Another Deceitful Commentary From a Theonomist Pretending to be a Patriot

https://theaquilareport.com/who-will-stop-the-democratic-socialists-of-america-dsa/    

It's been awhile since we've heard from Larry Ball. He posted this back in August and I've refused to look at it again until now.

We find that he's still living on another planet - in another dimension born of his own dream visions regarding reality, history, and Biblical teaching.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are making a splash and trying to shake things up by making provocative statements - trying to set themselves apart from mainstream Democratic politics which have (despite common perceptions) moved significantly to the Right over the past few decades. Yes, they've embraced and promoted identity politics which people like Ball associate with Cultural Marxism (a largely meaningless catch-all that's meant to scare rather than inform), even while they've fully embraced Wall Street, the Pentagon, and the foreign policy goals of the Neo-Conservatives once associated with the Bush administration. Indeed, many have written about the influx of CIA-Democrats, those having deep ties to the security state and its interests. These are not people who wish to see the US undermined, weakened, or toppled, but rather they strongly believe in the system and its power.

The DSA represents the old Left-wing of the party that has fallen into irrelevance. Viewed as radicals, most of them advocate for nothing more extreme than the policies put forward by FDR in the 1930's. We've seen time and again that once figures like Sanders, AOC, Mamdani, or any of them actually have an opportunity to govern, they quickly pivot to the centre and work not only with the mainstream DNC but even the GOP. In many respects they seem to function as shills for the DNC - attracting the disenchanted and disenfranchised Left and then steering them back into voting for Democratic candidates in the name of opposing MAGA candidates including Trump himself.

Ball's hysteria-informed solution is to resort to the idolatry of nationalism and its tendency to romanticise history. Like Joseph McCarthy (whom I'm sure he admires and believes to be a hero) and the John Birch Society (I wouldn't surprised at all to discover Ball is a member), he sees communists everywhere, hiding under rocks and behind trees. The truth is there is no communist threat in the United States. There hasn't even been a viable communist movement in a century. Their numbers are miniscule and they are ridiculed and despised by not only the DNC but even the DSA.

The platforms suggested by the Christian Right are no less radical and subversive to the Constitutional order established in the aftermath of the American Revolution - it is entirely appropriate to refer to them as counter-revolutionary, an active rejection and attempt to undermine the revolution-order established by the Founders. Indeed, many would argue these elements within the American Right are already deeply embedded and actively dismantling the Constitutional order. It's not just in theory or on paper. They're doing it. But Ball isn't worried about that. His only concern is that they're not going far enough.

Now, for my part I'm a Christian and therefore I'm neither patriot or nationalist. To try and put those together creates an oxymoron. I don't believe in American idealism and while there are practical aspects to the US Constitution that can be appreciated, I won't for a moment pretend or be fooled into thinking it somewhat reflects Christian thinking or ideals. It's nothing of the kind, and as such I have no stake in defending it. And yet I can also state - I don't want to see the DSA get its way nor the Christian Right and figures like Ball.

But Ball thinks of himself as some kind of super-patriot with some sort of proprietary claim to the American legacy and label. But in reality he's just as much a subverter as the DSA activists. If Ball is right and Biblical in his thinking - then as a non-patriot, he won't hear any protest from me. But unfortunately his thinking is revealed to be wrong on all fronts. He doesn't have history behind him. His political thinking demonstrates he's actually anti-American in terms of ideology - maybe not tribally if that's how he might want to define the nation, which is not how it's defined in the Constitution.

But most important of all, his thinking exhibits a rejection of New Testament teaching and ethics. This is why he's such a problem and why I have a problem with outlets like The Aquila Report that publish him and other authors that promote these errors.

If we can get past his hysteria and self-evident contradictions - like 'Marxist Muslims' for example, we can see that he's just angry that Christians aren't taking over. This despite the fact that more than ever before Christians are active in politics and have made tremendous gains in terms of raw political power. I'm not here speaking of Biblically-informed or faithful Christians or actual Kingdom gains, but in the generic cultural categories so prized by the likes of Ball.

I find he's just being deceitful in how he's presenting the situation.

And what (we may ask) can be done politically when the bottom line is the majority of the population simply rejects the Christian message? Ball and many like him want to undermine democracy in order to hang on to power. Okay, but then quit waving the flag and pretending like you're a patriot. You obviously care nothing about the system of Jefferson, Madison, and Washington. You were only interested in it when it was to your benefit. Now that it's not, you're ready to toss it aside and trample on the system, even while you pretend to be super-patriots. Are these people just disingenuous or are they that far gone in their reasoning and moral judgment that they cannot make this connection?

Ball mocks the 'ordinary means of grace' - meaning he mocks Evangelisation and the preaching of the Word. He thinks Christians need to do something more and here again we find him to be a mealy-mouthed advocate for violence. Don't use violence he says - but that's the elephant in the room. That's where this type of rhetoric is going. If you can't win the elections, then what are you going to do? You're going to get the police and the courts to back you and disregard the law. When the protesters come you beat them to pulp, throw them in cages, and/or kill them. This is the task of ICE. This is what it's there for. I would think Ball would be thrilled.

Where can I find a pulpit silent on these matters? The only examples I can think of are the Evangelical churches that are fixated on affirming middle class values and pumping everyone up with fad entertainments and psychology. They care about their stock portfolios and their real estate. They're not anti-political. Maybe they're not all in on the MAGA programme but they're not separatists or quietists. It's ridiculous. The pulpits avoid the topics because they function as businesses - fixated on numbers and money. In many ways they're a joke to be sure but they're not opposed to Christian politics and/or for Christians to be in the public square and in positions of influence. They're worldlings - like Ball and his friends. They're just of a different stripe and just as deceived.

And just because they reject MAGA doesn't mean they're Marxists. Does Ball want to be labelled a Christo-fascist? Someone could make the case.

He doesn't want Brown Shirts (at least not yet) though I'm sure he likes ICE thuggery. It's the same substance, only with a different form. What he wants is a political bloc that will trample the Constitution and erect a new revolutionary state that overthrows the old order. It will use the same flag so they can pretend that there's continuity and it will allow them to promote their revisionist narrative. In other words he wants to use the abuse of power on the basis of lies to overthrow the existing order and he's willing to back it up by promoting a theology of idolatry - of mammon worship and the absolutizing of power.

May God raise up leaders in the Church who will call to repentance, defrock and if necessary excommunicate men like Larry Ball.