Tag: christianity

Divisions

Living Network 2 (Peter Farkas Photo)

America is very divided politically. I believe this is different from the cultural divisions of worldviews.  A version of the Christian worldview used to be the dominant worldview in America. Today, prevalent in America, there are several variations of the critical theory worldview (with expressive individualism mixed in).  And today both political liberals and conservatives use the critical theory framework to promote their agendas.

Critical theory states that there are unfair oppressive structures in society, and thus there are people being oppressed or in other words victims.  Critical theory states these various forms of oppression are what is wrong in the world and its goal is to liberate us from the oppression.  Some of the more common variations of critical theory are critical race theory, feminism, queer theory, and postcolonialism.  You can especially see critical theory in action with the agendas found in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Movement.  This has been part of a big push by the political liberals. 

But the political conservatives use the same critical theory framework.  The oppressive structures are instead the mainstream media, the deep state government, and other concerns, like voting. So the conservatives see different structures that are oppressing America and making us victims of the current power structures. Donald Trump is big in promoting the oppressive nature of these so-called liberal power structures, and in this current election cycle with his legal troubles he is especially promoting the idea that he is the victim and that he is taking the “attacks” for us. I believe this critical theory framework is one of the main reasons he has been able to resonate with so many voters because critical theory is already embedded in today’s culture.

“Wait, wait”, you say, “there is some truth in what they say”.  Yes, there is some truth found in both the liberal and conservative statements.  But note that every good lie has a kernel of truth.  I believe the framework of critical theory twists the truth and makes it divisive. It ends up being less than the whole truth.

You need to be aware that critical theory’s way of thinking in terms of oppression is the dominant way of thinking in today’s culture. You still need to acknowledge the truth found in the twisted statements, but only the truth.  You especially need to avoid using the critical theory framework.  It is divisive. It is not an us versus them (the enemy and the oppressor) situation.  There is really only one enemy.  His name is Satan.

The Christian asks how I can help and make the situation better. The Christian realizes that it is not an us versus them situation, because we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  We need to, as much as possible, work together and not be divisive. We are to be generous, kind, and gracious in our speech.  We do not lie, but we speak the truth in love.  We do everything from an attitude of love, wanting the best for the other person. The Christian Faith is about reconciliation and forgiveness, first with God, but also with our fellow human beings.  Critical theory is about justice and fairness, whereas Christianity has justice with mercy.  Relationships cannot be restored with only justice.  Mercy and forgiveness is needed to end the divisions and restore healthy relationships.

I believe the political dysfunction in Congress and throughout American politics is due in part to critical theory thinking.  Avoid it!

Be Intentional and Disciplined

Another year is coming to an end.  People make resolutions this time of year.  Last year I set up a “rule of life” for me to live by, instead of having New Year’s resolutions.  I like the idea of creating a pattern of habits to live by, and I think it has worked out well for me this past year.  I did fail this last month in the habit of “Limit the eating of sweets and fats”.  I ate way too many cookies and now I have a couple pounds I need to lose.  I was not intentional and disciplined in my eating this last month.

I think in today’s culture of comfort and convenience we need to be intentional and disciplined in how we live.  The strong siren call of today’s culture is to live for oneself and to fulfill one’s desires. The goal  of many people is to live a life of ease, one of comfort and convenience, where they can always be happy by having all their desires met.  This last month I let my desire for sweet cookies rule my eating.  It was not healthy.  I was not intentional in my eating, and I was not at all disciplined. I gained a couple of pounds.  Now I have to deal with the consequences of that lack of discipline.

God calls us to a life centered around him and not centered around us.  That is very different from what today’s culture says.  Culture today pulls us toward a self-centered life based on our desires.  This is why we can not coast through life.  If we do, we will not be living for God and we will have to deal with the consequences of the short term thinking of our desires.  We need to be intentional and disciplined in life’s activities so that we can have that good and full life centered on God.

One good way of being intentional is to have a plan.  We can not try to fit God into our lives.  Instead we need to start with God and build our lives around him.  That is why I created a “rule of life” document for myself, so that I would be consistent in how I live my life for God.  I created the document by looking at what I was already doing and what I wanted to do.  I did not get very specific (e.g. Every morning at 6:00am I will read the Bible), instead I kept my habits more general (e.g. Daily read Scripture). I am not that structured, but you may be.  It does take some prayerful consideration to put together a plan or a “rule of life”.  It is not something you should write up in a few hours.  Spend some time praying about it while putting it together. Once it is done you will want to revisit it from time to time to see how well it still fits.  For me this is the time of year when I think of such things. (I first started thinking about the idea of a “rule of life” around New Years 2022 and I put it into practice around New Years 2023 and now I am evaluating it around New Years 2024.)

Having a plan and wanting to be intentional is not enough.  You need commitment and discipline to put your intentionality into action.  This is the hard part but this is something we need to strive for.  It is not easy and I have also many times failed to live up to the “habits” or “rules” that I have set (let alone God’s good standards), but fortunately, we have a God who is merciful and gracious.  He desires that intimate relationship between us and him.  I think my “rule of life” document helps me to pursue that relationship. Our focus should be centered on God, especially on Jesus. It is out of gratitude for God’s amazing love and for all Jesus has done for me that I want to live my life to his glory.  He inspires and enables me to have the discipline to live life for him.

PS To find out some of what Gail and I did in 2022 and 2023, read our Christmas letter.