When you think about it, politics is a rather curious spectacle of anthropology. Politicians, eager to portray themselves as an “everyman”, just one of the folks – also want to be known as a real leader, a cut above the rest . . . and already, you can detect an innate tension at work within their rhetoric. And when speaking almost entirely in clichés and platitudes about creating a better world of peace and harmony for our children, they point out how their political opponents are just too evil and/or too stupid to provide such a world. But here’s the thing – this cartoonish bit of Kabuki Theater which is transparently shallow and insultingly manipulative, is considered the normal way for politics to operate. So my question is – why do we allow this to happen?
Saul Alinsky, in his book “Rules for Radicals” points out that the Socratic Method should be considered passé, because now, nobody’s really interested in the mind-numbing details of an intellectually honest debate – they just want to be seen as holding the culturally correct opinions. So, according to Alinsky, politics isn’t actually about having the better argument, it’s about denouncing and marginalizing the political opposition with the conjecture of accusation. Which is to say, if you can create doubt about the moral or intellectual integrity of your opponent – no one will want to be seen supporting such a person. And it wouldn’t even matter if those accusations were true – because no one would want to risk being on the wrong side of cultural opinion.
Now, believe it or not, my point isn’t really a political one – but rather about the way we allow the conjecture of accusation to emotionally manipulate us. Shame is a powerful thing. So when someone is being publicly shamed, we reflexively react by disassociating ourselves from them . . . before we get pulled under with them. This occurs even before we’ve been able to determine whether or not the accusations are even valid, let alone true. In this way, shame is able to paralyze us, leaving us vulnerable to even the most spurious forms of accusation – which is precisely how those with absolutely no moral credibility end up sitting in judgment over everyone else . . . because they’re shamelessly willing to recklessly accuse anyone disagreeing with them, into silent conformity.
Is it any wonder that Satan is called The Accuser (Revelation 12:10)? He knows full well our shame, and he knows exactly how to weaponize it against us. And ever since our exile from Eden, shame has been our default reflex – making shame our greatest vulnerability. This is not to say we are without guilt – for we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) . . . so our guilt is real. So the question isn’t whether we’re guilty – but rather, how are we addressing our guilt? Some will deny their guilt, but that would be like having cancer and denying you did . . . and such pretending can only compound the problem.
We are a culture awash with the conjecture of accusation. As a white, heterosexual old man, and practicing Christian – I am accused of being a racist, misogynist, homophobe, and transphobe, based on nothing more than a godlessly perverse perspective of seeing everything in terms of a relentless power struggle between various identity sub-groups. So through such a lens, I’m just so many boxes checked off on a list of summary judgment – a judgment determined by those who have traded in any notion of moral transcendence for the self-proclaimed right to accuse the guilty. To which I say, I no longer carry my burden of guilt, as it has been lifted from me – for my identity is found in Christ (Philippians 3:9). So I’m not intimidated by the empty accusations of the godless, those all too eager to do the bidding of The Accuser.
So, always remember – to be found in Christ . . . is to believe he is always with you
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