Someone sent out to our faculty a link to this article in Inside Higher Ed.
This started a discussion on the college faculty email list about diversity. Some of the comments by J H, a sociologist, really got me thinking. And just to let you know, Dr. H is now on notice in my book.
As is becoming the custom these days, the discussion was dominated by the far left-leaning postmodernist radicals who want our University to present to students the opinions of every little cult out there that calls itself Christian. R R even said that our students could learn something positive from Islam!
Since the liberals seem to be taking over here, I will continue my tradition of not mentioning the names of my heroes here in order to protect them from attack by the more and more powerful liberals. I will however mention the initials of fractious liberals. They need to be called out.
Dr. R’s comment is, of course, outrageous. These voices he wants our students to hear are the very voices that God the Father sent His Son and today sends His Holy Ghost to silence. Scripture is clear that we Christians are not to cease our battle until every one of those heathens’ knees is bent and every one of their tongues (that are still attached) confess the Truth about Jesus Christ.
How to dialog with liberals
But this discussion did have its benefits. You see, you can learn something from a discussion among people with whom you completely disagree. I would like to model this kind of learning for my readers. Here is how it is done.
First you have to read what they say. That’s right. Read it. But don’t just read it. No, you must really discipline your mind while reading it. While reading it, you must refute every word. When you are just a beginner, it is enough just to make a spitting sound while reading it. But as you get better, you will be able to refute them with logic as well.
Let’s practice. I will quote one of the lines here that R R contributed to the discussion. You read it and either spit or refute it.
… people of color at historically predominantly white institutions can find that conscious and unconscious factors cause them to experience some level of cultural suicide in order to fit in.
If you read that, good. If you went as far as to come up with a refutation, that’s even better. In case you didn’t, just spit and let me give you some help:
- That’s not true that they have some separate culture. I have a lot of friends who are black and they act just like me when we hang out.
- Well, they should commit cultural suicide since their cultures are not orthodox.
The second step is to begin to think deeply (but don’t “meditate” or “contemplate”) about an issue that is somehow related to what they are talking about. It shouldn’t be too closely related. If you really think about exactly what they are talking about, then you are playing by their rules and you’ve lost already.
Let’s practice. I will let you read one of J H’s contributions to the discussion and my thoughts about something it reminded me of.
I am only arguing that we need to see this Tradition through the eyes of the losers, oppressed, prejudiced; not merely through the eyes of the majority and winners. This perhaps will helps us get a more “God’s-eye” view of the world.
Notice that he uses the word “Tradition”. Also notice that he talks about a “God’s-eye” view of the world as if it were something different from our tradition. This is why you can’t argue with them on their terms. They have already defined words in a way that make the truth seem ridiculous. Just for the sake of an exercise, (don’t do this in real life) let’s look at the assumptions behind his statement.
Basically the assumption is that our tradition is just one of many traditions that are all part of what they might call “Christianity broadly defined” or something.
The Holy Spirit
But there is a deep problem here. I have heard my theologian hero here in the Biblical and Theological Studies department here say many times: orthodox theology is not based solely on the Bible but on the Holy Spirit’s revelation to the true church over the past two thousand years as well. Duane Litfin says the same thing in his fantastic book, “Conceiving the Christian College”.
Much of orthodox theology is not found directly in the Bible. In the early days of Christianity, there were big arguments over doctrine and the Holy Spirit led the winners to win. Out of that process, the books of the Bible were selected and various creeds were produced.
Since those early days the arguing has continued. We have big groups such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, Mainline Protestant churches, Mormons, and others groups that the Holy Spirit has selected as losers. The Holy Spirit has revealed God’s truth the conservative evangelicals.
But it goes beyond that. Even among conservative evangelicals there are arguments. There are the Calvinists, the Open Theists, this, that, and the other group. The Holy Spirit has led the true church through these arguments so that the True Truth of God wins.
In the end, what this comes down to is this: because of the working of the Holy Spirit through the history of the Church, my beliefs are God’s Absolute Truth. (Sometimes I have to talk to my theologian hero here to find out what I believe on some of the finer points.)
Now, to answer J H’s comment. Our tradition is not one tradition among other traditions. It is God’s Truth. It IS THE “God’s-eye” view of the world.
The losers lost for a reason! The Holy Spirit wanted them to lose so that the Truth would win.
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