https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/opinion/2020-election-voting.html
It surprises me to say that to some extent I agree with former
DNI Coats or rather I agree with his assessment. As a Christian I believe we
ought to pray for the peace of the city. This does not mean we endorse the
city, its agendas, policies, goals, or wars.
On the contrary in many cases we must speak against these
things but we do so from a non-political standpoint. We speak as prophets
bringing a message of doom and hope. We do not seek power as God will judge
those on the outside. We have no interest in their Babel towers or their
Babylons and ultimately we submit to the powers that be and do not resist them
in terms of the sword or the coin.
My concerns are less about the integrity of the American
democratic experiment and the ideals that it ostensibly stands for. Rather my
concerns are purely pragmatic. At this point it time the election has been cast
into doubt and it's hard to imagine a scenario in which there will not be chaos
and considerable blood in the streets.
Trump has done a great deal to undermine trust in the
nation's institutions. From casting doubts on the integrity of the election,
accusing his opponents of attempting to steal it, his own sabotage of the
postal service, his exhortations for people to vote twice and his constant encouragement
of violent policemen, street thugs and paramilitaries – there is no hope of a
peaceful transition in November.
If Trump wins, large numbers of protestors will take to the
streets and Trump's version of the black shirts (who are itching for a fight)
will take to the streets to counter them. These are people who very much want
to use their guns and they may be given the opportunity. Law enforcement will
be placed in an impossible situation and in some cases they clearly side with
the Trump paramilitaries. There's going to be trouble. There already is, as
Trump supporters are disrupting early voting and anti-Trump forces are (in the
wake of Ginsburg's death) protesting outside Mitch McConnell's house. The pot
is simmering and the pressure is building – and there's still about six weeks
to go.
If Trump loses it's the same scenario but this time his
people (with their guns) will take to the streets and will fight not only the
anti-Trump forces but they will put law enforcement and even perhaps National
Guard troops into crisis. It will be a test as it's not hard to imagine some of
these forces refusing to obey orders if not engaging in open pro-Trump mutiny.
There are many in their ranks that are not going to willingly shoot white
working and middle class American people.
And if the military gets involved, no one knows what will
happen. Trump has divided the military and its leaders face a real predicament
as there is already a great deal of insubordination at work.
The United States faces a serious Constitutional crisis but
the conflict is quickly turning into an existential moment. People foolishly
think such things can't happen here. How soon they forget that this country
already fought a civil war, one in which many of the issues were never resolved
and even now are rearing their head once more. Thus far I have been dismissive
of those who have compared street unrest to the 1960's. There's no comparison
but that may change in November. I sincerely hope not but the signs are there.
Coats suggestion of an emergency bi-partisan committee to
oversee and legitimise the election is prudent and it's about the only hope for
a peaceful transition – but I'm certain that Trump will never acquiesce to its
rulings and judgments if he loses. He will happily pour fuel on whatever
smoldering fires are in place. And to be frank I seem many of his followers as
people that cannot be reasoned with.
The death of Ginsburg has only ratcheted up the tensions as
not only the legacy of the court is in question but a fast-tracked replacement
has the potential to influence the election as Sandra Day O'Connor did during
the Bush v. Gore dispute in 2000.
The moment I heard of Ginsburg's death I said Trump will
likely pick a Catholic woman for the post and the Right will pick up on this. As
an aside, the Christian Right will celebrate her and this will further the
embrace of feminism as she will become the most powerful Right-wing woman in US
history. O'Connor who was appointed by Reagan was not popular at the time among
Christians who didn't want to see a female justice – a point that has surely gone
done the memory hole. And her tenure in the court was a disappointment to them
with the possible exception of Bush v. Gore.
The other three women on the court (Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and
Kagan) were all Democratic appointees. This woman that Trump will select will
be the first true Right-wing female judge on the court and she will be
certainly lionised as a result – a real inspiration to Evangelical women.*
It will be interesting to see if a handful of senatorial
Republicans will defect and block the machinations of the highly corrupt
arch-hypocrite Mitch McConnell. They may choose to do so for the sake of the
election and the nation's stability. But such moves might just as easily
backfire.
Ginsburg for her part was megalomaniacal fool. If she had
cared about her vision for the country and her legacy she ought to have retired
under Obama. Instead she foolishly continued on into the Trump era knowing that
she was sick and unlikely to survive his term. Her dying pleas to delay her
replacement create an absurd display of a woman drunk on power who seemed to
think that she could write the rules in her own image. She was (by my
estimation) a tyrant to her staff and her statements indicate just how full of
herself she really was. How tragic that she has now learned of the futility of
her life and that all her energies, causes, and ideals have been found to be
mere vapours – her life, a waste.
Ginsburg was an ultra-feminist who wanted the Supreme Court
to be fully composed of women. She wanted women to be in charge – women to be
placed in a position of superiority, a kind of payback for the years of their
oppression at the hands of a patriarchal system. Because there are feminists of
her type out there, those who today advocate mere equality almost seem as if
they're not actual feminists. This is what we find in Right-wing (as opposed to
conservative) and Christian circles. Feminism has been embraced because even
though by historical definitions they are feminists, they seem 'conservative'
when compared to ultra-feminists and radicals like Ginsburg.
Returning to the larger crisis at hand, I am also struck by
the silence coming from most Evangelical leaders. They are (for the most part) doing
very little to warn the Church, to warn Christians of the dangerous social
instability that is developing. They are also failing to warn of sinful
attitudes with regard to violence and power. Why? In many cases it's because
they are bought and paid for – members of the Trump team or aspiring to be.
Corrupt fools and false teachers, these so-called shepherds are leading the
flocks to both a spiritual and in some cases physical slaughter. The American
Church will not emerge from this chapter the same. Violent acts perpetrated
against them will in many cases not be instances of persecution but backlash
for their politicking.
We are at a watershed in the history of American politics and
because of the dominant heresy of Dominionism the Church is riding this wave
too. The death of Ruth Bader-Ginsburg has only upped the ante and increased the
tension by a few notches.
Whether Trump wins or loses – I don't really care. The
American Empire is still beast. It's still an evil system dominated by theft,
murder, exploitation, lies, idolatry and spiritual whoredom. The options are
repugnant on all fronts. But as I live in this Babylon, I do hope for a
peaceful transition. While one's flesh might find some satisfaction in a
humiliated Trump led from the White House by military men with guns – the truth
is it would be a catastrophe, fodder for the maniacal cult that follows him.
There are very few 'Biden' signs in the area in which I live and some confess
they are not a little scared to put them up. Trump for his part wants to be a
dictator but doesn't know how. His foolishness and immaturity may in the end
prove a godsend and lead to the collapse of his movement. He is neither
intelligent nor very cunning. But he's filled with hubris and he's ruthless and
that alone can prove quite dangerous.
No matter what happens society and the Church have changed
and will change for the worse. For New Testament Christians this is both a
terrible moment and one of possibility. There are people out there who are
filled with fear and inner turmoil. They are ripe for the plucking. But at the
same time I struggle with telling those considering Christianity what church to
attend or whom to listen to on the radio. One comes across as cultish when he's
reduced to telling someone – don't listen to Christian radio, 99% of what's for
sale in the Christian book store is rot and about 99% of the churches are too.
But that's the state of things. I would encourage people to prayerfully read
the Scriptures – starting with the New Testament. It is the glaring and woeful
ignorance on this point that has led so many to fall prey to the hawkers and
false teachers.
Pray – not for American democracy or for some candidate to
win. Pray for wise political leadership, for people to set aside the madness
and work to calm things down. Pray for wisdom in the Church. Pray that there
will be a growing movement of those turning away from the myriad of false
Evangelical leaders and teachers who come in the name of Christ but neither
know Him nor serve Him. Pray that theological Trumpism is exposed and denounced
for what it is – a heresy.
----
*He will pick a Catholic because while conservative and
traditionalist Roman Catholics are uncomfortable with Evangelicals, the latter
will happily embrace Catholics and view them as fellow Christians and
co-belligerents. Also, the Catholics have a much deeper and more serious
tradition with regard to law and jurisprudence. While Evangelicals are
impressed by outlets like Wheaton, Regent and Liberty University – those in the
judiciary and academia are not. Aside from the Ivy League which holds all the
top rankings, Catholic universities and law schools such as Georgetown,
Villanova, Marquette, Notre Dame, DePaul, and Boston College carry considerable
weight and credibility.
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