Feeling Good About Yourself Has Become the Supreme Virtue

The sudden contagion of gender fluidity is not about physiological changes or deformed genitalia. It’s about  feelings, which are often transient, that are stirred up and promoted by educational activists. As Theresa Thorn says in her book, “You might feel like your gender changes from day to day or from year to year.”

The highest good, according to modern education, is self-fulfillment. Striving to be yourself, or to be “authentic,” has displaced the ancient struggle to achieve virtues like courage, honor, humility, respect, responsibility, and self-control.

The Western classical and Christian notion of virtue begins with the assumption that there are universal ideals which are woven into the fabric of the universe. Living out these virtues is not instinctual for humans. In fact, our broken and sinful disposition vehemently resists them. Sexual purity, patience, kindness, and loving one’s enemies, do not come naturally. Even Christians must struggle spiritually in order to attain them.

Modern education has turned virtue upside-down. The virtuous life is not a struggle against our fallen human nature, but submission to our natural impulses, especially when those impulses relate to sex and gender.  

Progressive culture largely denies the fallenness of human nature. Sin is bound up primarily in unjust social structures, rather than the human heart. The enemy is without, not within.  So, desires which Christians regard as sinful (e.g., sex outside of marriage, pornography, homoeroticism, gender fluidity, etc.) are now deemed “natural” and “healthy.”

The ultimate sin, in modern culture, is to struggle against your natural inclinations. Battling your instincts produces psychological distress, and distress is the antithesis of well-being. “Being yourself,” on the other hand, feels good. This feeling of well-being is said to be the culmination of mental health and self-esteem.

But, the human mind has an almost infinite capacity for self-deception. Feeling good about yourself, “being yourself,” often involves surrendering to urges which will, over time, prove self-destructive to both body and soul. Feeling good has become the opium of modern education to inoculate society against the consequences of morally destructive behaviors. We are creating a society full of narcissistic people who seek, above all else, to validate their unhindered inclinations.

In traditional Christianity, the distress produced by struggling against our fallen human nature is not the antithesis of well-being, but the path toward personal and societal virtue. The struggle may be long and slow, but it produces a fulfillment that is deeper and more enduring than self-satisfaction and good feelings. No athlete ever attained excellence without rigorous and even painful effort. The purpose of education is to guide students in this epic struggle, leading them from darkness to light.

What Does it Mean to be a Christian?

For the Orthodox Christian, the meaning of the Christian life, as I understand it, is embodied by three terms:  Theosis, Mission, and Worship. The first looks inward, the second looks outward, the third looks forward.

THEOSIS is the Eastern Orthodox belief that Christians are called to become more like God through His grace. The word is sometimes translated, “deification.” But this conveys the erroneous belief that humans can be like God in His nature. Rather, Theosis is the process of salvation and sanctification. As Peter says in his second epistle, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness … so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:3-4).

Theosis restores, the image of God which was marred when Adam sinned. Christ, who assumed our human nature, renewed that fallen image so that those who are joined to Him through faith, enter into a process of re-creation, becoming “partakers of the divine nature.”

The path to renewal is found by ‘following hard after God’ (Ps. 63:8) through observing the spiritual disciplines. These include prayer, reading and meditating on Scripture, fasting, charity, helping others, church attendance, and watchfulness (1 Peter 5:8). In Theosis we seek to manifest virtue and the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives, while crucifying “the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:19-24). In the Orthodox tradition, humility is called the “mother of all virtues,” and pride is regarded as “the cause of all sin.”

Theosis is an upward ladder, as St. John Climacus observed, which represents the striving of the soul to fulfill its heavenly calling (see Paul in Phil. 3:14 and 1 Cor. 9:24-27). It is a process in which the soul becomes more interpenetrated with the ‘energies’ (grace) of God by being joined to Christ in both body and soul.

MISSION is the work of the church in the world to which each Christian is called to participate. Christ sent us into the world to spread the good news of His salvation (Mt. 28:19-20) and, following his example, to relieve suffering as we are able.

Our mission is one of compassion, not condemnation. “[H]ave mercy on those who doubt,” says Jude, “save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear” (22-23). Yet, as followers of Christ, we must acknowledge the work of evil in the world and call it by name, “hating even the clothing stained by the flesh” (23). Shining a light in dark places invites persecution—it always has. Christ was not crucified for being merciful, but for opposing and exposing evil.

WORSHIP is the eschatological destiny of the church. The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into the worship of heaven, where angelic beings worship God day and night, without ceasing, as they chant the Trisagion before the heavenly throne (Rev. 4). To borrow the words of the Westminster Catechism, this is “the chief end of man…to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

But the work of worship, the liturgy (from the Greek, leitourgia, “work of the people”), does not belong only to the future. Heavenly worship, like the eschaton itself, impinges upon the present. As the writer of Hebrews says, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven…” (12:22-23). The future is realized in the present, and the powers of the world to come are now manifested on earth. In other words, our worship is intended to be the ‘earthly heaven,’ a foretaste of our eternal destiny.

Theosis (godliness), Mission (evangelism), and Worship (heaven), are the three pillars of the Christian life.  

Why are Activist Educators Corrupting Our Children?

This story, by Fox News, is being repeated in schools across the country, as recent news reports attest.   From elementary to high school, activist teachers and administrators are hell-bent on sexualizing children and forcing transgender ideology in the classroom. 

What motivates these educators to commit such acts and why are they doing it?  The answer is more complicated than you might think, involving three concentric spheres of action.   

1—Inner Sphere.  At the personal level, activist teachers actually believe they are helping children 'discover' and ‘live out’ their sexual and gender ‘preferences.’ Being comfortable with who they ‘really are' supposedly contributes to their psychological and emotional well-being.  This is especially true for LGBTQ children who are ‘forced’ to live a society dominated by ‘hostile’ cisgenders and heterosexuals.  Respectfully tolerating differences in sex and gender is not enough.  In order to protect LGBTQ children and to create a caring community, LGBTQ children must be affirmed and admired for the choices they make.   

2—Middle Sphere.  Activist educators believe that this sexual revolution is part of a larger moral cause, namely, social justice.  Heteronormativity and cisgenderism are simply extensions of the oppressive, social structures which have denigrated people of color and women, keeping them in chains for thousands of years.  These teachers believe that freeing children from white, traditional (i.e., Judeo-Christian), beliefs about sexuality is another step forward in the liberation of humanity.  Fighting for the cause of social justice imparts to educators and administrators a sense of moral righteousness, often spilling over into fanaticism and rage, as they wage war against the cosmic evil of social oppression and those who practice it, especially conservative Christians.

3—Outer Sphere.  Underlying these convictions is a broader philosophical and political agenda called Neo-Marxism, from which social justice originates.  Some activist educators may not be fully cognizant of this sphere or its history, which stretches back several decades.  Whereas Marxism focused entirely on economic, class distinctions, Neo-Marxists expanded class warfare to include race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, etc. But the template is the same in both cases: Divide society, destroy capitalism, overtake government, install a socialist or quasi-socialist system. 

But, what does this have to do with sex and gender in the classroom?  Historically, as Karl Marx observed, the nuclear family has served to reinforce conservative social structures and sexual values (‘heteronormativity’ and ‘cisgenderism’), maintain social stability, and perpetuate economic prosperity through ownership of private property (capitalism).  Disrupting and dismantling the nuclear family by introducing radical beliefs about sexuality and gender, dissolves the glue which holds society together and shatters the last remaining stronghold of the ‘traditional hierarchy.’  The way is now open to create a new social order based on ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ (DEI).

These aspirations may sound noble, but, in reality, the Neo-Marxist society is based on an authoritarian state which can only achieve its goals by forced conformity and persecution.  That’s why school cultures, in which Neo-Marxism has taken hold, have become strongholds of cancel culture, anti-religious sentiment, groupthink, intimidation, and censorship.  Dissent is not tolerated.  Conform...or else!

Activist educators, along with their administrative allies, then, are not corrupting our children simply to satisfy some personal or educational agenda.  They see themselves as shock troops who are shattering traditional society in order to create a new social order.  And they will succeed if we allow them to continue.  As the schools go, so goes civilization.

 

America’s Culture Wars: A Guide for the Perplexed

17th edition (November, 2022)

The primary purpose of this 77 page guide is to throw a lifeline to parents and students who are trying to stay afloat in a hostile society and education system that is determined to undermine America’s historical values and morals.  The guide answers over 40 FAQs on topics relating to: Racism, Critical Race Theory, BLM, DEI, American History, Civil Rights, Religion, LGBTQ Issues, Free Speech, and Tolerance.  Links are provided throughout.  

Specifically, America’s Culture Wars accomplishes three things:  (1) To explain the inner workings of the often confusing philosophies that continue to inundate us and our children.  (2) To refute these insidious beliefs through evidence and reasoned arguments.  (3) To offer an apologetic for traditional, moral and democratic principles. 

Chapter V, "Teaching Tolerance," is a must read in order to understand how Tolerance and Civil Discourse have been usurped by categories like "justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion." Our schools are producing self-centered children and adults who are ruled by emotion and whose beliefs cannot be challenged—the very definition of intolerance.  

This guide is a work in progress with frequent updates, enhancements, and corrections.  Click on the link below to see the latest revision.

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A Smithsonian Roadmap to Social Revolution

In the summer of 2020, the Smithsonian's, National Museum of African American History and Culture, posted a large graphic criticizing, "Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness and White Culture in the United States."  The poster was hotly contested and sparked so much opposition that it was taken down.  After all, what's wrong with the nuclear family, science, hard work, respect for authority, and politeness?  

On the face of it, some of the criticisms seem ridiculous.  What does delayed gratification have to do with 'whiteness'?  But peel back the layers and it becomes evident that virtually all the characteristics of 'whiteness'* in this poster have a political significance—real or imagined—that purports to expose the difference in power between white and black people.  

In the analysis below, I 'decode' the opposition to 'white culture' and explain the revolutionary aspirations of Critical Race Theory and Critical Social Justice to uproot every vestige of 'whiteness' from society.  Finally, I dismantle numerous false and questionable claims, while recognizing that some of the criticisms do have merit.

*"Whiteness refers to the specific dimensions of racism that elevate White people over people of Color. Basic rights, resources, and experiences that are assumed to be shared by all, are actually only available to Whites. Although many Whites feel that being White has no meaning, this feeling is unique to White people and is a key part of what it means to be White; to see one’s race as having no meaning is a privilege only Whites are afforded. To claim to be “just human” and thus outside of race is one of the most powerful and pervasive manifestations of Whiteness."  (Is Everyone Really Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education, by Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo, 2012, p. 119). 

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A Tool in the Battle Against Critical Race Theory

This Manifesto is for parents, teachers, and employees who are on the front lines in the struggle against Critical Race Theory (CRT).  They need to be armed with accurate and concise information.  This one page guide carefully identifies the teachings and outcomes of CRT, and highlights the stark contrast between CRT and historical, American principles.  

The format is ideally suited to public settings, such as school board meetings, in order to unambiguously identify and call out the objectionable teachings of CRT.  

There are two important qualifications on the use of this Manifesto (based on feedback from CRT advocates):

1.  Nothing in the Manifesto precludes discussing these divisive concepts in an academic setting, so long as it is done in an objective manner, without endorsement or manipulation, and strives to provide equal time and effort to contending perspectives.

2.  Opposing CRT does not mean we are in favor of racism or discrimination.  We oppose CRT because of its destructive philosophy and methods, not because it stands against racism.  In fact, there are many black leaders who oppose CRT because it undermines the traditional civil rights movement (Peter Kirsanow, Robert Woodson, Thomas Sowell, Alveda King, Carol Swain, Leo Turell, Richard Johnson III, etc.).  

Additional Resources for Understanding CRT:  8 Unproven Assumptions of CRT  |  Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness (Smithsonian)  |  16 Reasons Why America is Not a Racist Country

Also see my related eBook (it's free), "The War On America’s Founding Principles," under the 'Recent Books' tab, above.

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 Revised Edition (6-6-21) 

Betraying the Foundations

From the second edition of my eBbook, The War On America’s Founding Principles (posted today). Every principle in this table characterizes the working philosophy of the Biden administration, the Democratic majority in Congress, and a small group of Republican representatives. America's foundations have been betrayed.

To download the book (free), click on the Recent Books tab, above.

The War on America's Founding Principles 

This table, based on my recent eBook, puts the issues in stark relief. Progressivism is dismantling and delegitimizing America's historical foundations. To download the book for free, click on the "Recent Books" tab.

16 Reasons Why America is 
Not a Racist Country

If you listen to the diatribes of many on the Left, you would conclude that this country is still hopelessly bound by the cords of bigotry and institutional racism.  “Brown skinned” people, we are told, are oppressed to ensure the continuation of white supremacy.   

Incidents of racism still occur in the United States and there is still work to be done, but we are far and away from being a nation of white oppressors.  Our progress has been both measurable and substantial.  Anyone comparing America today to America in 1960 would see a different nation. 

1.   America ended slavery in 1865 at a cost of 360,000 Union soldiers who paid with their blood.
2.   African-American men were given the right to vote in 1869 (women in 1920).
3.   Jim Crow laws were struck down in the 1950’s and 1960’s. 
4.   We have nearly 60 years of federal, civil rights legislation, beginning with the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
5.  There are thousands of civil rights laws and regulations at the federal, state, county, and local level.
6.  Businesses, organizations, and schools throughout the country have strict, anti-discrimination policies.  
7.   There are affirmative action programs at nearly every level of society.
8.   Desegregation school busing was mandated across the country in the 1970's.
9.   The KKK, once numbering millions, now numbers less than 8,000.
10.   A black president was elected to two terms in office in 2008 and 2012.
11.   There are 64 black representatives in the U.S. Congress.  In 1869 there were only 3.
12.   Millions of non-white immigrants from across the globe still seek entry into the U.S.
13.   Indians and Asians are the top performers in many of our schools and professions.
14.   Black athletes are heavily represented in many professional sports.
15.   94% of Americans approve of interracial marriage (compared to only 4% in 1958).
16.   87% of Americans believe that DACA immigrants should be allowed to remain in the U.S.

DOWNLOAD THE POSTER VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE (Graphic)

See also:

Larry Elder on ”Is America Racist?” (Prager U. | 5 min video)

Civil Rights Activist, Robert Woodson on "Race Relations and Policing in the U.S." (C-SPAN @ 23:51)

Original: 1/28/18

Revised 9/4/20

 The War On America’s Founding Principles

How Progressives are Dismantling America One Plank at a Time

Though Progressivism has become the dominant philosophy of liberal politics, few Americans understand its principles and goals. They see individual issues, but are unable to discern how these pieces connect together. The same might be said of America’s founding principles, which are fast fading from our collective consciousness.

By carefully comparing Progressivism with the founding principles, a larger picture begins to emerge. The political battles of the day are a colossal struggle between two opposing, if not contradictory, philosophies—a struggle between two visions of America. In the end, only one will likely prevail.

This free eBook documents Progressivism’s relentless attempt to dismantle and delegitimize the historical foundations of America, one piece at a time, pushing us toward conflict and dystopia.

With over 100 illustrations and more than 200 linked citations, The War On America’s Founding Principles provides a compass for finding our way through the cultural and political chaos.

This free eBook links to a high resolution 

poster which can be downloaded (PDF)

  Download the eBook (FREE)  

Celebrated Environmental Activist: There is No Climate Crisis

                                                  

If you only read one article on global warming this year, let this be the one.

Shellenberger is a Time Magazine “Hero of the Environment” and Green Book Award Winner. He has been an environmentalist and socialist Democrat since his youth.

►"The evidence is overwhelming that our high-energy civilization is better for people and nature than the low-energy civilization that climate alarmists would return us to."◄

Additional Reading:
The science behind the uncertainty, explained and illustrated in 5 pages:  The Global Warming Picture Book!

Progressivism: What's the End Game?

A friend asked me the other day, What are Progressives trying to achieve? The short answer is, “a just society.” But what does that mean? Here is a bird’s eye view of the Progressive agenda and its consequences.

1. Economic Justice: Redistribution of wealth to alleviate systemic poverty and income inequality. This involves government confiscation of private wealth and property (primarily through aggressive taxation) to whatever degree is necessary to bring about “economic equality“ (e.g., through welfare, free education, Medicare for all, etc.). But after nearly 60 years and $24 trillion, government efforts to eliminate economic inequality have largely failed because many causes of poverty cannot be fixed by money. 

2. Social Justice: Elimination of unjust social structures like racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, etc. Expanded rights and privileges are granted to “oppressed groups” in order to eliminate vestiges of systemic injustice and redress past injustices. But these rights are usually exercised by denying or violating the rights of others (e.g., LGBTQ rights supersede religious rights; abortion supersedes the unalienable right to life, etc.) and punishing “oppressors” (e.g., shaming, demonizing, deplatforming, demonetizing, fining, terminating employment).

3. Environmental Justice: Protecting the poor and minorities from the inequitable distribution of environmental hazards, sharing the benefits of increased wealth from energy consumption with those in developing countries, and implementing climate justice for impoverished people afflicted by climate change. This is carried out through a system of heavy-handed regulations and penalties imposed on businesses and free markets by government agencies (e.g., EPA, DOE, DOT) in an effort to end the use of fossil fuels. Ironically, the resulting increase in regulatory and green energy costs to the consumer has the greatest negative impact on the poor and middle class, especially in third world countries.

Finally, and most importantly, perhaps, Progressivism has no intrinsic principle for limiting the size and scope of government. Government wealth and power will expand to whatever degree is necessary to achieve a “just society.” As the American Founders feared, this is the historic pathway to tyranny. Writing in 1800, Thomas Jefferson said, "a single consolidated government would become the most corrupt government on earth."

My New Book Now on Amazon

This short volume (less than 70 pages) poses the question, Can Islam Transform the West? Or, more specifically, can Islamists transform the West?

I have made every attempt to present an even-handed, nuanced analysis by considering important differences among Muslims, looking carefully at the statistical data on Muslim beliefs and practices from numerous polls, and analyzing the ingredients which would be required to bring about cultural and political change.

The book concludes by examining actual instances in which Islamists are changing, or might be changing, Western culture in regards to free speech, religious hatred and violence, antisemitism, education, and entanglements with Islamic extremism.   

eBook:  $3.50

Paperback: $9.99

Is the Quran a Unique and Original Revelation?

"Tales of the Ancients":  Origins of the Quran from the Jewish Talmud

Islam has set a very high bar for the Quran.  In claiming that the words of the text are uncreated, eternally existent, and dictated by Allah, Islamic scholars give little consideration to the historical formation of the text and the impact that culture, personality, and style have on writing.  By contrast, the Christian view of inspiration recognizes that God speaks in and through human prophets and writers according to their understanding and their historical limitations. Consequently, we would expect to find references to ancient literature in Scripture (e.g., Paul quoted Menander and Epimenides) and vast differences in style between writers.  But, none of these diminish the spiritual and moral principles which God revealed.

Though this essay does not address the question of divine revelation of the Quran, it does show, using source criticism, that the Quran is neither wholly unique nor wholly original as many Muslim scholars claim. It is a historical document with traceable antecedents.  This, in itself, is not necessarily a criticism of the Quran (though many Muslims perceive it that way), for the Bible also has many historical and cultural antecedents.  But the Quran also recasts Biblical texts and events by uncritically appropriating Jewish stories that were widely known to be embellished with fictional and mythical elements centuries after the fact.   This poses a serious challenge to the claim that the Quran is unique, original, and historically accurate.

(click on the image to open PDF)

The Polarization of America

This chart compares the two philosophies which underlie the political and cultural war which is tearing our country apart.  The columns represent generalizations, of course, which do not take into account some of the nuances and variations found in these systems.

Some people will be tempted to pick and choose from both philosophies.  But, the choice between limiting government and enlarging government is rather stark.   And, we are assured by history, that certain consequences will inevitably follow.  We are bidden, therefore, to choose wisely!

For other material on politics, open the Politics & History tab.

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