To the Remnant

Alienated America

I recently read a book by Timothy Carney called Alienated America; the subtitle is Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse. The answer to that question is simple, yet profound. Before we get to the answer, however, let’s backtrack a bit. First of all, let’s define the word “alienated.” The simplest definition is this: a feeling of not belonging. This can be viewed at the most local of levels–the family–at a national (or even world) level, and at all points in between.

Carney’s purpose in writing this book was to try to understand why Donald Trump won the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Carney’s conclusion is that wherever there was widespread alienation, Trump garnered the most votes. How is alienation measured? One of the easiest ways to do it is to measure community involvement, or the lack thereof. For example, are people involved in any community organizations? Even if they’re not formally involved in an organization, is there a restaurant or some other place in the community where the locals like to hang out? Where there was little to no involvement in the local community, Trump usually won, and rather easily. The converse was also true; where there was high community involvement, Trump usually lost to one of the other Republican candidates.

As one example of a place with high community involvement, Carney writes about Oostburg, Wisconsin (pop. 3077 in 2020). Another similar place he writes about is Orange City, Iowa (pop. 6267 in 2020). (On a personal note, Orange City happens to be just 11 miles from Sioux Center, which happens to be the home of Dordt College (now Dordt University), where I got my Bachelor’s degree. Sioux Center and Dordt are also mentioned in the book. Oostburg happens to be the home of a friend of mine who also went to Dordt.) A third place Carney writes about is the Village of Chevy Chase, Maryland (pop. 2062 in 2020). One similarity you may have noticed between these three places is the small populations; however, while Orange City and Oostburg are populated by people of relatively modest incomes, Chevy Chase is a haven of the rich. Regardless, Trump’s share of the Republican primary vote was low in all three of these communities. However, I should add that during the presidential election, residents of Oostburg and Orange City went for Trump, while Chevy Chase residents went for Hillary Clinton.

At the other end of the spectrum is Fayette City, Pennsylvania (pop. 544 in 2020), a place that has low community involvement and which voted heavily for Trump, both during the Republican primary and during the presidential election. Fremont County, Iowa (pop. 6939 in 2020; yes, that’s the entire county!) is another place with low community involvement and which voted heavily for Trump. Fayette City (a misnomer if there ever was one!), however, is very poor, while Fremont County is more similar to Orange City, Iowa.

There have been people who have said that Trump won the 2016 Republican nomination–and then the presidential election–because of poor working-class white men who see the American Dream as dead. While it’s true that working-class whites voted heavily for Trump, it should be clear by now that the picture is more complex–and yet simpler–than that. Community involvement, or lack thereof, explains the 2016 Republican primary results better. That’s why, for example, Orange City, which has heavy community involvement, didn’t vote for Trump, while economically similar but low-community-involvement Fremont County did.

Since my blog focuses on Biblical answers to questions and issues, what does all of this have to do with Christianity? Just this: Carney, quoting Robert Putnam, says that nearly half of all memberships, philanthropy, and volunteering in the U.S. occurs in a religious context. In addition, again referencing Putnam, churchgoers get more involved in nonreligious activities and organizations than non-churchgoers. Places like Oostburg and Orange City have strong church involvement, while Fayette City and Fremont County don’t. I should add that religiously observant Jews and Muslims also tend to be a part of strong communities.

There are various ways to become involved in a community; strong parental involvement in schools comes to mind. Church, however, is one of the best answers to the problem of alienation, to put it mildly. Even though church attendance has been declining for decades, it still holds up well compared with the decline of other community organizations, like Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and bowling leagues. If you are part of a local church body where you know fellow believers and can also serve, you probably don’t feel alienated; I certainly don’t. Another way to belong is online; for various reasons, including COVID concerns, some believers are part of an online church. Joseph Geiser, for example, who I’ve been getting to know online since last year, pastors the Hebrews 10 Church, which meets via Zoom; here’s a link to it via Telegram: https://t.me/Heb10Church.

If you’re not part of a church, I hope you will seek one out. Not only can you find a place to belong; you will find people who can introduce you to Jesus Christ, if you don’t know Him already.

Being Thankful vs. Complaining

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about giving thanks, as well as its opposite, complaining. I don’t claim to be an expert on this; like I would guess everyone, I have done my fair share of complaining.

I think that a good place to start is to define complaining. Here are a few synonyms: expressing dissatisfaction; whining; grumbling. As an example of expressing dissatisfaction: when my son was little, he and I went to a fast-food joint with another dad and his son. The fries were not the freshest, but having spent five years in a Third World country, I thought they were fine. The other dad, however, returned the fries for fresh ones. I essentially give him a pass because he was a manager in the restaurant business! I’m pretty sure he had never spent time in a Third World country, either.

If you watched Saturday Night Live in its first decade, you’re probably familiar with the Whiners. You can see one of the skits here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH8yt71CDNU While we can laugh–and believe me, I do!–at the exaggerated whining, it illustrates the problem. Another example of exaggerated whining for the sake of humor is Weird Al Yankovic’s song “First World Problems.” The first three lines go like this:

“My maid is cleaning my bathroom, so I can’t take a shower
When I do, the water starts getting cold after an hour
I couldn’t order off the breakfast menu, ’cause I slept in till two”

Again, the song always makes me laugh, but also again, it illustrates the problem of whining!

On a more serious note, I like the word “grumbling” as a synonym of complaining. When you read the Old Testament, you frequently find the Israelites doing so, especially while they are in the wilderness. In Exodus 16:2-3, we read: “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.'” Later, in Numbers 11:4-6, we read: “The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost–also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!'” Apparently, the Israelites had very short memories, reminiscing about the “good life” in Egypt, where they were slaves! And yet, how quick we are to complain about something as basic as the weather that the Lord gives us.

A friend of mine once said, “You can live either a life of thankfulness or complaining.” Yes; the antidote to complaining is being thankful. I was recently reading through Philippians and Colossians; in Philippians 4, as well as Colossians 1 and 2, I noticed the word “thank” or one of its variants, like “thanks,” “thankfulness,” and “thanksgiving,” at least once in every chapter. I kept going through Colossians 3 and 4, as well as the first three chapters of I Thessalonians, continuing to find “thank” or a variant of it. It wasn’t until I got to I Thessalonians 4 that I didn’t find it. Eight consecutive chapters where the Apostle Paul tells us to thank the Lord! There are many other examples in the New Testament. The Old Testament also has plenty of exhortations to give thanks, especially in the Psalms, which has been called “the hymnbook of the Old Testament Jews.” One of many examples is Psalm 107:3, which says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

How does this work in daily life? First of all, when we pray, do we come to the Lord with a list of requests? Do we habitually thank Him? Second, how do we react to problems? Let me illustrate with a story. A few years ago, I was driving my wife, son, and daughter to the airport when the car broke down. I managed to pull over to the side of the highway, and my son summoned an Uber. Within one minute–I’m not exaggerating–an Uber pulled up behind us, and we managed to squeeze three people and all their stuff into the small car, which promptly continued them on their way. Meanwhile, I waited ~45 minutes by the side of the road for a tow truck which had been summoned. The driver took me and my vehicle to my mechanic, and I got home by noon. I still had ample time to prepare for my class that night.

Was I thankful that my car had broken down and that I had to pay several hundred dollars for the tow and a new alternator, plus labor? Not exactly! However, here are several things I was thankful to the Lord for:

My son had the Uber app on his phone.
The Uber driver arrived almost immediately.
My wife, son, and daughter, plus all their stuff, fit into the small car.
They reached the airport with plenty of time to spare.
I was much closer to home than the airport, which greatly reduced the towing cost.
I got home in plenty of time to finish preparing for my evening class.
We had a second car that I could use to get to work.

In the immediacy of a problem, it can be hard to be thankful; however, when we think about it, it’s usually not difficult to find things to thank the Lord for. As we approach Thanksgiving, may we all have a thankful heart and express it. On that special day at our house, we go around the table, giving each person the opportunity to say at least one thing they’re thankful for. Over the years, we have also enjoyed having people from outside our family join us. Maybe there’s someone you know who would really appreciate being part of your Thanksgiving celebration.

Have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

A High-School Football Game Experience as a Microcosm of Society

I have a friend who still likes to attend high-school football games even though his children are grown. A few weeks ago, he and his son attended one where a series of incidents happened.

First, while he and his son were waiting in line, his son was vulgarly propositioned by another young man. Second, while my friend was returning to the game from a restroom, a young man of another race deliberately jabbed him with his elbow; my friend still felt discomfort five days later, although he had decided not to see a doctor. Very shortly thereafter, my friend noticed a group of four guys talking threateningly to a pair of guys of a different race. My friend locked eyes with the ringleader of the gang of four for several seconds; thankfully, he and his cronies walked away. Finally, after the game, a fight broke out between some fans, although as far as we know, law enforcement was not called in.

As I thought about my friend’s experience, first of all, I strongly affirmed him in his averting a potential fight–unevenly matched, at that–between the two groups of guys. Second, I remembered almost exactly ten years ago my experience at a football game at the same high school. My wife, daughter, and I were hosting three Japanese high-school exchange students for a few days, and we decided to take them to a football game as an American cultural experience. In sharp contrast to my friend’s experience a few weeks ago, nothing even close to that happened to us; it was an enjoyable experience for the girls. However, I would not dream of taking a similar group now.

I have also been wondering whether my friend’s experience can be seen as a reflection of American society as a whole. Because of the racial component, I thought of the 2020 BLM riots, especially in regard to the refusal of so many District Attorneys to prosecute rioters. I also noticed that after several years of decline in violent crime in the U.S. as a whole, the rate went up sharply, by 20%, from 2019 to 2020. I wondered if the Critical Race Theory that has been poisoning some of our schools was also a culprit.

While all of these things may have contributed to my friend’s experience, I think that there is something else that may explain it better: the rise in incivility. Ray Williams defines incivility this way: “Incivility is rude or unsociable speech or behavior. Incivility is a general term for social behavior lacking in civility or good manners, on a scale from rudeness or lack of respect for elders, to vandalism and hooliganism, through public drunkenness and threatening behavior.” This definition seems to encapsulate rather well what my friend and his son experienced. On the other hand, quantifying incivility is not so easy since it often does not, for example, result in arrests. Therefore, we must rely on perceptions of people, but thankfully, we have researchers who have looked into this. Here are a few stats that I find interesting:

95% of Americans surveyed believe we have a civility problem in the U.S.
81% believe uncivil behavior is leading to an increase in violence.
71% believe civility is worse than a few years ago.
70% believe that incivility has risen to crisis levels.
70% believe that the Internet encourages uncivil behavior.

If you’re interested, you can check out this article by Ray Williams: https://raywilliams.ca/the-rise-of-incivility-in-america/. Much of it is related to the workplace, but it certainly applies outside the workplace as well. I might add that I agree with four of the above perceptions about incivility; I don’t agree with the fourth one, although we may very well get there. Regarding the last one, I’m surprised that only 70% of respondents believe that the Internet encourages uncivil behavior!

For those of us who are Christians, we should certainly be leading the way in civility. One verse that applies here is Philippians 2:3, which says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” I Peter 3:15 also applies: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” We obviously can’t avoid encounters that result in discomfort of one kind or another, and we won’t always agree with each other or with those outside the faith, but by God’s grace, we can treat others with gentleness and respect.

Who Is Responsible for Your Children’s Education?

Loudoun County, Virginia, has been in the news a lot lately, and not for any good reasons. You’ve probably heard, for example, about Scott Smith, who was arrested at a school board meeting in June, supposedly for being violent. What’s going on?

At the heart of all the shouting (not violence) at school board meetings (throughout the country, not only in Loudoun County) is parents’ protesting several things, including enforced mask-wearing, the teaching of critical race theory (CRT), sexually explicit material in school libraries, and transgenderism policies. In regard to transgenderism, a focal point of this is bathrooms/restrooms. The reason that Scott Smith was so enraged at that school board meeting is that a boy had put on a skirt, entered the girls’ bathroom, and done unspeakable things to his daughter.

In early October, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memorandum in which he directed the FBI, along with all 93 U.S. Attorneys, to meet with local law enforcement throughout the U.S. in order to address alleged threats against and intimidation of school administrators, teachers, staff, and of course school board members. Conservatives throughout the country have protested vociferously, basically asking: Who’s being intimidated now? Adding fuel to the fire, Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said in a debate, “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions,” adding, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Contrast that with Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, who said, “You believe school systems should tell children what to do. I believe parents should be in charge of their kids’ education.”

How to evaluate all of this? First of all, there has been no violence at school board meetings, at least not yet. The video you may have seen of Scott Smith being wrestled to the floor and handcuffed is the closest thing to violence so far. Do parents have the right to speak against school policies that they disagree with? The answer should be obvious if you understand the First Amendment. Should parents sometimes be more measured in what they say? Sure. However, put yourself in Scott Smith’s shoes. Do you think you could be measured if your daughter were the one who had had unspeakable things done to her? Beyond that, aren’t public-school teachers’ salaries paid for by us, the taxpayers? Doesn’t that give parents the right to speak up? It seems to me that Merrick Garland’s memo is another instance of cancel culture at work; if you disagree with those in power, they will attempt to silence you.

Going back to the two primary contenders for governor of Virginia, let’s look again at Youngkin’s statement: “I believe parents should be in charge of their kids’ education.” Compare that again with McAuliffe’s statement: “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Which statement comes closer to Biblical truth?

Here is what the Lord told the Old Testament Israelites in Deuteronomy. First of all, in Chapter 6:6-7, we read, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Similarly, in Deuteronomy 11:19 we read, “Teach them [these words of Mine] to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Here’s another one, from Proverbs 22:6, which says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” These verses, and many others like them, make it very clear that we who are Christians are responsible for teaching and training our children. I should add that while Christian schools and churches can be great places for our kids to learn about the Lord and His Word, if we are overdependent on these institutions, we are shirking our God-given responsibility.

I think the Bible makes it clear that we parents are responsible for our children’s spiritual education and training. Does this mean that we are responsible for every aspect of our children’s education? Not necessarily, but it does mean that we should be involved in our children’s schools and aware of what’s going on in their classrooms. Not surprisingly, a growing number of parents are choosing to homeschool; from 2019 to the fall of 2020, the percentage of homeschooled students jumped from 3.4% to a whopping 9%. I have no doubt that some of this is due to COVID, but I also have no doubt that some of it is due to parents getting sick of radical leftism in their children’s classrooms–and even physical danger in school bathrooms.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” My kids are grown, but my wife and I took this verse to heart while raising them! May the Lord give each of us wisdom as we teach and train our children.

Coddling in American Universities and Churches

I recently read a very insightful book called The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. The subtitle is How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Their thesis is that there are three “untruths” that have permeated American colleges and universities, resulting in further coddling of young adults–further because for the average recent high-school graduate, the coddling has been going on their whole lives.

What is coddling? If you look at various dictionaries, the most common definition is overprotecting; another good definition is pampering. A common way to refer to this when it comes to childrearing is helicopter parenting; universities, whether intentional or not, often perpetuate this overprotection. So-called “safe spaces” on university campuses have become common. In addition, students have increasingly, and successfully, prevented outside speakers whose views they disagree with–most often conservatives–from coming on campus. In some cases, speakers have begun to speak but have been shouted down. In extreme cases, such as at UC Berkeley on February 1, 2017, violence and vandalism have erupted. In addition to the intimidation of speakers from outside the university, professors have also been intimidated into not feeling free to share conservative views.

At the outset, I referred to three untruths in this book; the first one I have found to be especially insightful. You have probably heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The untruth of fragility turns this on its head: “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.” In other words: failures, insults, and painful–even potentially challenging–experiences will do lasting damage; therefore, they are to be avoided no matter what. There is some truth to this, of course: we can all remember negative experiences and hurtful words that have impacted us. However, training our kids to attempt to avoid these at all costs is actually harmful. As Lukianoff and Haidt write, “Human beings need physical and mental challenges and stressors or we deteriorate.” The truth is, no one can completely avoid negative experiences and hurtful words anyway, so parents need to teach their kids how to deal with them. And by extension, when universities coddle their recent high-school graduates by giving them safe spaces and canceling lectures by conservative speakers, they only perpetuate the problem.

You may have noticed that the title of this post includes the phrase “and churches.” As I was reading the Lukianoff/Haidt book, I found myself thinking about the American church; are American pastors coddling their congregants? Let me begin to answer this by saying that I’m 61 years old; that I’ve been in a good number of churches, in two different countries, over the course of my life (including young childhood); and that I’ve listened to a good number of pastors over the radio and, more recently, the Internet. Let me also say that there is a wide variety of pastors and other church leaders. However, there are some definite changes I have noticed over the decades, especially since I returned to the U.S. in 1992 after five years overseas.

One word that I noticed with increasing frequency from fellow churchgoers in the early 1990s was “comfortable,” as in statements like these: “I want to go to a church where I feel comfortable.” “I feel comfortable here.” (No, they weren’t referring to the pews they were sitting in!) Is there anything wrong with feeling comfortable in a church? Insofar as people are referring to other people being friendly, for example, of course not; quite the opposite. However, when they refer to a pastor’s preaching, I believe that’s another matter. For example, pastors commonly preach, in one way or another, about the love of God–as well they should! However, have you heard a pastor speak about the justice of God recently? How about sin? Have you even heard the words “sin,” “sinner,” or “sinful” in the past year? What I have heard more and more are substitute words like “mistake” or even “wrong choice.” Speaking of sin: is your pastor becoming more general in his preaching? For example, have you heard a pastor speak against homosexuality recently? How about abortion? How about Biblical teaching regarding divorce and remarriage?

People like to talk about the promises of God. How about this one: suffering for your faith? I Timothy 3:12 says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” This also reminds me of an extended section in Luke 14:25-33, where Jesus talks about the cost of being a disciple, or follower; you can read it here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2014%3A25-33&version=NIV. And when is the last time you heard a pastor warn about the ultimate destination of unbelievers: hell? I heard plenty about hell as a child, and it was one of the reasons, among many others, that I came to saving faith.

It seems to me that there are some pastors who are coddling, or overprotecting, their congregants. These pastors seem reluctant to risk offending them; perhaps they think, even subconsciously, that their churches will grow if they somehow make the Gospel more palatable to those outside the church. (How’s that working out?) This has also infiltrated children’s Sunday school. If your church, for example, uses the Orange Curriculum, I urge you to speak to whoever is in charge. The creators of this curriculum think that the purpose of Sunday school for kids is to try to make them laugh, and it has sunk to the level of irreverence. As for the overriding message: it is basically “be nice to everyone.” This curriculum, and the leadership’s refusal to abandon it, is one reason, along with several others, that my wife and I had to leave a church.

I am not advocating “hell-and-brimstone” preaching, but when specific sins, warnings, and topics like hell are avoided, pastors are putting people in spiritual, and even eternal, danger. The same applies to us who are not in church leadership when we are talking to people. Wise parents raise their children, in age-appropriate ways, to be increasingly mature. In the same way, understanding a person’s spiritual maturity will help determine how we talk to them. I have a neighbor that I’ve gotten to know who’s a non-Christian; sometimes I have an open door to talk to him about the Lord in some way, whether directly or indirectly. God’s love is part of it, but not all of it.

In the end, coddling does no one any good and in fact brings harm, whether you’re talking about home, university, or church. May we all give appropriate levels of protection, but not overprotection, to those we love.