Grandchildren are jewels in the crown of the aging.
Proverbs 17:6
As a writer, I think a lot about words. Like the tools of a car mechanic, words are my tools for communication. Body language is important, but words are more precise and nuanced.
Becky and I raised two girls who have become remarkable young women and mothers. I am now blessed to watch our grandchildren expanding their horizons as they learn to read, arguably the most critical component of education.
Some might find it odd, but I like to read several books contemporaneously. Currently, I’m reading a biography, a history, a science fiction novel and a book on Christian apologetics entitled “Another Gospel?” by Alisa Childers. Her book is intriguing because it addresses Progressive religion versus Progressive revelation, Progressive versus Historical Christianity and Critical Theory, which seem to be the buzzwords these days.
The scientific word for an idea is hypothesis. To test the idea an experiment is devised that either supports the idea or it doesn’t. If others also test the idea and the results are repeatedly confirmed, the hypothesis may be elevated to the level of a theory of how something works. An example is Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution driven by natural selection.
If a theory is repeatedly evaluated and withstands the test of time, it may be elevated to a law. An example is Isaac Newton’s law of universal gravitation which is used to launch satellites and spaceships and predict the orbital paths of planets and celestial bodies.
There are no absolutes in science. Newton’s laws work fine for practical purposes. However, Einstein showed that gravity was actually a warping or bending of the fabric of space by massive bodies like the Earth and the Sun.
Picture four guys holding the corners of a beach towel with a lovely lady in the center of the towel. No matter how hard the burly guys pull she will depress the center of the towel. And like a roulette ball falling/spiraling to the center of the roulette wheel, we “fall” towards the earth. The point is, neither theories nor laws are immutable.
This essay is less about physics and apologetics than it is about definitions of challenging and critical concepts. According to Britannica, critical theory is a Marxist-inspired movement in social and political philosophy originally associated with the Frankfurt School (see my Focus essay “What Happened?” 5-16-2022).
Critical theorists desire to overcome social structures where people are dominated and oppressed. Being a Marxist perspective, everything is couched in class warfare. One example is capitalists versus the proletariat. Another example is the racist verbiage of “white patriarchy” accused of oppressing victims everywhere. As a result of this Marxist evil, we are at each other’s throats.
“Another Gospel?” challenged me to reconsider the concepts of historical/traditional Christianity and Progressive religion versus progressive revelation. Being a history buff and having read the Bible cover to cover at least three times, I think I understand church history and Judeo-Christian philosophy. I understand that we now know more about the inspired writings of the Bible because of archaeological discoveries, comparison with secular histories and millennia of reflection. Isaac Newton once said his discoveries were possible because he “stood on the shoulders of giants.” Modernity is possible because of past discoveries.
On the other hand, Progressive religion purports to redefine history and scripture to meld with the current fashionable ethos. In other words, feelings are more important than facts, the Progressive interpretation of the Constitution trumps the Founders’ original words, and the fact that God made man and woman is supplanted by innumerable genders, ignoring the science of DNA.
I think it is critical that we understand the words that are used and the concepts which drive our culture. Steve Allen was perhaps the first TV show that did “man on the street” interviews. If you’ve seen any of today’s interviews, you understand that many people are clueless and willfully uneducated. Yes, the mainstream media are manipulative Democrat operatives, but that’s no excuse. We have at our fingertips access to more information than ever in history.
Even now the mainstream media and Democrat lackeys are shielding their Potemkin president by discrediting and suppressing information about SARs. Banks are required to file Suspicious Activity Reports with the Treasury when large amounts of money are sent or received that might indicate money laundering or fraud. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer formally served on a bank board for 10 years. He said in those 10 years only two SARs were filed by his bank. Comer revealed that six major banks have filed more than 170 SARs to the Treasury Department regarding the Biden family business.
It is not theoretical, but critical that Americans trust their leaders, government institutions and the press. Actually, the press is supposed to be the watchdog of democracy. We used to snicker at the salacious British tabloids and Pravda (which means truth in Russian). But now the Washington (Bezos) Post slogan “Democracy Dies in the Darkness” is a joke that only a rube would trust. We will be forever in the darkness if modern Democrats (Progressives) prevail.
And this is my last critical point: there are no John F. Kennedy Democrats left. Democrats may march under that ensign, but they are liberal progressives and socialists. By analogy, Mitt Romney is a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and cannot be trusted to work for We the People.
As I post this essay, the psychopathological Trump-hatred syndrome is operative in Biden’s department of injustice with another set of political indictments. Our country is in grave danger. It is no longer about differences of opinion between Democrats and Republicans regarding the size of government, taxes, social programs, etc. We are in an existential battle for the survival of our Republic where criminal enterprises are ignored and, by comparison, ex-presidents are charged for “loitering” (see last week’s essay Mopery and Felonies) around Washington.
I don’t care who you vote for as long as you vote against those who call themselves Democrats. For the sake of your children and grandchildren, stop this insanity! Again, quoting General Michael T Flynn, “It’s time to stand up, step up and speak up. We have a country to save.”
