Paul's Passing Thoughts

By Paul M. Dohse, STNA/MA-C, TANC Publishing author. 

Some years ago, it wasn’t hard to see where the Southern Baptist Convention and the Presbyterian Church of America were going to end up. Susan and I were invited to a dinner party in 2011, and several employees of the nearby Cedarville University (a General Association of Regular Baptist Churches institution) were in attendance. They were discussing their surprise that several professors at the university had voted for Barak Obama in 2008. Susan and I were not the least bit surprised. Though the title of this post only mentions the SBC and the PCA, several other evangelical denominations now in league with them are officially driven by leftist ideology. That is, far left ideology.

Yesterday, I got a good taste of that. Though people like to paint me as an agitator who likes to argue, in reality, I am too busy in the healthcare business to do much agitating, especially with a pandemic going on. What I have always done, in reality, is to incite conversation in order to find out what people are thinking. Also, arguing is a very important part of our ministry because it is how we test our hypotheses on many religious, philosophical, political, and historical issues. If we find a good argument, it is time to reconsider our prior thoughts.

For sure, we have picked a lot of fights over our justification by new birth gospel in order to find flaws in our understanding. This also teaches us how to better articulate our position. I know, it would be better to make a distinction between “discussion,” and “arguing,” but because of the way leftists wear their hearts on their sleeves and every other part of their body, that’s difficult.

Per the usual, here at TANC Ministries, the least common denominator that we focus on is the ability/inability of mankind. Those who understand man is able, will see government as something that should serve the people. That is, individualism versus collectivism. Those who hold to the inability of mankind, will see government authority as its savior. Mankind, according to this view, is totally depraved and God uses government to restrain mankind’s evil. This is also coupled with predeterminism which grants a pass to evil regimes; they wouldn’t be in power unless God wanted them to be in power, so, suck it up buttercup. We hear this ideology from the pulpits constantly.

Individualists are seen as those who endorse a public policy likened to allowing a child to play with a loaded gun. Collectivists see individualists as a threat to their very well-being because they diminish the role of government. How far does this go? Until as recent as the 1940s, emperors were seen as deity in human bodies. That’s how far it goes. Hence, as an individualist, you don’t merely have ideological differences with a collectivist, you are seen as a threat to their very survival.

This is where church began. Until America came along, church was always a church-state. Americanism confused what church is for the better. Because of this confusion caused by the conflation of Americanism and the collectivist church, the church in America, for a long period of time, was a force for good.

However, due to the Neo-Calvinist movement (1970-present), the church (350AD-present) is going back to its church-state roots. Understand, this makes hard left collectivism that sees government as savior one and the same with church-state ideology.

Those who are of the hybrid version of church have hard decisions to make; there is no way to save the present-day church from its collectivist roots. They (the hybrid version) will go in another direction, or become a party to the ideology. They will either join them, or be defeated by them. You cannot reason with fear, and this is a fear of individualism ruling the world; this is terror of self-rule. Ironically, the same people will say, “amen” to the idea that every person will stand before God individually, but their logic screams out the idea that their salvation hinges on obeying any and every authority because it is supposedly ordained by God. The Nazis themselves stood on this very ideology; that they were only following orders from those ordained by God. “You are not suggesting that every man do what is fit in their own eyes are you?” It’s a false either/or choice; chaos or order. Individualism or collectivism.

The fact that most churches have adopted this leftist ideology was on full display yesterday, and I took the opportunity to carefully document it. This isn’t the friendly SBC liberalism that got Jimmy Carter elected in the 70s, this is full throttle leftist ideology that despises humanity. The sugar coated church terminology is the doctrine of, “total depravity,” but do not be deceived, it is naked Marxism dressed up for church.

It all started when I took note of a post submitted on Facebook by a local educator. The post was shared by someone on my friends list who is well connected with the local church culture. The vast majority of people on her list, over 500, would be everyday church-goers. During the discourse that followed, I referred to them as church-goers and it was never denied. And note, this group would be considered of the evangelical sort, or conservative by cultural standards. The experience that followed coincides with trends this ministry has been watching and researching since 2009.

Before I begin to make my case, let me state the thesis. With Marxism, there are relevant human beings and irrelevant human beings. You either believe in the total inability of mankind, or you don’t. If you don’t, the sum and substance of your life is completely irrelevant. The Christian Marxist would use the Bible to state it this way: “All of the works of man are as filthy rags.” In that Bible verse, the Hebrew word used represents menstrual  rags.

If you believe in the total inability of man, your works are still filthy rags, but your total worth is judged by what you believe about humanity resulting in total obedience to the state. With Christian Marxism, you can replace “state” with “church,” and when Christian Marxism has fully bloomed, they are one and the same. This Marxist mentality has been brewing for some time in the mainline church. A church leader I used to serve with, once quoted Edmund Burke in saying, “It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.” Someone rightly evaluated the quote this way: “Edmund Burke held the fundamental assumption about human existence, and this quote ultimately that the nature of man requires that man can only be governed by a totalitarian government, that the function of government is human restraint.”

This translates into how the purpose of an individual is defined. The purpose of EVERY individual is to contribute to the state for the collective good as determined by the state. Of course the government has a right to tax you into poverty, it knows best how your money should be used for the “collective good.”  If the government didn’t take your money from you, you would only use it for yourself. Man must be ruled. He is inherently evil and must be saved from himself.

Purpose now defines worth. The worth of an individual is now determined by the individual’s ability to contribute to the state, and subsequently, the state’s definition of what the collective good is. Old people have little ability to contribute to the state; in fact, they are a burden on the state. Old people cost the state money and contribute nothing. Supposedly.

Though many of today’s evangelicals would deny the church doctrine of total depravity intellectually, they function according to its dictates. At the very least, they proclaim Total Depravity Light; “We are all just sinners saved by grace.”

The end-game of Marxist politics is the total submission of individuals to the state. Marxism uses different narratives cloaked in moralism to obtain that goal. Marxism’s worst nightmare is the idea that the world should be ruled by the collective good of individuals, and frankly, that’s the church’s worst nightmare as well because the doctrine of total depravity and Marxism are mutably inclusive. The church’s present participation in leftist narratives is a march towards the same end-game, and more and more, wittingly rather than unwittingly.

The aforementioned post shared by the person on my Facebook friends list was the propagation of one of the most recent Marxist “moral” narratives meant to move America closer to the Marxist end-game; socialism, the economic and political expression of collectivism. I responded to it. Shortly after my lengthy response, the author deleted the post, or at least made the post private. Though you cannot read his original post, you can get the gist of it from my response:

I would like to send a gracious challenge to your post. I think an African-American pastor said it best: “It’s not the skin, it’s the sin.” I think when we focus on symptoms, we end up saying things that can be misunderstood. Certainly, I don’t think you really mean to convey to children you are charged with educating that the American people have not changed in regard to race relations. Who is the “WE”? In context, it strongly implies the American people in general. That wouldn’t be truthful American history, and you are an educator. America has not only been the greatest force for good in human history other than God Himself, but no country has ever done more for people of color.

I recently did my own personal research on the Civil War; it was totally about slavery and little else. Hundreds of thousands of white Union soldiers died in that war and it was a volunteer army. Emancipated slaves volunteered also, about 20,000. The first casualties of the Civil Rights movement were two white men and a black friend murdered by law-enforcement officers. Who are the “WE” you are talking about? Again, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I do not think you mean to insinuate to our children that America is a racist country.

Wouldn’t it be better to say that what happened does not represent the American idea which has moved this country into demonstrable CHANGE in the past 100 years? What exactly needs to CHANGE? Along with your mention of this not being anything “new,” the whole context of your statement strongly implies that America is a racist country that refuses to come to grips with racist underpinnings. That’s just not true, and hardly a message you want to send to our children. Nothing is new about racism, and unfortunately, it will also always be present in every country, but racism doesn’t define America, and in regard to racism, America has changed.

So, again, I ask, when you write, “WE. MUST. CHANGE,” what exactly are you talking about?

Of course, his post regarded the recent death of George Floyd while in police custody. My response was tentative, and strived to ask a fair question. Instead of answering, he either pulled down the post or blocked me from seeing it.

However, the discussion that ensued on the link is relevant because this group of people represent run-of-the-mill church-going evangelicals. The discussion reflected the fact that church, for the most part, has adopted the leftist view of American systemic racism.

The first response to my comment follows:

It absolutely is a sin problem, and in cases like this the sin is manifested in racism. This friend has 4 children- three are by birth, one was adopted from Haiti. What it boils down to is the fact that they don’t have to worry as much that their white children will be perceived (whether consciously or subconsciously) as hooligans as they do about their adopted son. I’m not here to argue, these people are living this, and it is not uncommon.

So, another question. If America is such a systemic racist cesspool, why would you adopt a child of color and bring him here? Other than, of course, that adopting black children is a favorite method of virtue signaling by liberal white people. It also begs another question: why not support the adoption of children to countries that are not racist and have more opportunity for upward mobility than the U.S.? I think we know the answer to that, don’t we? Another point can be made regarding the mindlessness of contemporary Christians: while they boast about American church missions being the saving grace of the world, on the other hand, America is supposedly a systemic racist cesspool. But, by all means, financially support American missions with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

However, the sharpest point of the accusation follows: “whether consciously or subconsciously.” What is being said here? If you are white, you either know you are racist, or you are racist “subconsciously.” In other words, white=racist, period. This goes hand in glove with the total depravity doctrine of the church. Every living human being is not as guilty of every sin under the sun as they can be, but guilty of every sin to some degree or another. This view was further supported by other church-goers commenting on the link:

Have you ever once locked your car door because a person of color was coming nearby? Or scooted a little farther over in the elevator than normal? Or avoided making eye contact just because they looked like a thug to you? Based on what I’m reading from your paragraphs of research it looks like you only know of the bones white people have thrown to keep the violence down. This has been hundreds and hundreds of years in the making. The system is corrupt to the bone, even though it looks like we’ve made progress.

This view of the white race should make chills run up and down your spine. And of course, it is a completely illogical assessment of American history. No other country in history gave 700,000 white lives in a war to free black slaves. America is an idea that progresses through the ages, and no one said there wasn’t going to be any rotten apples in the basket. But, before we move on, let’s refresh the thesis of this post; the narrative is illogical because it is a means to an end. The real bone of contention is the American idea of self-rule and the shared disdain for that principle among those that despise humanity. Of course, church-goers will deny that they hate humanity while propagating the doctrine of total depravity.

And, just like the leftists, if you reject the narrative, that is proof that you are racist and the sum and substance of your life is irrelevant. When one church-going evangelical participant on the link seized upon the fact that I was in nursing, he immediately surmised that no racist should be involved in nursing, and subsequently promised to call my place of employment to get me fired:

So, let’s think about this. He has no idea what kind of aide I am, and to what degree I might be a blessing to a number of elderly people needing care. It’s completely irrelevant because I don’t know I am inherently racist because I am white, and therefore, I shouldn’t be in nursing. Notice that he also got a couple of thumbs up from those participating. Scared yet? Well, you should be. This leftist mentality now dominates the evangelical church. Note also that what President Trump has accomplished for Americans, white and black, but black in particular, is completely irrelevant. Why? Because he is a proponent of self-rule. The systemic racist narrative is just a means to an end in order to divide our society. It’s a divide and conquer strategy.

And ironically, we must now say that since church has adopted this narrative, that church is just as much a threat to elderly care as socialism; it’s the same narrative. I have written many articles on how socialism and elder care are mutually exclusive. Socialist ideology and elder care are antithetical because the elderly, for the most part, are unable to contribute to the collective good as determined by the state. The narrative of systemic American racism is a socialist narrative meant to destroy this country and the like narrative is now embraced by the church. In fact…

Any questions? Again, let this sink in. In the present rioting taking place, several black businesses have been burned to the ground, and at least one black police officer shot dead. This is a run-of-the-mill church-goer talking here, yet, it’s the same ideology. It is also obvious that this isn’t really about racism to begin with; it’s the propagation of class warfare used by every communist regime that has ever come down the pike.

I can’t say I didn’t see all of this coming. The church itself was founded on the idea that it had to be in bed with the state for significance in the world order of things. America confused the church for the better with ideas of personal liberty and freedom of conscience. The New Calvinist movement that began in 1970 is moving the church back to its despotic roots.

The church is now a party to the same ideology that is an imminent threat to the care of our elderly. Its legacy of drowning innocent women suspected of being witches, the beheading of detractors, and sanctioning pedophilia was not enough; it must savage the elderly as well. Examples are evident presently as we consider what the future might bring; liberal leftist policies in several states during the COVID pandemic led to thousands of deaths of our elderly in nursing homes.

Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but the church’s false accusation of systemic American racism is far from any peacemaking. In fact, like its leftist counterpart, it states that America can burn until it repents of disagreeing with socialism.

Perhaps that’s the greatest sin of all.

paul