The advice that we've been getting is that the RRR
might be better received as a bi-monthly. We're going to give it a
try. Our question then is: can we live up to the name Rapid Response? Perhaps the answer
might be some bulletins between issues. Let us know your thoughts.
Our list is getting close to 100. We think it will take off once the back
issues are posted at our website;
it receives 500-600 hits a day.
VATICAN REJECTS EQUALITY OF RELIGIONS
In sharing the faith to a PM the worst mistake that can
probably be made is to initially claim that Christianity is true. A PM
believes that to claim your worldview, and only your worldview is true, is the
height of arrogance. The evangelization of PMs
must start relationally and gradually transition into a discussion about the
nature of truth. A liberal seminary professor was once asked what, if
anything, his seminary believed in. His answer was purely
postmodern: "The only thing we universally affirm here is
inclusion." In other words, all peoples and faiths are equally
important. This at least was the only absolute he could affirm though he
might wince a little at my expressing it as an absolute.
In the light of the above, it was rather interesting that
last week in a 36 page declaration the Vatican rejected the idea that all
religions are equal. Though Pope John Paul II has been big on
inter-religious dialogue, he is not an advocate of religious relativism.
The document warns that though the Vatican affirms the principle of tolerance
and freedom of religion it must not be misconstrued as meaning all religions
are equal. Here's where you can read about this "Declaration Dominus Iesus." www.newsday.com/ap/topnews/ap49.htm
There is much that we as evangelicals can agree with in this
declaration. We should be tolerant, and we should promote religious freedom.
However, we must also defend the faith, i.e., the idea that there is one true
explanation ( a universe as opposed to a multiverse)
for what exists. As you can imagine, religious leaders of the world are
outraged at this pronouncement, including many within the Catholic church who
have conceded to the PMs of our day.
We also might wonder at the timing of this release.
Only last week, great theologian that he is, Ted Turner, declared at the U.N.
gathering of world religious leaders, that all religions worship the same
God. As usual, he was arrogant, outrageous, and
ridiculed Christianity. Note: he got the most applause when he
advocated a cessation of all proselytizing.
FASCISM AND THE IDEA OF TRANSCENDENCE
Don't be mistaken, Hitler hated the Jews because he was a
racist in that he feared for the purity of the German race. However, he
also hated the Jews as a people because he believed they poisoned Western
Civilization with their idea of a transcendent god. Philosophical
fascism believed this idea of transcendence alienated man from nature.
Eric Nolte (not Nick Nolte!) defined fascism as "the practical and violent
resistance to transcendence." Many liberal theologians in Europe in
the early 1900's had sympathy for fascism, and in their own way agreed to
de-Hebraize Christianity. Surprisingly, one of these theologians whose
commentaries are in many evangelical libraries, was Friedrich Delitzsch (see Modern Fascism, chapter 3,
"The Hebrew Disease." by
G.E. Veith). Note: we are not saying Delitzsch was a Nazi; only that he agreed with many of the
intellectuals of his day who were critics of transcendence and advocates of
immanence. (The word "Nazi," by the way, is a short form for
"national socialism." National socialism does not equal fascism!
Fascism is much more.)
Why the above discourse? Because Fascism and PM
both deny any sort of transcendence (even personal transcendence as we shall
see later when we discuss PM anthropology). Hitler tried to totally
de-Christianize Germany, and in its place he substituted the pagan Nordic
gods. (Keep this in mind the next time you listen to a Wagnerian opera,
Hitler's favorite composer!) If the gods are immanent and within you,
what would you expect to see in our PM culture? Did you say the New Age Movement? Yes, and
it's getting worse. Did you hear about the recent pagan gathering on
Labor day weekend in the Nevada desert? Twenty four thousand people
showed up for what has become an annual event known as "Burning Man."
Be careful, as my old professor, Howard Hendricks used to say, "This will
rot your socks.” Here are two perspectives of this event: Reason
Magazine www.reason.com/0002/fe.bd.burning.html
The news this past week was saturated with information about
the Millennium Summit at the U.N. Globalism is
something that has been around for sometime but has really taken off during the
past two presidents: Bush and Clinton. Bush referred to it as the
"New World Order," but that term is now passé and the new word
is "global governance." I read with much interest as each
speaker called for a U.N. army (Clinton) a new economic council, presumably to
collect taxes and redistribute wealth, and new environmental council
(Gorbachev). They are definitely not proposing a world democratic
republic. Rather it appears to be a government run by elitists.
What really caught my eye were some comments by one of Arafat's lieutenants
(Ahmed Qureia) who suggested that Jerusalem become an
international city, indeed the capital of the world, and presumably the
headquarters of the U.N. www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Distribution/Redirect_Artifact/0,4678,0-364943,00.html
"Nationhood as we know it will be obsolete, all states
will recognize a single, global authority...National sovereignty wasn't such a
great idea after all." ( Strobe Tabott, U.
S. Deputy Secretary of State)
Even if you do not care for Buchanan, I highly recommend
this piece as he is a highly literate and learned man.
I'm just curious. We have quite a few heavy weight
thinkers on the RRR list. I have a question:
Should Christians be concerned about this trend toward world government?
Write a short response and I might consider printing it in the next
issue. (Minus your name if you wish)
WHO WILL WIN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?
If you were running for the presidency in a postmodern
world, how would you campaign? Your appeal would definitely be different
than it was in the fifties! For what it's worth, I believe the candidate
who will win, is the one who appeals to powerful emotions, who is skillful in
the use of symbolism, and who has a strong visual presence, not only in
appearance, but whose message appeals to the visual senses. Last week we
opined that Gore's kiss was a stroke of genius. Before the convention he
was behind Bush in the polls for the women's vote. Currently, he is 21
percentage points ahead of Bush! The pundits are still talking about
it. Bush says his brand of conservatism is compassionate.
While maybe not genius, it certainly is an attempt at conveying feeling.
It is my opinion that the candidate who best presents himself as the most
caring individual will win regardless of policy details, reason, or adherence
to the constitution. In other words, he must come across more like a touchey-feely Oprah Winfrey as opposed to a logical Newt
Gingrich. In speeches, the telling of stories, especially which arouse
emotions, which are easy to visualize and identify with (as victims) would
help. I'm sorry but I can't be real optimistic that this election will be
a recovery of Christian values. Frances Schaeffer, in the 70's, said we
were living in a post-Christian world. If it was true then, it's even
more so now. I would even go further and say, "It's not just
post-Christian; it's anti-Christian. According to George Barna even the Christian community has been postmodernized. The problem with Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority was that they never were the
majority! Reform cannot come before revival. True revival will
bring reform of the culture. We must pray for it (revival) and seek
to bring it about in our own sphere. If you still have doubts that
both the Democratic and Republic parties are not totally corrupt read this
article and weep: www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/9/6/231758
Do you have a kid in college? Here's an inexpensive
book put out by Nav Press that can certainly be a
help for a Christian student in a PM environment: How to Stay
Christian in College, by J. Budziszeewski.
(Don't ask me to pronounce his name) He's a college professor at UT Austin, a
thoroughly PM campus.
Here's a great website with much helpful advice on
understanding PM, and how to lead them to Christ: www.crossrds.org
This is the website of Xenos
Christian Fellowship in Columbus, OH. They have a lot of good tapes and
books available. If you are looking for an entry level book to understand
PM and how it has penetrated every area of our society, I highly recommend The
Death of Truth, edited by Dennis McCallum From time to time Xenos Christian Fellowship has some excellent seminars with
some high-powered speakers such as D.A. Carson, John Woodbridge, and others.