One of the flagship conferences of New Calvinism, Together for the Gospel (T4G) will end in 2022. The official reasons have convinced no one. Everyone more or less knows the group's founders have become irreconcilably divided. This is but part of a larger fragmentation taking place, one that seems to be hitting the New Calvinist sphere hard.
In the case of T4G, we find figures like Albert Mohler and
John MacArthur at odds. MacArthur has led the charge in opposing the Social
Justice movement and is among those that wrongly associate it with Marxism.
Mohler's views (while actually quite similar) are more nuanced but he was among
those that seemed to be uncomfortable with the sloppy and sweeping language of
the MacArthur-sponsored Statement on
Social Justice and the Gospel (popularly known as the Dallas Statement). By
many estimations MacArthur had painted with too broad a brush and many
Dominionist-minded individuals who are in fact keen to see justice and
righteousness applied to the social sphere were uncomfortable with the
statement's categorical language. Their contention is with the political and
theological Left – not with the notion of justice and righteousness being
wielded and applied by government.
And so to some MacArthur is painted as a kind of 'separatist'
which is ridiculous. His church promotes and champions Right-wing ideology,
supports the US Empire, and even holds special services for the police. Given
the present climate that alone is virtually a Right-wing activist move. He
clearly supports the US imperialist system and the usurious financial foundations
upon which it rests – his own son is plugged into the latter industry and has recently
fallen afoul of the SEC. These are not 'retreatist' or 'separatist'-type folk
seeking to follow so-called red-letter ethics. MacArthur also revealed an
activist streak in his embrace of Right-wing narratives regarding Covid-19 and
his resistance to not just state mandates but even basic recommended medical
advice regarding meetings. And in the controversy surrounding this and his
battle with California authorities, names associated with Trump came to his
aid.
I don't know if MacArthur openly supported Trump but it seems
so and though the two Baptist icons are seemingly somewhat at odds, Mohler
openly endorsed Trump for the 2020 presidential election.
And so in the case of T4G, one can't blame Trumpism as 'the'
reason for the split, but Trumpism has set the cultural tone. What we're seeing
all across the Christian Right and Right-wing political spectrum is a schism
between far-right factions. Some are going farther than others and are adamant
and unyielding in their views. Those (who are already Far Right) and yet refuse
to dot every 'i' and cross every 't' the same way are being labeled as Leftists
and even Marxists. Aside from being self-destructive, it's literally
ridiculous.
As one who has never cared for T4G or any of the figures
involved in it, I am largely indifferent to its self-destruction. But it's
interesting because it reveals the nature and magnitude of the tensions brewing
beneath the surface. These fissures appeared under Obama and yet have been
heightened and exacerbated by the Trumpian ethos and now the Covid crisis – or
non-crisis as some of them would have it.
It's critical to understand that the Trump phenomenon cannot
be understood apart from the Obama epoch. It was the reaction to Obama that led
to Trump. It was through the now largely diminished figures of Sarah Palin, Glenn
Beck and others that the GOP base (including significant portions of the
Evangelical Right) was radicalised. They energized the Tea Party movement, and
opened the door to concepts like Birtherism and the now out-of-control
conspiracy mongering that seems to dominate the movement. This shift to the
Right created a new vacuum within Republican politics and figures like Trump, a
new generation of Far-Right media personalities, and the radical militia groups
were quick to step into the gap.
Antedating the period of full-blown Trumpism, an early sign
of the coming schisms was revealed with the departure of James Dobson from
Focus on the Family – an event that took place during the Obama years, and yet
is nevertheless related to this larger wave of schism. As Dobson became more
radicalised and poured more of his energy into the anti-Obama campaign and in
support of the increasingly extreme opposition to him, the board at Focus grew
concerned, and over the course of 2009-2010 he was driven out. The organisation
lied about it and presented the move as a retirement. Clearly it wasn't as he
immediately launched a new radio show and organisation. I'm sure the bitterness
he felt only amplified the increasing right-ward trajectory of his thinking. No
longer accountable to the Focus on the Family board he was able to pursue his
agenda. It's noteworthy that just the other day he hosted a (frankly
ridiculous) two-part show with Right-wing charlatan and provocateur Mark Levine
as his guest.
The Southern Baptist Russell Moore has been the lightning rod
of Right-wing criticism within the Evangelical movement for several years. In
the early 2000's he was an avid supporter of the Bush administration and its contemptible
narratives. But a shift seemed to take place during the Obama years. As the
really ugly aspects of the Christian Right and the Evangelical movement came to
the surface, Moore was appalled – and rightly so. Now frequently labeled a
Marxist and Leftist, the former (and still mostly) Right-wing figure and friend
of Albert Mohler has become a virtual pariah. Many were unhappy to see him take
over the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) chief lobbying organisation (the
ERLC) in 2013, the post formerly occupied by the Right-wing heretic Richard
Land. Opposition to Moore continued with the lead-up to the 2016 election as he
openly challenged the notion that Christians could vote for Trump. Standing
firm in the face of mounting opposition he held his post but it would seem the events
and aftermath of January 6, and the Right's response to Biden has proven to be
too much, and he left the ERLC in June of 2021.
Others have argued that politics weren't the issue at all and
his resignation was connected to SBC internal politics and the handling of sex
scandals. A deeper look seems to reveal that this played a part, but in general
it would seem that Moore reached a breaking point with regard to corruption in
the Church and the toleration of views that he reckoned to be heretical. He has
many enemies and they were doing all they could to make his life miserable. It's
unclear as to what direction he's going – he does seem to have moved away from some
of the Right-wing positions he held during the Bush years but to call him a
leftist or Marxist is ridiculous. The vitriol directed against him online is
extreme and in most cases unwarranted. There's plenty to criticise about Moore,
his past and present views, and his associations, but often those criticising
him are largely without standing – people who clearly know nothing and seem to
be proud of that fact. Many of them wouldn't know a Marxist from a Mameluke and
they seem to live and feed off of ideologies and ethics utterly foreign to the
New Testament.