Resist the Narrative
In a 1952, our 34th President, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, made the following statement: America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." Obviously, "good" is a relative term. As Jesus noted, "No one is good—except God alone," [Matt 10:18]. Yet when we speak of human goodness, it is both a relative and comparative designation. In short, when you compare America to the murderous brutality of 20th century Communism and Fascism, America, was not only "good," she was significantly "better."
Eisenhower's words resonated with Americans in 1952. Most wanted to be "good," even if they were inconsistent in doing so. In other words, "being good" was considered... "good."
This desire was the consequence of a society and culture whose mores were rooted in the Bible. The effect was not a perfect society; but it was one where divorce was rare, abortion was illegal, crime was peripheral, and right & wrong were as obvious... as male vs. female. Life made sense. America was prosperous and orderly, especially in comparison to the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, prosperity is a double-edged sword. It makes life easier and often better. It also has a way of changing priorities. Being good became less important than being prosperous; and finding pleasure more important than being moral. As Neil Postman would later observe, "We are amusing ourselves to death... oppressed by our addiction to entertainment." Rome had its circus', but America has its metaverse: An alternative, make-believe world beyond the stricture of reality; a place where boredom is banished, and every pleasure satisfied, without cost or consequence... or so it claims.
In this Brave New Metaverse, there are no absolutes, and good & evil are merely philosophical anachronisms. It's a redux of nascent Israel, where "every man did what was right in his own eyes," [Judges 17:6]. One may still believe in God; but you no longer must fear Him!
The Bible also tells us that there are consequences in a world where men no longer fear God, and instead, follow their own impulses. It leads to a world that is, "evil all the time... corrupt... and... full of violence. [Genesis 6:5,11]
My fear is that America is on that path. In a culture devoid of values, corruption, duplicity, compromise, and complicity poisons everything: Government, academia, media, science, medicine... and even the Church. The Church is losing its place as a prophetic and powerful bulwark against evil. Instead, it becomes a hapless partner. No longer challenging the culture, she seeks to comfort it. Every accommodation is justified as loving our neighbor; even when doing so, destroys the neighborhood. Today the greatest sin is to say something that offends. So, it's best to say nothing at all. Afterall, you don't want to be perceived as being "political" when you speak about morality.
How is this going to end? The Bible tells us it always ends with God's judgment. Once it came in a global flood. (God's version of a Great Reset.) Another time it came in fiery conflagration, destroying Sodom & Gomorrah. But most often, it comes in the form of Ichabod: “The glory has departed (1Samuel 4:21). Great nations rarely explode, or even implode; they just wither & waste away, not even realizing what has happened to them until it is too late.
In his book, The Psychology of Totalitarianism, world-renowned clinical psychologist Mattias Desmet explains that it all leads to some form of totalitarianism. In a virtual pincer movement, the global elites are using covid, climate change, AI, social media, digital currency, wealth distribution, racism, diversity, disinformation, and sexual dysphoria, to foment fear, confusion, loneliness, and isolation; for the desire end of "demoralizing the population, exerting control, and persuading... people to act against their own interests, always with destructive results."
What can we do? Refuse to repeat the narrative. As Solzhenitsyn exhorted, refuse to Live by Lies. Instead, speak the truth, especially God's Truth. Statistically, Desmet claims, it only takes 5% of the population to resist and bring down the totalitarian narrative. Let's not only refuse to repeat the narrative; let's also replace it with the Gospel of God and Grace as given to us in the Bible! Onward Christian soldier!