Was He Hacked?
No, my account was not hacked. It’s really me writing all this stuff. I recently talked with a friend whom I deeply respect as he was very upset with me for some of the pieces I’ve written. He wasn’t the first and surely won’t be the last, and — you may be upset with me too. That’s OK. The fact that my writing is causing some emotional response and deeper thought rather than just a bunch of drive-by, “Likes” tells me I am on the intended track. Who really cares if you get 100 comments on your bathroom mirror selfie or 300, “Likes” for a stock gif of a bobbing parrot riding side-saddle on a three-legged Border Collie? For the majority of people who are alive today, we have never lived in such a time as this. And I believe that the primary, eternal element on public trial right now is: Truth. And that is why I write.
I may try to write a book at some point, Who knows. Because the fact is, as I’ve been writing these seemingly disjointed pieces — in my mind, they are all quite firmly joined and deeply interconnected. If you read a dismissive comment I make about race without having read my pieces on Rwanda, then you may have thought I slipped off the human wagon. Or, if you read my careless tossing around of new cultural buzzwords as if I’m juggling pin-less grenades, you may not have read my thoughts on Jesus’ teachings on the three leavens. And if my brand of humor surprises you, maybe you didn’t know I was a Standup Comic for seven years.
The challenge, which requires intellectual rigor and spiritual discernment, is that embedded in each of these woke, progressive constructs are, in fact, true elements. But beware — new strains of thought and indoctrination which contain true particulates does not equate to empirical Truth. Of course, the same can be said about the conservative, more traditional side of things but at present, that quadrant of the cultural galaxy seems to be spinning at a fraction the speed of the other. Truth is what drives me.
I already hear you steadying the mouse to quickly find a correlating quote: “Truth” is just one of the many constructs of whiteness, as posited by the new Smithsonian NMAAHC exhibit. You can slow down, I’m familiar with all of it. In fact, they received so much negative blowback, they pulled down a lot of the original content. Similarly, both the BLM Inc. “About Pages” and Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “1619 Project” have removed chunks of untethered original content before too many eyeballs perceived their menacing formularies.
Well, there I go again. You may have found that last paragraph to also have been wildly un-Christ-like. Please understand, I am not trying to be a shock-jock intent on raising the fine hairs on the back of your neck. Life in Christ is everything to me. I spend a great deal of time researching these things and from where I sit, it has become quite obvious that we are being force-fed things today which were not even on the menu just yesterday. As each new, scarcely researched woke assertion magically travels the pipes, I feel a bit like Lucy in the chocolate factory trying to swallow the morsels as the conveyor belt gathers speed.
I could share where I grew up and with whom I grew up. It was diversity before anyone was keeping score. Next, I could tell you about all of my very close friends of color both here and in other parts of the world. Sadly, I read both Deangelo’s and Kendi’s work so I realize there is no use in sharing any of this without causing major self-incrimination. Regardless of their assertions, the fact is: You can love all people fully and still question the systems of thought being implemented around us. Love people, scrutinize ideas.
You may also hate that I dare question the historicity of the 1619 Project. In fact, you may have cheered when President Biden signed the EO to remove, “Trump’s” 1776 Project. But, are you familiar with 1776 Unites, founded by a brilliant, conservative man named Bob Woodson in 1981? Consider taking time to research his work or hear him speak on these things. Having grown up with a love for history and then following some of Woodson’s work, by the time I researched the 1619 Project it was easy to be dismayed at many of the ill-gotten assertions.
I cite these examples not to be right but to demonstrate this is not a dualistic game. The more we reflexively polarize to our respective corners rather than taking time to think carefully about what is coming off the conveyor belt, we risk merely parroting back things we hear from others as opposed to investigating topics deeply for ourselves. The proficiency to distinguish truth from lies coupled with discernment of the grey in between; that is the journey which has captured my attention.
While it might be deeply beneficial and well within my wheel-house, I could choose to simply post bible quotes that are important to me and share exposition and reflection. (To which many shout, “Yes, please!”). But that’s not what I am being drawn to write right now. I am not trying to do the work of a pastor, teacher, preacher or theologian, (To which many shout, “You’re sure not!”). My concern is that I am watching the leaven-like spread of the political spirit confuse many, including the church, leaving in its wake a stunned and befuddled, uncomfortably silenced lot as the woke conveyor belt shifts into the next gear.
Fully realizing a prevailing trend today asserts that white, Christian, cis-gendered, heteronormative, conservative people have had their generations in the sun, it’s now the season for other groups to sit atop the cultural pyramid. This is where the flat-earthers may be on to something — all ground is level and all people are equal at the foot of the Cross. The fact is, the further we wander from a sacrificially postured life, society becomes more like a brutal game of King of the Hill.
It was one of the most enjoyably terrifying and injurious games we played growing up. Whether it was an icy mountain of plowed snow or rock-riddled knoll in the woods, the mission was clear; get to the top and stay on the top by any means possible, both fair and unfair. Using speed, leverage, brute strength, and a willingness to injure, — just get to the top. Once on the highest point, you don’t rest to enjoy the view. No, you have to defend your position by senselessly beating down any and all challengers. Predictably, you would find yourself jerkily horse-collared and hurled from your precarious perch in no time, only to then: Wash, rinse, repeat.
While it was a tremendously invigorating game, it's a fairly cataclysmic way to order a society of humans. I think it’s time to stop cursing the 1% at the point of the pyramid and worry more about the 100% in our own hearts. Similarly, the most valuable and ethical manner by which to raise one group is not by diminishing another. Because for those who hold fast to such a hierarchical view of life, you will most likely just want to flip the entire monolith. Problem is, whichever way you flip a pyramid, you end up with a pyramid — and up top, there is still only room for a table of one.
According to the Smithsonian initiative, an individual's independence and autonomy is an unfortunate product of whiteness. (Their assertion, not mine.). And here is where the maniacally brilliant ethos of identitarian collectivism steps in to sop up the mess — or create one. A person can not be separated from their group identity, and the group identity defines all that can be known about the person. Any criticism must be stifled and no one can question an assertion without risk of being spuriously horse-collared into an enemy group.
This maliciously dualistic, “Identity Politics” is very real and quite effective at controlling the movement of the populace flocks. You are in or, you are out. You are left or, you are right. You move up or, you move down. There is no nuance. There is no blending.
Identity politics feigns to deny me the ability to honestly love the people I interact with each day, if — I have questions or concerns with any of the identitarian attributes of the overarching group. It’s simply not true.
I care deeply about my God-ordained stewardship of the earth but because I rebuff the political browbeating of the impending climate catastrophe: I am grouped as a climate denier. I genuinely love transgender people but because I firmly defend biological girls’ right to compete against one another: I am grouped as a transphobe. I have spent countless hours researching the problems of the 2020 election: Say no more, I am grouped as Q-Anon. I have very healthy discussions about God with friends of mine who are atheist, but because I strongly resent and resist the totalitarian secularization of our country: I am grouped as a religious extremist.
I despise racism and reject all acts and intentions of racism. But, because I have studied history, statistics and trends as well as the positions of many conservative people of color, I have disputes with the term, systemic racism. For that, I am grouped as a racist bigot with white fragility. I love my gay friends but because I also cherish the unique glories of marriage between a man and woman: I am grouped as a homophobe. Lastly, based on my long-held personal convictions and beliefs, I have not yet voted for a Democratic candidate for President: I am therefore grouped as a Trumpian Zionist.
I have been called all of these group names. I am resoundingly none of these names. I Am never calls me any of these names.
Notice how most of these very real examples begin with my personal relationship with a fellow individual. But because I raise contention with a falsely constructed, over-arching group identity, the personal relationships are annulled and replaced by the supersession of the identity group collective. At which point, I am jerkily horse collared into an enemy camp. May we all agree to stop this hellish practice right now, for all of our sakes. Please.
And herein lies my thesis: It is intellectually lazy and societal suicide to force all human interaction to be quantified solely along the boundaries of an identitarian collectivism none of us had any part in creating or defining. I’m far more interested in the spaces in between. I’ve written before; I have gay friends who do not want to be considered part of an LGBTQ+ community and black friends who do not want to be considered part of BLM Inc. What shall we say about them? Is the primary object of our love and respect a person, or the group to which that person should be assigned to?
The Lord does not create nations in His image nor does he create groups in his image. He creates you in His image. He creates me in His image. The mathematics of the Kingdom are upside down-edly simple: The one is greater than the sum.
So yea, my Woke Church and Super Woke Bowl pieces stood some hairs on end for sure. For any interested, I will gladly exegete each joke and point because there is a great deal of thought packed behind each one. What you may find even more confounding is the night I wrote these satirically biting pieces, I had just come from leading worship in a prayer room for over two hours. Same night. Same person. Two entirely different activities? Is one real and the other fake? Which one? Maybe both are fake?
So — which identity group does this place me in?
