The following theological questions suggest sociological implications for those who would want to eradicate, tear down, set afire, uproot, poison, or worse, ignore the wheat and leave the tares: for those who have ears to hear. [Written in the summer of 2023 during another socio-political upheaval, I reposted in April 2024 with follow up questions below, contemplating the anti-Israel, pro-Hamas campus protests.
THEOLOGICAL-SOCIOLOGICAL UNREST QUESTIONS With what will you exchange current structures, systems, and institutions? What will you put in their place? What laws, what beliefs, what sustaining order will fill the void tomorrow, you so easily overthrow today? What will happen when those who cheer you now, tire of your substitution then? What villain will be erected when your current strawman is burned, the crowds looking for new destruction? And once the overthrow is complete, why should we obey when you are in charge? Will you not become the target of “the people?” [Did Robespierre fare better in the French Revolution?] If you offer hope, what will it be? Will paradise ascend? Will all be fed? Will wars be no more? Will disease be eradicated? Will you expect every knee to bow and every tongue to confess? What new totem will you erect? What will be your “religion?” To whom would you have us pray, desiring our petitions be met? What heaven will you bid us enter? What will be your “everlasting?”
In the following question bank the “you” is collective, not personal. To those encouraging a “revolution” to replace Western values:
- Have the tenets you presently pursue been tried elsewhere?
- What was the outcome of applying anti-Western values in other cultures?
- How would your application of those beliefs differ as you apply them in your time and place?
- Have you compared views at odds with your “revolution,” including dissidents or refugees from the countries where these ideas were promoted and applied?
- Have you articulated what is the current “status quo” and why it is necessary to overthrow it?
- Have you given time, talent, or treasure in support of the revolutionary movement (apart from ad hoc discussions or social media posts)?
- Will all people be treated equally after this revolution, even for those who stood against it?
- If you protest, do you know the origin of the organization, the funding behind the cause (do students come to campus with tents, for instance?), or if outside “agitators” are involved?
- Does your protest arise out of a researched, informed basis of thought or is the protest driven by emotion, “extremist” viewpoints or social media?
- What outcome do you hope for in your revolution and have you listed what those expectations would be?
All must ponder the honest calculation of their personal participation. Individually and collectively you must decide whether or to what extent you will act on your beliefs. Standing for something when it doesn’t personally cost anything isn’t really standing for anything at all.
AFTERWORD Science fiction can provide some illumination. On January 4th 2022 this Truth in Two was posted about “dystopia.” Watch/read here: https://bit.ly/3mXskEv I remember exactly where I was listening to NPR when I heard that Isaac Asimov had died. I wrote another TNT including him on May 14th 2021 here: https://markeckel.com/2021/05/14/utopia/ Years ago I read Hoffer’s The True Believer and remember one of his memorable lines: Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without belief in a devil.
AFTERWORD #2 Our country has witnessed weeks of organized demonstrations – some peaceful, some not – which has caused some to ask the question, “When does free speech cross into illegal activity?” From our friends at the Free Press, here is the letter written by the president of the University of Chicago that clarifies, with examples, how U of C will respond. “Where Does Free Speech End and Law Breaking Begin?” gives a declarative response.
As an academic, I try to be thoughtful about my response to social, political issues. The kinds of questions listed here should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. My interest is to help students and faculty to think through the implications of their worldview and the virtues they claim. I am the Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration at Liberty University.