Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Reminiscing

"There's a very high cost to our politics for celebrating the Trump style, but what is personally most painful to me as a person of the Christian faith is the cost to the Christian witness. Nonchalantly jettisoning the ethic of Jesus in favor of a political leader who embraces the ethic of Thrasymachus and Nietzsche - might makes right, the strong should rule over the weak, justice has no intrinsic worth, moral values are socially constructed and subjective - is troubling enough.

But there is also the undeniable hypocrisy of people who once made moral character, and especially sexual fidelity, central to their political calculus and who are now embracing a man of boundless corruptions. Don't forget: Trump was essentially named an unindicted co-conspirator (Individual 1) in a scheme to make hush-money payments to a porn star who alleged she'd had an affair with him while he was married to his third wife, who had just given birth to their son."
Look, don’t think too much about it. It's just another hand-wringing article from a so-called “Christian” (an elder at a Presbyterian Church, no less) and a longtime Republican and member of three previous Republican administrations. What would he know about Christianity and conservative values, right?
I don’t expect anyone to change their minds over this kind of thing. I’ve long ago given up hope that anyone is actually listening. So consider this as yet another entry into the archive of Andy Whitman’s personal records; nothing more and nothing less. It won’t make any difference. But I catalogue these things because they remind me that it wasn’t always this way. I stash this away as part of the ongoing historical record, back when “history” still had meaning and people thought it could teach us a thing or two.
Since this article was written there’s been yet another mind-blowing revelation about perversity in high places – no, let’s call it what it is; sex trafficking of underage young women and children – in which two Presidents of the United States, one former and one current, may very well be implicated.

Here’s what the current one said about the sex trafficker in 2005: “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

But don’t sweat it. It doesn’t really matter, does it? Who among us has not sinned? We don’t elect pastors for President, right? As it turns out, we just elect sexual predators. Two out of the last four.

By the way, many people have pointed out that a former President is also in the crosshairs of this latest revelation. His name is Bill Clinton. Just as a social experiment, I would like to suggest the old-fashioned Christian way of viewing this situation. Bear with me, because here it is:

Rape is wrong. Criminal, even. You can go to jail for rape, and the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. And if you do wrong, you should be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

This is how Christians used to view rape. I’m quoting the Bible here because at one time Christians attempted to follow its teachings. And these teachings cut across political affiliations, which meant that they would apply to Bill Clinton AND Donald Trump. Can you imagine such thinking today? But it was true.

In speaking about the widespread, reflexive evangelical support for the president, Coppock—who is theologically orthodox and generally sympathetic to conservatism—lamented the effect this moral freak show is having, especially on the younger generation. With unusual passion, he told me, “We’re losing an entire generation. They’re just gone. It’s one of the worst things to happen to the Church.”

Gone, and they’re not coming back. This is the long-term legacy of the moral freak show. It doesn’t matter. Never mind me. I’m just reminiscing; casting a nostalgic look back at the Christian Church when it used to make at least a half-hearted attempt to follow Christ.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/evangelical-christians-face-deepening-crisis/593353/



No comments: