There was another story on the programme regarding a woman
who was attending a university in pursuit of some kind of counseling degree. I
believe it was near the end of the course that an issue arose regarding
counseling homosexuals and she openly declared her Christian beliefs and
insisted her worldview rested upon Divine Revelation.
They basically told her that unless she changed her belief
system they could not grant her certification, she could not graduate.
Persecution!... she cried and the good Dominionist lawyers
of the Alliance Defense Fund came to the rescue.
I am glad she's read her Bible and understands there's a
problem with counseling homosexuals in a way that affirms their lifestyle, but
to sue the university? Shame.
There's the additional problem (and this is often the case
in these stories,) regarding her choice of occupation. A Christian pursuing a
counseling degree from a secular university is like a pacifist joining the
Marines. It doesn't make any sense.
Secular counseling rests on a naturalistic worldview. It is
incompatible with Biblical Christianity. It attempts to deal with the effects
of sin apart from what God has told us about it. It attempts to assuage the
guilt associated with it apart from Gospel forgiveness and the need for
redemption. While it can offer comment and categorization of symptoms, it
cannot account for them, nor can it offer any real remedy. The roots of the
problem are metaphysical and secular counseling has no tools to deal with them.
The administrators of the university programme realized this
on their own level, something this student apparently did not understand. For
her to say my worldview is based on Divine Revelation means that she CANNOT be
a secular counselor. These educators grasped this fact and realized that it
would disingenuous for them to 'pass' her when she as much as said that she's
rejecting the very premise of what they are doing. That they removed her is no
surprise and completely logical. The problem wasn't their anti-Christian bias
but her failure to grasp the issues, and the contradiction of her pursuit of
the certification. Her worldview makes her incompatible with their
philosophical foundations, and it would be irresponsible on their part to
graduate her.
Again it would be like a pacifist joining the Marines and
refusing to adopt the ideology of that group. He's going to preach pacifist
principles, carry the rifle, but refuse to load it. If that's the right thing
to do...then good, don't load the gun, stick with your principles. But he has
no right to demand that they graduate him and declare him a Marine. His very
presence was actually disingenuous. For them to pass him and call him a
Marine...they would be betraying their task and undermining their organization.
So then after all that... to sue the institution is
disgraceful.
There are some real areas for concern. American
Conservatives love to bash on Europe. I'm not sure why exactly. I wonder
sometimes if it's an inferiority complex or something. They visit those countries
and feel morally obligated to hate and despise them, because of their political
and economic structures, but at the same time they are startled by their
standards of living, civility (at least compared to America), cleanliness and
so forth.
There have been some problems in Sweden and Germany and
Focus on the Family wanted to make sure they mentioned those. These countries
are basically pretty hostile to homeschooling and of course Conservatives are
terrified of and in complete opposition to the United Nations and some of its
educational charters. Even though the UN has proved to be nothing more than an
impotent failure, a pawn in the hands of the real powers, there are many
American Christians who fear One World Government and a worldwide empire...and
they're sure the United Nations (and not the already existing empire of the
United States) is the vehicle to bring this about.
Europe is in a social crisis. The European Union itself is
in peril. Much of the postwar vision is in jeopardy. These countries have
failed to integrate their Muslim immigrant populations and the moment of
critical mass is on the near horizon. If they don't start working out some kind
of social integration there's going to be increasing social unrest. We saw this
in Paris not long ago, but you're also going to start seeing (and it’s already
starting to happen,) violence coming from the Right.
Native Europeans are
moving toward Nationalistic anti-immigration policies and politics. It's
becoming a powder keg. If the immigrants assimilate, then there's a hope that
things will calm down.
But with terrorism, and now the increased tensions brought
about by economic woes, the governments of these states are nervous.
Crucial to assimilating this do-or-die generation is to make
sure they are not radicalized. The values of tolerance and civility are
crucial. I'm talking from the standpoint of these government officials. They're
lost people with their only hope in this life. They're trying to save their
societies and they believe that they've got to keep kids from becoming infected
by either extreme...becoming advocates of Jihad on the one hand, or Right-wing
skinhead-fascist types on the other.
Homeschooling is by its very nature anti-social. I'm not
saying that homeschoolers mean to be anti-social, but they are breaking with
the norm and for some reason rejecting societal standards. That's fine but you
have to understand that if the bulk of society believes you're doing this to
create a parallel society with a political and social agenda... they're bound
to be nervous.
Am I saying Swedish Christians should send their kids to
public school? No. I'm glad I'm not in Sweden right now. But I also understand
that the authorities are desperate to make sure no one is being taught to hate
others with violence. I believe they will fail, but they're crazy not to try.
So is this about the evils of European socialism and all the
rest? That’s how Christian media usually categorizes it. Hardly. That's really
missing the point. Do Europeans need to fear normal moderate Muslims? (And yes,
despite the protestations of the Christian Right, the majority of Muslims are
quite moderate)….Maybe it will come to that. You can't have multiple
generations of people that are disconnected, disenfranchised from your society,
living in poverty and expect things to continue like that in perpetuity. It's
not realistic, not if you believe in sin. They are facing a looming social
breakdown. The United States is on a different road, but they lead to the same
place…social collapse.
So should we as American Christians want these Dominionist
legal organizations to get involved in Europe? Sadly they already are in Europe,
and in Africa, and anywhere else they can infect the church with their ideas.
What's the answer? There often isn't a good answer. I'll
pray for Christians in Sweden and in Europe in general. They have their bad
social and cultural influences just like we do ours. But I don't want to rescue
them from one set only to infect them with another.
Overall these shows are harmful. The issues are discussed
with a very narrow and deliberate agenda...so it's not really discussion at
all. It's simply a presentation. When it's over, the response is meant to
be....Be terrified, therefore go vote Republican and send money. And most
important…get your church to get more involved in these issues.
Focus on the Family has shifted away from their political
bent. Seemingly they fired Dobson who then basically lied (to protect the
organization and save face?) and said he was ready to go and do something else.
He then started another radio show basically doing the same thing he was
before. So did he really want to leave Focus on the Family? Regardless, they
sure weren't going to tell anyone what happened.
I find a lot of dishonesty with these Christian ministries
and within Church leadership and denominational structures. There seems to be
an 'end justifies the means' morality at work. They can lie and deceive for the
greater good...all in the name of hindering slander and gossip...even though
it's not slander and gossip if it's true and done with some prudence. I've
watched Church leaders do this on numerous occasions ...lie and
manipulate...for the greater good they seem to believe.
Obviously Dobson didn't want to go. There was some issue regarding
the direction he was taking things. Since his departure they seem to spend the
majority of their time talking about weight-loss and relationships, raising
kids and finances within marriage. It’s actually good that they’ve moved away
from some of the Christian Right agenda, though their discussions are clouded
by American cultural values being confused with Christianity, and a complete
syncretism with psychology. That’s what the show has always been about.
But on occasion they revert to the social activist model and
this show was the latest installment.
The fear they generate just breeds more hysteria, and with it distrust.
The issues are simplified and it becomes even harder to reach the people in
their audiences as they distrust anyone who isn't framing it the way these
'ministries' do. It's as if a wall is erected that protects them from hearing a
voice of reason.
False 'worldview' insulates them and spurs them into action.
What does it matter? Focus on the Family reaches a worldwide
audience of millions. James Dobson the founder is undoubtedly one of the most
influential Evangelicals of the past 30 years and even today there are many
people, including those in Reformed circles who support this organization. Its
influence is tremendous and through various spinoff organizations, it has at
times wielded considerable political power. You don’t have to look very hard.
These organizations are tied in with powerful corporate interests, companies
that are heavily invested in the military-industrial complex. One wonders who
is calling the shots? Are the business interests giving orders? Or do they feed
off of each other? I’m afraid in most cases I believe these Christian
organizations to be nothing more than pawns, another weapon in the arsenal of
those who seek power. Companies like Wal-mart say ‘merry christmas’ and the
Church is happy. But then in the turn, these para-church organizations advocate
for political and legal causes that are in perfect harmony with the aims and
desires of multi-national corporations, defense contractors, the petro-chemical
industry, and many more.
The effect on the Church cannot be overemphasized.
Serving the wrong kingdom they take up the Sacralist sword
of litigation, the breastplate of threat, the shield of fear and the helmet of
deliberate blindness.