Are you seeing what I am seeing? Are you sickened and deeply concerned about the world around us? The nation and even the entire world seems to be fully engaged in a war of words and ideas. This war is an old war, but for us it feels new and terrifying, and it is right before our eyes. Riots rooted in racial tension ensue while political activists further the divide with mudslinging and character assassination. While we are all supposed to take up sides in this election season battleground, many of my friends are choosing to turn off all of their media and wait this out like the pandemic that it is.
I want to offer some insight that I have gained over the last several years as I have studied political philosophy. My hope is that by offering some clarity, it will help my fellow Christian believers to stay tuned in and even to let their own voices be heard. Now is not the time to be silent!
First, let me give you some background…
It might surprise some that a stay-at-home mom would be a student of political philosophy. My desire to study government and economics ignited when, as a young adult, I lived in Moscow right at the end of the communist regime. I was there to teach English in a school for young children and to volunteer in a Russian orphanage. It was 1994 and the new Russian Federation was just writing their first constitution. It felt to me that the communist way of life and thinking was still very prevalent, especially since it contrasted so vividly with my own American upbringing. In fact, when I first arrived in Moscow it felt to me as though I had gone back in time 50 years. I have been pondering this contrast for the last 26 years.
During my time in Russia, I grew to love the people so dearly. I lived with a Russian family and they taught me to speak Russian and to better understand their way of life and thinking. I befriended many families in our neighborhood, families of the children I taught. They wanted to know about America and why we were so much more prosperous than they. They were shocked to know I had my own car and that I came from a family of six children! We talked a lot about religion and God. I even tried to explain ideas like free enterprise and innovation with them and they were appreciative, but there always seemed to be a barrier in our understanding that went beyond my limitations with the Russian language. I realize now that the difference was what many scholars call opposing worldviews.
A worldview is the way we view our world and our place in it. It gives us the answers to life’s most fundamental questions such as, What is the purpose of life? Is there a God? Is there life after death? Why are we here? And more. Our worldview affects the decisions we make on a daily basis and even who we become since ideas lead to actions. Stephen Covey called this a paradigm. He urged people to seek to understand other paradigms before seeking to be understood, and that is what I am suggesting to my readers and friends now. Keep in mind that paradigms or worldviews affect every aspect of society, including government, politics, ethics, history, religion, and the economy.
Let me teach you briefly here about the worldviews that I see in our divided nation today.
Christianity–I will start with my own worldview, which I believe is under attack from every other worldview. In Christianity, we have a basic understanding that all humans are created in the image of God and that we are all brothers and sisters. We believe that God designed our world and our journey on earth is part of His grand plan. Christians believe that God has given the human family a set of rules to live by, the commandments, and that when we obey them we are free from bondage and sin and able to live in happiness and prosperity, especially if government does not interfere with liberty and religious freedom. We believe that children are a blessing from God and all life is sacred. We see a difference between a “right” and “wrong.” God, our Eternal Father, sent His Son to redeem mankind from a fallen world. Through Him, we can live again after we die and receive a divine inheritance. The commandments as found in the Bible, have been fundamental in our nation’s founding and our government. “Thou shalt not lie, steal, or kill” have guided government policy for thousands of years. The history of America is filled with stories of brave and virtuous men and women who lived and died with the teachings of Jesus Christ as their motive and spiritual foundation. They loved their God, their country, and their fellow men–and that is what has made America great.
When visiting America in the late 1800s, Alexis de Tocqueville of France wrote, “There is no country in the whole world, in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America; and there can be no greater proof of its utility, and of its conformity to human nature, than that its influence is most powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth.” Economic freedom has launched the United States forward significantly ahead of every other nation on earth. The Christian worldview sees that man is a steward of the earth. Families are the central unit and building block of society. Each family should enjoy their own pursuit of happiness and the fruit of their own labor. Free enterprise, limited government intervention under the Constitution, innovation and incentive have catapulted this nation forward.
Sadly, the American worldview of Christianity has been under attack in the last several decades. Opposing worldviews are now not only tolerated, but openly accepted and taught in schools and universities, through the media, and in movies, TV, and books. The Christian worldview is now seen as old-fashioned and misguided, sometimes even attacked and labeled as “hate speech.” Do you recognize the worldviews that are trying to take the place of Christianity? Here are four worldviews that I see every day on the world and national stage.
Secular Humanism–This is the dominant worldview in our secular schools. Its buzzword is “liberalism.” The humanists have successfully removed God from our schools so that the doctrine of humanism can be taught instead. Humanists worship the creativity, innovation, and workmanship of man. They believe that man created God in his own image, that the Christian God belongs in the list of all myths created by mankind from the many different cultures that have lived on earth. They believe in evolutionism, materialism, globalism, and atheism. Humanists believe that man will continue to progress, ultimately to a new social order. They advocate interventionism, the idea that the state has the responsibility to direct the economy in order to uphold certain moral values. They believe in the redistribution of wealth and that capitalism has failed. Socialism, which involves a redistribution of wealth and a guaranteed income so that equality is insured, is part of the ideal new world order.
Marxist-Leninist–Some may be surprised to see this worldview on the list as a threat to America, but it is alive and well. I lived among this worldview in Russia and saw the truth of the effects of socialism and communism in the failed economy and the destruction of the human spirit. It is a harmful and destructive lie, but one that we must understand.
In this worldview, they believe that capitalism is flawed and too chaotic. A centrally planned economy can best promote productivity and distribution. The Marxists/Leninists are scientific atheists. Most shocking to me is their view that right and wrong are not based on Biblical teachings or commandments or a “conscience.” What is right is whatever helps the “cause.” Whatever opposes the “cause” is wrong. The “cause” is the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. It is a natural process that occurs in civilizations when the oppressing class (the bourgeois) will be destroyed by the lower class (proletariat). Eventually the revolution will bring about a classless and utopian society.
Do you see this attempt happening today? In Russia, the revolution was between the upper class and lower class. In China, it was the landowners or descendants of landowners vs. the lower class or descendants of peasants. In our nation today, it is descendants of white people (alleged white supremacists) vs. African-Americans (or descendants of slaves). While in Russia and China, the mark of socialism (or its close sister communism) was a color of red; here in America the mark is black. The idea is the same. Of course, Americans who perpetuate this revolution might be called bolsheviks or communists. Many would never own up to this world view since it is responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths worldwide. A shinier and more cosmopolitan version of this worldview is called “Post-Modernism.”
Post-Modernism–In this worldview, religious pluralism is taught. This is the belief that one must be tolerant of all religious beliefs because no one religion can be true. Post modernists are skeptical of absolute truth. Ironically, they call for tolerance of all beliefs, but they cannot accept religions which claim a knowledge of absolute truth such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. All other religious choices are honored as a personal preference. They believe in cultural relativism, the belief that truth and morals are relative to one’s culture. One of the major goals of post-modernism is to eliminate the distinction between men and women and to create equitable work conditions for all people. They strive to eliminate a patriarchal or father-led society and to redefine gender. They seek to stop seeing individuals as male or female since they believe these are socially constructed stories made up to fit certain roles in a male-dominated society. They proactively teach that there are a multiplicity of genders and that humans are highly social and sexual subjects or units, who are seeking recognition and acceptance. We are seeing this idea pushed into school curricula all over the United States and not just in the sex education curriculum, but in every subject. Post-modernists believe that because our male dominated society is not equal or just, governments must intervene to level the playing field. Socialism, or a state-planned economy, is necessary to make things “right.”
Cosmic Humanism--This worldview is commonly referred to as the New Age movement. According to them, truth resides in each individual. No one should try to project their truth onto someone else. It is the religion of “self.” Whatever is right for you, is okay. Cosmic humanists strive to become one with the universe and nature. God is within every individual and is all around us. The truly enlightened individual will be able to make more money and be more successful since the universe will flow to them. In the New Age, people will work together harmoniously to increase and share wealth. Cosmic humanists reject the need for a savior and see Christianity as a part of history which helped society come to a higher level than it had before, but is outdated now and unnecessary for the level of enlightenment that will happen in the New Age.
My friends, each of these worldviews is prevalent in our nation right now. Their voices are sometimes loud and harsh. Individuals and businesses who stand up to them are ridiculed, belittled, persecuted, even “cancelled.” However, they misunderstand the silent majority–and yes, I believe most Americans still stand on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the truth of Christianity. They think that since we are silent, we agree with them.
We do not agree.
All of the opposing worldviews have something in common. They are anti-Christ. They are also anti-family. On these two points, I will never acquiesce.
With my whole heart, I plead with my fellow believing Americans, to stand as witnesses of Christ. We can show the rest of the world that Christ’s example of love, kindness, generosity, and goodwill are not out of fashion. We can respect opposing views and the expression of them protected by the 1st Amendment. We can see those with opposing views, not as the enemy, but as our brothers and sisters! We can see individuals who oppose us, not as less intelligent or liars, but as people who have had life experiences which have led them to their beliefs. At the same time we see them and respect them, we can also be firm and bravely admit that we see right through the haze and distortion of these misguided and false views.
We can stand up for the Constitution and every article and amendment which are ferociously under attack. We can boldly reject the scourge of socialism and the false mirage that it is built upon. We can stand up for families, mothers and fathers, and especially for the children, born and unborn!
We can bravely enter the public square and add our voices to the conversation.
We can follow the example of Christ himself. He was meek and kind, but He was also firm and unyielding. When we stand with Him we can be powerful!
We can take comfort in Jesus Christ’s own words:
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
You are never alone when you stand with Christ.
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If you are interested in learning more about worldviews, why we need to uphold the Constitution, and the threats of socialism, I recommend:
Understanding the Times: The Collision of Today’s Competing Worldviews by David Noebel.
The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution and The Five Thousand Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang.
The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
hungrysoulstofeed.com 