect humans with limited knowledge of people and situations make perfect moral judgments and rule with perfect justice?  Our judicial system attempts to make just verdicts but everyone knows that our court system is not perfect. Only a holy, omniscient, and perfectly just God can make perfect judgments.  

The Gospel:  God in Human Skin
And what does God say about human sin?  There is none righteous.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 10, 23).  The Apostle Paul wrote (Romans 7: 9), I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died.  According to the Gospel, the law was given by Moses to show us our need of God’s redemption, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1: 17). 

The Gospel answers the worldview question, “What’s wrong?”  Answer:  Creation is corrupted by sin.  The Gospel answers, “What is the remedy?  Answer:  Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.  Finally, “What is my duty?”  Answer:  To repent of my sin and receive by faith God’s forgiveness.   

But, how can a holy God understand my pathetic situation?  First, remember the words of Mr. Hiner’s former student-- “Someone, please help me make sense of this.”  Second, let’s combine the student’s plea with Gospel-grounded empathy-- “Does anyone have enough empathy to come and help me make sense of this?”  Answer:  According to the Gospel, ‘God does care, and He came as Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Christ is the perfect expression of God’s perfect love and perfect empathy.  Because God loved us so much, He gave His Son to demonstrate His love in the way that meets Atticus’s lesson in empathy to Scout:  You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.  Jesus did just that!  A holy God “climbed into human skin” through the incarnation and virgin birth!  The Apostle John explained, …the Word (God) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth (John 1: 14). 

After Jesus had given His life to atone for our sin and rose again, John wrote as a much older man, What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— (1 John 1: 1-2).

Both the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Bible and the “Gospel according to Harper Lee” imperfectly revealed in To Kill a Mockingbird point to the same answer to “making sense” of events when innocence is killed and injustice cries out for our empathy. The answer is to realize that the most innocent Man who ever lived, Jesus Christ, was killed by crucifixion because God’s love expressed through His empathy moved Him to the compassion that led Him to the Cross where He died in our place.  Our response is to accept God’s love gift of salvation and Eternal Life.  Then, the Life of Christ in us can transform us to express God’s love, empathy, and compassion toward our neighbor regardless of ethnicity, gender, gender preference, or social class.

In conclusion, Mr. Hiner recommends Mockingbird and several other books which I have not read.  However, I want to add an additional book based on what I have shared above; namely, the Bible.  With this greatest and most printed book in the world, I would conclude with Mr. Hiner, “These books provide a glimpse of worlds I will never inhabit but help me, with every flip of a page, to understand someone else’s “skin” just a bit more.”

What Do You Think?
Thank you for reading.  I welcome your “Comments” (see below or contact me at silviusj@gmail.com).

“Follow the Science”—But Who’s Driving It?

The Truman Show (1998), is a movie in which Jim Carey’s character, Truman Burbank, lives in a reality in which his sleeping, awakening, going to work, coming home, and sleeping again are all contrived and controlled within the confines of a TV studio.  All truth and reality beyond the backdrop of the studio were unknown to Truman, that is until he became curious and began to resist those who were defining his truth.  He was able to free himself to do a bit if investigation on his own.

What if you or I were to grow up in a world in which someone in an institution such as government, education, the church, or our economic supply chain were limiting our access to truth and reality?  I’m glad you asked.

On September 17, Tucker Carlson (The Tucker Carlson Show, Fox News) asked a related question to Dr. Scott W. Atlas, Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution who also is a member of the presidents Coronavirus Task Team.  The question was:

What does it do to the practice of science when
certain areas of inquiry are off limits or censored? 

The dialog that followed addressed the increasing tendency of media platforms like Twitter and YouTube to censor reports and commentary that are contrary to accepted dogma concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is Dr. Atlas’s complete response (See VIDEO interview).  It is very troubling to those of us who recognize that science will not function for the good of mankind when data and interpretations are not freely exposed to critical analysis and additional verification by other scientists and a learned public eye.  Dr. Atlas reminds us that, “When you start censoring science, you are removing the way we decide what is truth and what’s not.” 

Dr. Atlas adds, “We are sort of teetering on the edge of what is done in third world countries.”  When you say ‘It’s about the science, you’d better know the science, you’d better understand the science, and say things that are consistent with the science.”   The good news is that the public censorship of professional scientific opinion is having a backlash from both scientists and by the public.  When we question the system, we can still hold people in power accountable.

In earlier Oikonomia articles ” (see end of this article), we have emphasized what we call “good science.”  By our definition, “good science” does not overstate its conclusions even under pressure from granting sources or groups with a political agenda.  Nor would “good science” condone publication of statistically altered data.  In short, “good science” has a conscience ((Latin, conscientia = “knowledge of right and wrong within oneself”).  “Good science” is conscientious about being objective, cautious, humble, and unbiased in a culture that can easily bring bias and elicit unethical behavior.

Thankfully, Truman Burbank, in the 1998 movie, had just enough freedom to resist the institutional definers of his truth and reality to “break through” and discover the larger context of the world in which he had been imprisoned.  The lesson for us today is to actively participate in the electoral process and through actions that hold our institutions of government, education, church, and suppliers of goods and services morally and ethically accountable.  Those who reject moral standards that have been the foundation of our freedoms and equal respect for all human life regardless of stage of life, ethnicity, gender, race, or beliefs should not be elected to positions of leadership.

Jesus invites all who will follow Him:
If you continue in My word,
then you are truly disciples of Mine;
and you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free.
                        -  John 8: 31-32

What Do You Think?
Isn’t it time we give more attention to valuing the truth, and then using our respective platforms to speak out on behalf of freedom of speech, freedom of worship, access to quality education, and teaching of the moral foundation based on the biblical command to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12: 31)?  Our involvements can support efforts to preserve our basic freedoms and the law and order necessary to justly secure and maintain them for all of us.  Without them, the social and economic structure of civilization cannot exist.

I welcome your “Comments” (see below or contact me at silviusj@gmail.com) and refer you to related information at the following:
“The Conscience of Science:  Part 1 Ethics & Accountability”
“Hydroxychloroquine: “Good Science” Challenges Politicized Science”
“Halting the Demise of “Liberal” Education” or “How Truman (Jim Carey) breaks through to truth (on movie, The Truman Show).”

Choices for Troubled Times – 4. Where Do We Turn for Justice?

Humans have been in a search for the perfect world throughout history.  One contemporary secular assumption seems to be that if we all looked the same, believed the same, had the same abilities, the same advantages, the same aspirations, and the same influence, then we would all get along well in a perfect world.  But each of us is different.  Even “identical twins” are not really identical. 

Faced with differences in our ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, religious beliefs, etc. our natural human tendency is to compare, covet, envy, compete, clash, and conquer if necessary.  Yet our innate human desire is to be approved, accepted, and justified in our actions.  We also are inclined to pursue justice on behalf of others.  When we detect a great deficit or gap between what is and what ought to be, our burden of justice grows immensely and we are prone to act, either as a leader or as a follower.  What we choose to do depends on our worldview.

Each of us possess a worldview, our mental framework for interpreting the world around us.  Our worldview helps us answer the key questions of life:  Who are we?  What is wrong with the world?  What is the remedy?  What is my duty and purpose?  In this article, we will examine two prominent worldviews—one is the Judeo-Christian ethic and the other is known as “Critical Theory.”  The two worldviews offer very different answers to the key questions of life.  Each one would propel us in a very different direction from the other with respect to our identity, moral duty, and purpose in life.  [See Choices for Troubled Times - 1. A Perfect Union]

An American Conversation
Before examining the two worldviews, let’s look in on a social media conversation between two individuals with different views.  Watch how personal and social inequalities emerge in a conversation between Leslie and Casey (fictitious names) who have just “met” on social media.  Their conversation begins when Leslie responds to a comment posted by Casey:

CASEY’s social media post: “I’m so thankful for the First Step Act.  It shortens prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.  It has given people like Alice Johnson and my uncle new hope and purpose in life.  Thank you, President Trump!”
LESLIE:  Are you kidding?  Trump thinks people who do drugs are losers—especially black drug offenders.
CASEY:  Actually, after politicians in Washington talked about doing it, Trump led a bipartisan effort to get the bill passed.  And BTW, Alice Johnson is a black woman who is now helping other prisoners qualify for parole.
LESLIE:  Easy for you to praise Trump.  You are probably just as white as he is.
CASEY:  Wrong.  I’m as black as Alice Johnson.
LESLIE:  Oh, baby!  Biden says if you back Trump “you ain’t Black.”  Or, maybe you’re a rich Black like Kanye West?
CASEY:  Sorry!  I’m just barely making ends meet.
LESLIE:  Well, you should be a single parent like me with a hungry boy to feed.  I can hardly keep food on the table.
CASEY:  Wrong again!  I’m a single parent, too.  Believe me baby, I know what it’s like!
LESLIE:  Sorry to hear that.  Anyway, you should be glad you’re a black man, and probably straight, too, I’d guess. 
CASEY:  I appreciate your sympathy.  But actually, I’m a black woman, and I’m caring for a 1-year-old baby.  The baby’s father left me.
LESLIE:  O, I’m sorry for you.  Seems like we’re two black women in the same boat; except I can’t figure out why you like Trump.
CASEY:  Well, I’ve been lied to, and lied about, all my life. 
LESLIE:  Yeah, Trump’s a liar, that’s for sure. 
CASEY:  That’s not what I meant.  Since Trump came down that escalator in 2016, he has lost many friends.  Seems like he’s been lied about and lied to just like me. Also, like me, he doesn’t have a rosy past, but he seems to be honest now.  And, he wants to help revive inner cities, not burn them down.
LESLIE:  Yeah, but Trump’s just like any old, white, man with lots of money.  He don’t really care. Just his sick way of gaining power over poor Black people like us.
CASEY:  I don’t think so.  He loses money every day being president, and he gives his salary for good causes.
LESLIE:  Aw!  Trump’s so rich, he doesn’t miss a million her and a million there.  Still can’t think why you would support him.
CASEY:  I’m learning to give others some slack.  Just like Alice Johnson, when I was in prison, I heard about Jesus, and I believed in His message of love and forgiveness for my sins. 
LESLIE:  I should have known!  You’re one of them Christians!  Can’t believe you’re caught up in a White man’s religion.  Hell, don’t you know Christianity is of the devil!  For centuries, churches have been dens of White supremacy.  It’s taught every Sunday, and then practiced every day of the week.
CASEY:  You are wrong; at least partly.  Sure, there are some “Christians” who are that in name only.  But those who have truly met Jesus and realized He died a terrible death for them on the Cross, and then repented of their sin, they are learning to see this world in a new light.  They understand that Jesus came into this world to show us that God loves us, no matter the color of our skin, how rich or poor we are, what we have experienced, or our gender identity.  And, as for me, Jesus has given me a new identity and purpose in life.
LESLIE:  Woman, you’re hopeless.  Hopelessly deceived.  I can’t see it myself.  We’re so much alike but when it comes down to it, we still see the world from two different views.

Our hypothetical conversation between Leslie and Casey illustrates what happens when two individuals try to relate to one another but ultimately cannot do so.  This is especially true when one (Leslie) believes each person’s identity is defined by the social group to which they belong; while the other believes that each person’s identity is defined by their relationship to God.  Casey’s identity in Christ and His love has motivated her to be a true friend and a gracious help to those who suffer from hate and injustice, including Leslie.  

Leslie believes that humans are very diverse.  Consequently, both oppression and rebellion against oppression are commonplace in the world.  Leslie believes we must address these inequalities which are obstacles to a more perfect world.  As we can see, Leslie’s worldview is very different from Casey’s.  Casey has been influenced by the teaching of Critical Theory.

What is “Critical Theory?”
Critical theory has a long history dating back to the 1920’s when a group of philosophers, cultural critics, and social theorists formed the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt, Germany.  The institute is now known as the Frankfurt School.  Critical theory attempts to address contemporary inequalities based on race, gender, class, age, and ableism. 

Dr. Neil Shenvi, a Christian apologist, has extensively studied, written, and lectured on what he calls Contemporary Critical Theory. [Check out one of his LECTURES.]  Michael Walsh, author of The Devil’s Pleasure Palace: The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West (Encounter Books, 2015), states the following in an interview with National Review:

Critical Theory was the notion, promulgated by the cultural Marxists of the Frankfurt School, that simply states there is nothing — no custom, institution, or moral precept — that is beyond criticizing, and destroying. “Who will save us from Western culture?” famously wondered Georg Lukács, one of the Frankfurters’ founding fathers. 
Adds Walsh: It is license to vandalize, and the fact that it was so swiftly embraced by American academe after the war remains a national disgrace.

Dr. Shenvi lists four major premises that form the ideology of contemporary Critical Theory.  They are as follows (quotes are taken from Dr. Shenvi):

1.  Social binary:  Society is divided into oppressed and oppressor groups.  According to this premise, each person is identified by the one or more social groups.  In their book cited by Shenvi, entitled Is Everyone Really Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education, authors Robin DiAngelo and Özlem Sensoy state:  For every social group, there is an opposite group…the primary groups that we name here are race, class, gender, sexuality, ability status/exceptionality, religion, and nationality. But most of us identify with more than one social group.  Intersectionality attempts to gauge each person’s level of oppression according to how many groups they identify with.  Premise #2. Addresses how oppression is exerted:

2. Oppression through ideology:  Oppression occurs through hegemonic power.  Quoting DiAngelo and Sensoy, Hegemony refers to the control of the ideology of society.  The dominant group maintains power by imposing their ideology on everyone.”  For example, consider old, white males which occupy only about 15% of the American population but who represent a powerful oppressor group because of their entrenched hegemonic power within traditional institutions to serve their interests.

3.  Lived experience gives oppressed groups privileged access to the truth.  After all, according to Critical Theory, “oppressor groups are blinded by their privilege” and need oppressed groups to enlighten them based on their experience.  Those who have experienced oppression have less moral responsibility and are given higher moral authority than oppressors.  However, it is possible for oppressors to gain moral authority by surrendering to those who are oppressed.  This gain through surrender to the oppressed enables the oppressor to acquire “woke.” Note how this logic calls for a subjective shift in authority and a redefinition of morality.

4.  Social Justice demands the liberation of oppressed groups, and liberation demands struggle against the discrimination and hegemony based on the social groups noted earlier.  If necessary, physical violence is justified.

If this is your first exposure to the logic of Critical Theory, you may be a bit confused.  Here’s a suggestion to get more familiar.  Joseph Backholm (@josephbackholm) has narrated a helpful, illustrated YouTube video on the subject of Critical Theory as part of the Family Research Council series, “What Would You Say?”  Click HERE to watch this helpful video.

Critical Theory is Pervasive
While critical theory and social justice have been hatched by scholars, philosophers, and social elites, and taught in our universities for several generation, in recent years, particularly in 2020, the ideology is becoming reality in the streets of America.  Demonstrations that begin peacefully are coopted by left wing progressive and extremist elements whose aim is nothing less than the complete destruction of the power of the oppressors.  But interestingly, adherents to the social justice movement do not make converts by showing their raw intent.  Instead, according to Dr. Shinvi, they present slogans that invite listeners or readers to think about the potential injustice of obvious oppression such as slavery in contrast to the lush privileges of the powerful at the expense of the oppressed.  Shinvi offers the following examples:
• “We should never challenge people’s lived experience.” 
• “We need to liberate our theology from privileged groups.”
• “We should dismantle all structures which perpetuate privilege.”
• “We should promote diversity within the church.”

Can you see that there are elements of truth in each slogan?  However, as Walsh noted in our quote above, critical theorists believe that “no custom, institution, or moral precept…is beyond criticizing, and destroying.”  Many of us would agree that reform is needed in our law enforcement.  But the goal of the left wing and extremist groups is not reform of existing institutions, but destruction of the existing to make way for a new order—a utopia in which all people are equal and no one is oppressed. 

But who will monitor and enforce the social rules of this utopia, and what form of oppression will they use to enforce their laws?   We need look no further than the current and historical landscape under the rule of socialism and communism to realize that purely human attempts at creating a utopia in which all citizens are valued and respected have fallen short of the goal.

Two Very Different Worldviews
The four premises of Critical Theory noted above share some of their values with Biblical Christianity.  Critical theory and Christianity both raise concerns about the injustice of slavery and other forms of institutionalized oppression.  Neil Shinvi notes that Christians, too, should be wary of hegemonic power.  For example, he explains that we ought to teach our children that beauty is more than outward appearance.  Therefore, Christians ought to resist Hollywood hegemony that pressures children to find their identity only in what the world says is right and beautiful while ignoring the importance of godly character.  But ultimately Critical Theory and Christianity are two very different worldviews that resist any attempts to reconcile them.

The table on the left contains the principle questions that any worldview attempts to answer.  Notice the drastically different answers to each question, chiefly because Critical Theory is a humanistic/materialistic worldview that denies the existence of God.  In this godless worldview, human identity is based on the social group in which we belong.  Our purpose is not to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” but to participate in a humanistic effort to bring liberation to the oppressed.  No wonder there is so little joy on the faces of liberal progressives, so little hope in their words, and such futility in their violence and destruction.

The biblical narrative also differs markedly from that of Critical Theory as shown in the graphic below.  Critical Theory acknowledges neither God nor His acts of creation.  Instead, with its roots anchored in atheistic, materialistic ideology, Critical Theory assumes the universe is ultimately the result of undirected natural causes as proposed by neo-Darwinian evolution.  Such a narrative that is devoid of God and His purposes gives only humanistic explanations for world problems today, empty answers to these problems, and a hopeless future.   In place of the fall of mankind and our sin nature as recorded in Genesis, Critical Theory points to oppression as the cause of evil in the world.  Instead of Christ’s redemption through the Cross, critical theorists assume the role of redeemers through activism, leading hopefully to liberation one day in place of the promised eternal restoration of Christ-followers in Heaven. 

You may be wondering how critical theorists could marginalize and dethrone the Bible from its historic place of authority as the inspired revelation of God.  Here’s exhibit #1 of how Critical Theory reasoning does just that.  It’s a tweet offered by a Union Seminary student as part of an assignment to comment on the authority of Scripture.  Notice how the student subjugates the authority of Scripture (e.g. John 17: 17; 2 Timothy 3: 10-17) beneath human reasoning which must after all be given the last word on any attempt to “discern which messages are God’s.” This is a troubling response, coming from a seminary student, and a somber call for God’s Word to be more clearly proclaimed with power and relevance from our churches and lived out by Christ-followers (James 1: 22-25).

Critical Theory and a Christian Apologetic
If you are a Christ-follower who is sincere about defending your faith in an increasingly atheistic world, you should be able to understand and explain the Judeo-Christian worldview upon which your faith is based.  I believe our apologetic and personal witness should begin with gentleness toward those to whom we speak, and with reverence toward God (1 Peter 3: 15).  If God were to mark all our sin against us and not forgive us through Christ, “Who could stand?” asked the psalmist (Psalm 130: 3).  Certainly not I.  By faith, we profess that God is Creator of a perfect world (Genesis 1), but our sin separates us from Him (Ephesians 2).  Therefore, our identity is not ultimately in the social group, nor in social liberation from oppression.  Rather, because God sees us all as sinners in the solidarity of one group, we are all in need of redemption through the blood of Christ.  Any other criteria (e.g. race, gender, class) for dividing us into social groups is insignificant compared to the deep stain of sin in all our lives that is blotted out only by trusting in the soul-cleansing blood of Christ.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4: 12).

As we learn more about Critical Theory and how to distinguish its claims from Christianity,  hopefully we also realize our individual responsibility to live daily in the grace and righteousness God provides, while being sensitive and responsive to the material and spiritual needs of the oppressed around us.  There are many Leslie’s out there who need the polite response of a Casey to encourage them and point them to Christ who alone can truly relieve their oppression and give them Eternal salvation and a new identity in Him.

Additional Resources
Among the resources I have cited and used, the complete lecture presented by Dr. Neil Shenvi is at “Social Justice, Critical Theory, and Christianity: Are They Compatible?”  He provides additional resources on Critical Theory at Neil Shenvi – Apologetics.  Dr. Shenvi is a chemist, not a theologian, but his understanding of Scripture and impassioned delivery is worthy of our time as we prepare to give an answer for the hope that is in us…(1 Peter 3: 15).

What Do You Think?
Thank you for reading.   I welcome your insights, comments, and questions.  Just use “Comments” or email me at silviusj@gmail.com.

Previous and Related Articles:
How Firm Is Our Foundation?
Choices for Troubled Times - 1. A Perfect Union
Choices for Troubled Times - 2. My Responsibility Matters
Choices for Troubled Times – 3. Redemption and Restoration

A Tribute to Our Best Man

Yesterday, Abby and I attended a military funeral service and private memorial service in honor of our dear friend, Roger Riffle.  Roger and his wife, Margaret, would have marked their 52^nd wedding anniversary just two days after Roger went home to heaven, on August 12.  Roger and Margaret had both fulfilled their careers so well, he as an R&D chemist, and she as an elementary school teacher.  Together, Roger and Margaret (“Maggie”) left an everlasting mark on a “family” of countless students, colleagues, and friends, some of whom we were able to meet yesterday as we remembered Roger’s life.

As I had recounted in a 2013 Oikonomia article, Stewardship of Enduring Friendships, Roger and I became friends when we were undergrads at Malone College (now Malone University).  Because Roger was a few years older and wiser than I, his maturity and commitment to getting serious about cracking the books was just what I needed to establish a good academic commitment.  As our college careers progressed, we were each blessed to meet and cultivate a relationship with the respective women we would eventually marry; Roger with Margaret J. Lanham, and I with Alvadell “Abby” Moser.  Eventually, we exchanged the privilege of being one another’s best man on our respective wedding days.  Roger and Margaret were married one year prior to Abby and I. 

Although marriage and our respective professional careers would take its toll on maintaining our friendship, one academic area that Roger and I shared in common was botany.  Our common interest in plants continued to be a link that maintained our friendship from a distance over the years.  I was blessed to hear of Roger’s travels, sometimes with Maggie, across eastern North America to study the plant genus, Trillium.  On several occasions, Abby and I were able to visit Roger and Maggie at their home and to see some of Roger’s live plantings of Trilliums, some of which he had transplanted from far-away places.

Then, when Abby and I retired and moved to Wooster, in 2012, Roger and Margaret visited us.  With a grin of satisfaction and glee, Roger handed me a beautiful Yellow Trillium, Trillium luteum.  For the past eight years, we have enjoyed the Spring booms of this perennial wildflower in our flower garden.

The Riffle’s enjoyed wonderful travel vacations together, experiencing the mountains, plains, shores, and forests of God’s creation.   They also enjoyed two lovely places in the Canton, Ohio area which they have called home.  Roger devoted many hours to developing and maintaining a beautiful botanical landscape at their home in North Canton, OH.  Roger and Maggie have loved spending time together there.  In one communication to me, I could sense Roger’s love for the beauty of creation and of God our Creator:

In the fall, sitting on the deck and patio we could simply “drink in Gods Blessings” when we saw the magnificent colors of the maples against a blue sky and the green 80 ft. spruces. It was simply beautiful and you knew that only a loving God could create such as these.  Alas, [if these are cut down] we will have to see His beauty in other people and ways.  Have a great day my friend and that goes for Abby as well, but you knew that anyway (July 20, 2005).

At some point around 2010, it became evident to Margaret that Roger was expressing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.  But they continued to make the best of their lives for most of the next decade.  As Roger’s mind became more clouded, Margaret made adjustments to maintain their routines in the best way possible.  For example, she scheduled each week a day for Roger to visit “The Caring Place” where he could apply his love of working with plants while being among others who needed special love and care.  When the disease made Roger question her loving intentions, Margaret gave her best efforts and loved him until death claimed his live on August 12, 2020.

Just two days before Roger’s death, I wrote the following in a letter to Roger and Margaret:
Abby and I are thinking of you today. We are sitting on our deck and we can see our Yellow Trilliums which you gave us a few years ago.  Roger, I remember when you and Maggie brought them to our house here in Wooster soon after we moved here from Cedarville. I know you have enjoyed all kinds of Trilliums, Roger.  And you and Meggie have many different species growing around your house.  Our Yellow Trilliums have finished blooming.  Their leaves are withering.

As you know, Trilliums look best when they are young and blooming in the Spring. They grow up, have beautiful blooms, set seed for another year, and then wither back to the ground for winter. It is kind of sad, except for one thing.  We know that what goes into the ground will rise up again.

God has a plan for us, too, just like He has for the Trilliums—a plan with a future.  All of us who trust in Jesus as our Savior can be with Him forever.  In the "Spring" of our lives, we grow and Blossom, and we have many opportunities to learn, to become productive in our work, to enjoy family and friendships, to worship and draw closer to God, and to travel to interesting places. All of these we have been able to do. Some of them you, Maggie, Abby, and I have enjoyed together as friends.

Do you may remember that backward farm boy who became "Festus," your friend in college and then your best man 52 years ago in your wedding.  As your best man, that was my first time to wear a tuxedo, but I came through when it was time to hand you the ring, and you put it on the correct finger of the lady named Margaret, also known as Maggie, or to you personally as "Chicken Little." Of course, you were also my best man when I married Abby 51 years ago.  I think we both married very well.

During the 50 plus years since our weddings, like the Trillium, our above-ground parts have gotten older and weaker. But God who made us to live forever has provided a way for us to do just that--live forever, and with Him in heaven!  We can put our faith in Jesus who came from Heaven, put aside His deity enough to become a man to love us, teach us, and died for us. Like the Trillium, Jesus went into the ground and after 3 days He rose again to New Life. We can rise again as well if we trust in him. Then we can say with the psalmist David, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23: 4-6).

Our thoughts and our prayers are with you as you and Maggie continue to look to the Good Shepherd for his love and strength. Meanwhile, I wonder if you and I can get on the crew that cares for the Trilliums on the New Earth.  What do you think, Roger?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. – Rev. 21: 1-2

One day after this letter was written, Abby and I visited the Riffle’s on what would be the last time to be with Roger on this Earth.  Roger was largely unresponsive, but opened his eyes on several occasions which allowed Abby and I to express our love and friendship with him.  Then, I read Psalm 23 which seemed to hold his attention.  It was familiar to Roger, having been rooted into his soul and his faith.  But when I reached the last phrase of Psalm 23, And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever, Roger’s eyes brightened as if he was getting a glimpse of heaven.  Within less than 12 hours, Roger would indeed be seeing the landscape of Heaven—finally home, and finally set free from his debilitating disease.  Free at last!

In a letter Roger wrote to me, in 2007, after he learned that Abby and I had made a trip to Washington state, he reveals his anticipation of a time when he and I can sit down and enjoy things of common interest:

“I hope to go to [British Columbia] someday to see the tiny little trillium (Trillium Hibbersoni) which grows out on the rock ledges facing the west. There are some very different Trillium's in Oregon and Northern California.  Maybe one day we can sit down and view the many different ones Margaret and I have seen in California and Oregon.”

I am looking forward to taking Roger up on that offer – in the New Heaven and New Earth.