I’ve been chewing on five or six different essays for the last several months, and they’ve never come out quite right, and I’ve realized that they’re all aiming in roughly the same direction. Progressives and Nietzschean/post-Christian rightists understand the message of Jesus in roughly the same way — both view the gospel of Jesus Christ as a radical abolition of human hierarchy — they just disagree about whether that’s a good thing.
Loved this. I don’t think I had ever thought about Christ’s teachings of compassion for the weak as not being revolutionary at all, but having been a part of earlier cultures. Certainly God had to hammer home the point in Old Testament times. It seems the rich were taking advantage of the poor and oppressing the hireling, etc. Human nature has a greedy, mean streak. But the solution, as you point out, is not to abolish all hierarchies. My own daughters (card carrying LDS) are scandalized by my thoughts about men being the head of the family. The spirit of the age encourages radical individualism, as if we could or should relate to God like a million bb’s bouncing around on a gym floor. Not me. My secular parents divorced and I was rootless until I pledged my loyalty to Christ, my liege Lord, years ago and am happily at home in the best of hierarchies. My concern now is for the grandchildren, nieces and nephews who seem willing to listen to the siren’s song. Keep sounding the warning. Your voice is so clear!
Loved this. I don’t think I had ever thought about Christ’s teachings of compassion for the weak as not being revolutionary at all, but having been a part of earlier cultures. Certainly God had to hammer home the point in Old Testament times. It seems the rich were taking advantage of the poor and oppressing the hireling, etc. Human nature has a greedy, mean streak. But the solution, as you point out, is not to abolish all hierarchies. My own daughters (card carrying LDS) are scandalized by my thoughts about men being the head of the family. The spirit of the age encourages radical individualism, as if we could or should relate to God like a million bb’s bouncing around on a gym floor. Not me. My secular parents divorced and I was rootless until I pledged my loyalty to Christ, my liege Lord, years ago and am happily at home in the best of hierarchies. My concern now is for the grandchildren, nieces and nephews who seem willing to listen to the siren’s song. Keep sounding the warning. Your voice is so clear!