Do I Dare Say It? The Emperor Has No Clothes.
We are living in a nightmare that is getting worse by the day. Not only have we lost our ability as a nation to talk rationally and civilly with one another and to resolve our differences peaceably, our country has not been this divided since the Civil War. We’re coming apart at the seams. Violently.
I want to do something, but I don’t know what to do. I want to shout out, “Stop this madness!” But if I speak, will I make the divisions worse? If what I see contradicts what others believe so vehemently, what can I hope to accomplish? Worse, what price will I pay? What friendship might be lost or family relationship irrevocably damaged?
The mistake I might have made
Prior to the election, in the hopes of peacemaking, I tried to steer a middle ground in advising Christians to follow their consciences, while respecting the right of others to do the same. I wonder now if I was wrong to do so—but not because I question the ideal of tolerance, mutual respect, and graciousness. These values are still very dear to me.
Yet, now, in our present crisis, I see the downside to being too tolerant in certain cases. When we are too “understanding” or accepting of views that are based on gross distortions of the truth and cynical political manipulation, or just plain ignorance, willful or otherwise, little lies become big lies, crazy thinking begets dangerous behavior, and a moral and spiritual virus becomes a pandemic. Innocent people get hurt, and sometimes killed.
But who can talk about any of this to those who have already decided that any facts or argument that contradicts what they already believe must be rejected? I’ve tried, but it’s futile. And it’s dangerous. For years, I witnessed with outrage the punishment inflicted on those who would dare to question the political correctness of the Left. However, recently, I’m even more horrified by what I’m hearing and seeing on the Right, especially in the evangelical church. First, because I’m a Christian, and the behavior I see is shocking, inexcusable, and embarrassing. Second, now that protests have devolved into violent riots, with more anticipated, I’m scared. Third, I’m worried that by speaking up now, I, too, will be demonized and ostracized by my own brothers and sisters in Christ.
I don’t like feeling scared, but I also don’t like feeling guilty. Ringing in my ear is that oft-quoted observation, sometimes attributed to Winston Churchill, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good [people] do nothing.”
While fear tempts me to remain silent, fear also compels me to speak up. While my preference for graciousness and peacemaking normally tones down my rhetoric; today, my deep concern for the well-being of our country in this ongoing, escalating crisis demands that I ratchet it up.
So, no more Mr Nice Guy. I must speak out.
The Emperor has no clothes. And those who are still unwilling to face the truth about his irresponsible, egregious behavior and to renounce the lies he continually foments are complicit in the violence we saw last week in D.C. and are contributing to the breakdown and destruction of our Republic.
For those not familiar with Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 folktale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, the story paints the ridiculous picture of a king who was duped by two swindlers, posing as tailors. The vain king, only concerned about himself and his appearance, routinely neglected his duties as the country’s governing leader to flatter and indulge himself. He was eager to purchase one more glorious set of clothes so that he could be admired and praised even more by his subjects. The problem was, the new outfit was one big lie. When “dressed” by the swindlers, he actually had no clothes on. He was completely naked. He refused to believe the truth himself, and he surrounded himself with “yes-men” (and women), who either convinced themselves of the lie or didn’t dare point it out. Finally, it took an innocent child to blurt out, “But he hasn’t got anything on!” to wake up the citizens to the truth. Yet, the Emperor persisted in his self-deception and charade, because, in his own words, “the procession must go on.”
The war in the church has begun
Fortunately, one silver lining from storming of the Capitol on January 6, is that more evangelical Christians’ eyes are being opened to Donald Trump’s true character and the threat he poses to our country. But not all. Not by a long shot.
Conservative columnist for the New York Times, David Brooks, wrote this week that Trump has ignited a war within the Church. And it’s ugly. For example, Brooks points out that the backlash against Christians who reverse their positions and stop supporting Trump can be horrendous, and he tells the story of one prominent Christian minister, Jeremiah Johnson, who recently confessed publicly that he was wrong in his prophecy that Trump would win the election. Johnson also refused to say that the election was stolen and called on Christians to accept the election results. However, as the Christian Daily reported, instead of being commended for his humility and truthfulness, an outpouring of vile, hateful, and vicious attacks was immediate. He received several death threats and thousands of vulgar emails from other Christians.
The response to Johnson is just one example of how millions of Christians, who consider themselves to be defending God’s truth, are acting in ways that shamefully contradict the very truth they proclaim. They are not being led by the Holy Spirit, but by a hateful, violent, odious spirit that comes from their sinful flesh or the devil himself. And their leaders are, directly or indirectly, egging them on.
What the Bible can teach us
As a Christian minister, this kind of behavior on the part of Christians grieves me greatly. It's so wrong, and it's so destructive to the church and to our witness to nonChristians. If I could gently and graciously coax these offenders to see the error of their ways, I would certainly do so. But, as I said earlier, they're not listening to reason. And, in any case, some sins require a harsh rebuke and fervent call to repentance.
In Jesus’ ministry, he particularly singled our religious leaders for their self-serving, sinful behavior that contradicted what they said they believed. For example, on one occasion, Jesus said to the Pharisees and other religious leaders of his day:
“Woe to you, blind guides… scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others…. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence….
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
From Matthew 23:16-28, NRSV
Similarly, the Apostle Paul blasted the religious leaders who were opposing him:
"If you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob temples? You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?"
Romans 2:19-23, NRSV
In the USA, evangelical zealots have been so busy condemning liberal policies and creating (or believing) completely unfounded conspiracy theories that they have failed to see how they are violating so much of what Jesus Christ stood for and taught by their attitudes and behavior. Most disconcerting of all is the inability of many of them to recognize the truth or to see how they are being used as tools by unsavory characters, bent on exploiting their Christian faith for their own political purposes. They are bringing shame and disaster upon the Church, for the wrong reasons.
What should Christians do?
It’s time for the evangelical church to put its own house in order. As conservative political commentator, and vocal Christian, David French, argues, only the Church can stop Christian insurrection. And that’s where you and I come in. It’s time for Christians to repent and change our ways before any more damage is done.
This coming Wednesday, armed protests are planned for all 50 states on Inauguration Day, according to the FBI. The marchers, many of whom will presumably be Christian, may claim they will simply be exercising their right to protest; but, based on what happened last week in D.C., the more likely intention is to terrify and intimidate elected officials and other civil servants. What are they hoping to accomplish? To undermine the ability of the government to function, or perhaps spark a civil war? Protest is our right as citizens, and even our duty in the face of wrongdoing; but lawlessness and insurrection are neither our right nor our duty.
Wake up America. Wake up Church. We’re living in a nightmare that is, in part, of our own making. Donald Trump will leave office on Wednesday, but the danger is far from over. Armed groups are multiplying, and those who have allowed themselves to be taken in by him and his cronies are vulnerable to be hoodwinked by the next demagogue and would-be tyrant.
I am not advocating one particular party over another, or championing one party's platform at the expense of the other's. I am calling for Christians who can see what has been going on under the present administration to face the truth and to dare to call for greater honesty, integrity, and decency from our leaders and our fellow Christians.
Don't be afraid, or rather, be scared enough, to speak out against the madness coming from the White House and from those agitators who have been and will continue to keep things stirred up this week and in the months ahead.
Condemn any violent protesting or unlawful rioting that is meant to intimidate government officials or thwart the lawful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.
Stop believing and spreading the unfounded claims that there was widespread voter fraud or that the election is being stolen.
Refuse to join in with well-known religious leaders, who are demonizing or ridiculing those who are trying to protect our country from Trump’s dangerous, unlawful behavior by bringing him to trial.
Examine yourself to see if you might be enabling violent, criminal behavior by fellow Christians or and other agitators by your silence, joking, or sympathetic comments. If you were to stand up for what's right, how would you behave? What would you say or do?
Get a vision for the kind of Christian you want to be as you link arms with those who want to both preserve our Republic and reflect the light and love of Jesus Christ in all they say and do.
The Emperor has no clothes. Dare to speak the truth. Work for the common good in godly ways.