All posts by Dr. Charlie Self

Letters from Exile #4: Being Human, Part 3: Liberation from Ideological Captivity

August 30th, 2025 |

As we aim for peaceable discussion and principled consensus concerning human flourishing in a pluralistic society, awareness of ideological influences is important for clarity and conversation. So much public discourse is talking around or over one another, instead of thoughtful engagement of issues.

Building a thriving society includes understanding our neighbors. This includes humbly learning about other cultures and ethnicities, philosophical and religious worldviews, and discovering principles we have in common. We must desire for all others the liberties of conscience we want for ourselves. While we live with the differences, we can also forge alliances leading to better neighborhoods and nations.

For social cohesion, we must find some common ground on being human and the ingredients that build a prosperous future. The quest is being undermined by ideological extremism that rejects any consensus outside of its own domination.

In this essay, I am presenting three extremist forces fighting for control and offering three foundations for all people of conscience as we aim for freedom and virtue informing our social cohesion.

Extremist ideology #1: Jihadist Islam. While the vast majority of Muslims are peaceable neighbors in many nations, a significant minority desire a restoration of the Umma, the global Islamic empire that will eventually cover the earth and “liberate” humankind. For some Muslim strategists, this is a long game of a century or more of proselytizing, gradual influence, infiltration of social and political sectors, and eventual Sharia in every nation in which they live. For others, the aims are more immediate with violence accelerating local and global control. Such radicals come in both Sunni and Shi’ite traditions and truly believe that anything short of absolute submission to Islam is unacceptable. Male and female roles are fixed, and an oppressive paternalism is the norm here. Women are definitely second-class and under the rule of the men. Conversion to another religion or any departure from Islamic strictures are met with social ostracism or violence.

A note: there are Muslim leaders advocating for democratic and pluralist societies, with Islam as a partner with other religions. These irenic leaders are helpful and important but find themselves marginalized by the militants. We should expect several inner conflicts as millions of Muslims – especially women – have tasted the freedoms of other societies and do not want reversion to the 15th century.

Extremist ideology #2: Global, Technocratic Communism and Fascism. The collectivist impulse keeps returning, in spite of the historical devastations of the past century. The World Economic Forum, several groups in the European Union, the Chinese Communist Party, and many elites in other nations really believe that a select group of wise experts should be in charge and that the world will be better with less private property, religious belief, and economic freedom. Both communism and fascism have similar roots of control, with fascist ideology more focused on blood and soil while purer Marxism is class-oriented and less intolerant of ethnic diversity. The COVID-19 moment was a rehearsal for how much freedom people would relinquish for security. One other attribute of this ethos: a contempt for and desire to destroy the nuclear and extended family. The collective must control more than the biological or adoptive parents. Nothing is more destructive of the well-being of a person that this mentality.

A note here: There is much room for debate among people of conscience concerning governmental toles in people’s lives. Leaning toward slightly more or less local, regional or national governmental engagement does not make one a communist or fascist.

Extremist Ideology #3: Hyper-Individualism (hedonism and libertarianism). Here the focus is completely on the individual and the pursuit of personal fulfillment. Autonomy is the prime value and minimalism in personal and social morality rule here. While affirming the dignity and liberty of each person, the worldviews within this ideology fail to account for the deep human need for community and for love that unselfishly serves others. “No man [or woman] is an island” remains as trenchant an observation as it was when John Donne first wrote it in the 16th century. Without reference to God or a higher good, such individualism pursues pleasure and power without the restraints of humility and service. Subjectivism and post-truth epistemology offer little hope for civil consensus.

All of these ideologies are antithetical to freedom and flourishing and a different way of principled liberty must be offered. In the three principles presented below, I offer a starting pathway for progress out of the confusion and polarization.

Principle #1: Freedom of conscience and religion is the first freedom, and theocratic coercion will not produce a creative and cohesive society. As a devout Christian, I do want everyone to come to faith in Christ. But such decisions are voluntary, and until the end of this age I will affirm for all others the same freedom of religion I desire for myself.

Principle #2: Totalitarian ideologies bear terrible fruit, with hundreds of millions killed and oppressed in the past century. We do need government, but it must serve the people and not compel an allegiance that belongs to the Almighty and ones’ conscience. Whether called the extreme Left or extreme Right, Marxism and its branches must be roundly rejected.

Principle #3: In answer to the hedonism of our today, we must affirm that we are hard-wired for altruism and personal fulfillment, for pleasure in the transcendent and the mundane. Part of being healthy is a web of supportive relationships, beginning with the immediate family and then extending to our religious and/or local communities.

As I complete these first essays on being human, I pray that we can recover and renew a vision that sees the divine image in each person, while also accounting for our depravity and need of redemption. I pray that families will nourish children well, preparing women and men that use their gifts and vocations for the common good.  And I pray that we are liberated from the pseudo-utopias promised by religious and secular totalitarians and the fantasies of hedonism that enslave our souls. Freedom rooted in virtue and unleashing the full potential of each person in the beauty of healthy community are reachable aspirations worth our energy and focus.

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Letter from Exile #3: Being Human, Part 2

August 22nd, 2025 |

Thank you for your desire for thoughtful reflection. My aim is the renewal of civil and insightful conversation in the public square. My life has been shaped by positive examples of women and men fiercely debating important issues without personal insults. I have been influenced as well by historical analysis of three centuries of political, religious, and social diversity within a framework of mutual respect. As mentioned in my first letter, America’s founding affirmations of freedom of religion and redress, assembly and speech are a positive historical influence.

The polarization of the public square has intensified in the past quarter century, not only among political activists, but in matters of moral, religious, and social concern. While a silent percentage of any society simply wakes up each day aiming for a better life for their families, the chattering classes take the air out the room with competing ideologies and narratives that celebrate activism and subjectivity, not the relentless pursuit of truth. Among much of the Western elites, we see a “post-Truth” ethos that eschews objectivity and promotes particular visions of what is best for humankind.

These currents are especially present when we look at being human and male and female identity. In Letter #2, some foundations for identity and purpose were presented. These are offered as starting foci for dignity and mutual respect, not theocratic coercion. Seeing each person as a divine image-bearer and of equal worth is essential for a free society. Honoring biological distinctions while not imposing oppressive limitations and stereotypes is also important for peacefulness in a pluralistic society.

There are three points of contention concerning identity that matter for human flourishing. Drawing on both ancient wisdom and modern empirical data, we can offer clarity in the confusion and reflection over reaction.

Principle 1: Our humanness can unite men and women, who share more in common that we realize. Men and women have diverse personalities and temperaments, skill sets and passions, gifts and competencies that make our world better when used well. While biological differences are real and influence fields of work, shared affections and interests can help friendship and mutual respect flourish. Young women that love mathematics and science do not need to be redirected to other humanities. Young men of sensitive temperaments do not need to be coerced into machismo molds.

Principle #2: Men and women are different, and sexual identity is fixed at birth. The small percentage of biological intersex anomalies do not change this overall rule. Persons who struggle with real body dysphoria deserve love, respect, and excellent psychological care so they become comfortable in their designed identity. If someone has believed the deceptive social contagion of gender fluidity and has engaged in chemical or surgical alteration of their bodies, they need counsel and compassion.

Principle #3: Gender “constructs” have become a mask for harmful self-invention and anarchistic confusion of empirical reality. Biological sex is a given. Social roles for male and female vary with cultures and deserve evaluation. Gender radicals argue for a distinction between the “sex assigned at birth” and chosen gender identity. While civic freedom allows for people to believe all kinds of things, it does not demand that thoughtful people agree with defiance of biological reality. If a biological male chooses to say he is female (a “trans woman”), he can do so but should not expect that all will agree. No amount of chemistry, surgery, or role adjustment change biological reality. The few studies exploring brain activity in trans people do not account for the commonalities of male and female or the fact that brains are altered by behaviors.

Until 10-15 years ago, biological sex was assumed, while sexual attractions varied, with a small percentage of women and men being same or both-sex attracted. Gender studies were focused on liberating all people toward a just and tolerant future. After gay marriage was enshrined in US law in 2015, gender activism metastasized and suddenly we have scores of identities and defining male and female is considered oppressive. In our next essay, we will look at the ideological roots of this anarchy.

What does this mean for positive public discourse and a civil society?  Two thoughts are helpful here. First, there is no place for bullying or personal denigration of any person. This does not mean that we simply accept any affirmation of identity or allow children to receive treatments in defiance of parents. Toleration is living with our differences, not being coerced into celebrating a view contrary to one’s deepest beliefs. Second, “follow the science” must be liberated from its ideological straitjackets. Real empirical research in relentless pursuit of the truth deserves celebration.

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Letters from Exile #2: Being Human in an Age of Artifice, Part 1

August 5th, 2025 |

As a public intellectual I am often asked what I think are the most important moral and social issues of our day. And there are many. My starting point is always reverence for God and response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Humankind, unique among all animate creation, is deeply spiritual and we will only find our true identity and purpose when we surrender our sovereignty to King Jesus. St. Augustine, in his opening lines of Confessions, was correct when we declared, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

With this foundation of faith always in view, there are many issues that divine image bearers (all people) must wrestle with in our pursuit of a free and virtuous society (the motto of The Acton Institute).

Back to the question. Many expect me to respond with abortion, gender identity, economic policies, threats to democracy, international tensions, ethnic and racial tensions, federal and state budget crises, immigration, and/or many other issues. All of these deserve attention, and I will be commenting on them in the coming months. Underneath all these issues is one prevailing topic: The dignity and identity of the human person.

What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be male and female? For most of recorded history, the answers have been self-evident, though with many constructions and religious differences. All cultures and faiths distinguish humankind from the rest of creation, with the differences of male and female clearly demonstrated (Alas, often to the detriment of our sisters).

With the explosion of artificial intelligence, machine technology, and gender anarchy, consensus on being human is fiercely debated. Here are some questions underneath the question of what a human being is:

  • Are we merely the products of time and chance?
  • In the singularity of human-machine synthesis inevitable?
  • In biological sex changeable and are there an infinite number of genders?
  • Are human beings distinct and superior to the rest of creation, or this notion the sin of “speciesism”?
  • Is the biological family the most important group in society or do all people, including children, belong to current notions of the collective or state?

In this essay we cannot answer all these queries with justice. Since this is part one of many, I want to offer some foundational thoughts that can inform our discernment and thoughtfulness about human identity. Here are two insights as we begin this conversation.

Insight #1: Regardless of one’s philosophy or religion, humankind is distinct from other species because of self-consciousness and conscience, neither of which is reducible to biological functions. On the frontiers of neuroscience and religion, there is much important work unveiling the impact of positive and negative events on our bodies/brains, while still leaving room for experiences not reducible to physical sources. These qualia are baffling to naturalists, while religious devotees see them as part of being spiritual beings. The debates will go forward, but there is consensus that there is (or may be) more to being human than mere biology. Our sense of morality and ethics (even when we disagree, we are still showing evidence of notions of right and wrong), and inner dialogues are not replicated anywhere else. 

Insight #2: The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verses 26-28 offers a vision of humankind that can be a starting place for robust conversation on identity. Here are three facets from these poetic verses sung by ancient Israel and still informing billions of people today:

  • All human beings, from conception to coronation, are created in the image of God. Being human means we are connected with the dust of the earth (hence all the DNA we share with other animals, especially primates), and we are filled with divine breath (ruah = spirit), with a transcendent element as part of our being. Humans are body and spirit and this is what enlivens the soul. We are not spirits trapped in bodies (Greek notions). We are not in an illusory world (Buddhism and Hinduism), for the concreteness of creation is good.
  • All humans have purpose: dwelling with God and doing the work of stewarding creation. We are made for worship and work, for being and doing in a seamless life of delight in God, each other, and the world.
  • We enjoy God and the world as male and female. Our common humanness ensures dignity and equality, while the distinction of sex expresses the divine image more fully. Biological sex is a part of the divine archetype of humanity and is not changeable.  In a world impacted by the fall of humankind, we do see a small percentage of babies born with secondary sex characteristics of both male and female and genetic markers (XXY; XYY) that are different, but these rare exceptions only prove the general rule.

Being human means we are divine image bearers with purpose, and we fulfill this as men and women. There is no place for sexism or oppression, or for overgeneralizing what men and women might do as they discover their vocations.

Modern notions of human rights, from the 16th century to this moment, rest on these foundations, even among those rejecting religion. Let’s restore clarity and dignity, affirm full equality and celebrate distinctions without reifying oppressive histories. We are just getting started and in the coming weeks we will address each of the sub-issues above as we construct a liberating vision of being human.

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A New Focus for My Essays: Letters from Exile

July 27th, 2025 |

Hello friends! It has been months since I have posted. This pause was deliberate. I wanted to let some time go by and see the consequences of the 2024 elections (It is plural because Americans elected thousands of public servants, not just a President) in the USA and some of the international leadership decisions in various places of conflict and change.

During this time, I have been busy editing and writing books, speaking and advising at several churches, and teaching my seminary students. I am very encouraged by the efforts of many, seeing communities flourish spiritually and socially, and my students from around the world are always an inspiration.

I am a co-author with Assemblies of God USA General Superintendent Doug Clay of a new book available in August 2025 entitled, 13: Leadership is More than Luck. We find life and leadership wisdom from each of the 13 General Superintendents that have led our Fellowship since 1914. We explore the historical and spiritual context of their time in office and find timeless wisdom from their ministries. This is not a sanitized hagiography that avoids the challenges of the day. These are real and remarkable leaders that can help us be more effective in our service to the Lord. Please take a look!

Starting with this essay, I will begin a long-running series I am calling, Letters from Exile. I am choosing this theme so that I can encourage discernment and thoughtfulness among my readers. Christians are always dual citizens of the kingdom of God and their particular location. Christianity, while influential in Americana and Western history, is a global faith that originated at the crossroads of the continents and now extends to all nations. I do appreciate the USA and the aspirational principles of our founders and framers. At the same time, no empire or nation will be perfect until the Day of the Lord.

In 1976, during the Bicentennial celebrations, I declared myself an exile. I could not agree with some of the conservative voices declaring the United States a chosen nation favored by God. I also vehemently dissented from voices on the Left that made America the moral equivalent of Stalin’s Soviet Union or Mao Zedong’s China. Reading the Bible carefully, I discovered that God’s people – from the Jews in exile in Babylon in the 6th century BC to all Christians across time and place – are called to flourish in in the places they are living, bringing spiritual and social good (Jeremiah 29; Philippians 2:12-16).

I do think the USA has been a force for good in history, as well as falling short of her ideals again and again. Our First Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution, is unprecedented in history for the freedoms it espouses, especially the first sentence declaring complete freedom of conscience and religion. American ideals in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers were subverted by our nation’s original sin: permitting the chattel slavery of African Americans. We did fight a Civil War to end slavery de jure (by law); however, it took another century to end unequal rights for Black Americans both de jure and de facto (the Civil Rights and Voting Rights laws of 1964 and 1965). We are still in need of greater reconciliation and redemption that ends racial tensions and opens doors for all to flourish.

Throughout our history we have been both hospitable and hostile to immigrants. While Ellis Island welcomed millions from the 1870s to 1914, Chinese Exclusion Acts were closing doors on immigration and severely restricting freedom for those in the USA. In the 1920s to 1940s, the USA closed its doors to Jews fleeing the antisemitism of Nazi Germany and other nations. We also opened the doors again after World War Two and supported the birth of the modern nation of Israel in the shadow of the Shoah.

Our nation, like each person we meet, is both beautiful and broken, with signs of grace and personal and systemic sins. In forthcoming essays, we will explore how to think deeply and act decisively in an age of outrage and reaction, ideological entrapment and social media anarchy.

I look forward to sharing ideas that may help us all become more thoughtful. We can be kind without compromise, tolerant without losing clarity, and hopeful in the midst of the helplessness so many feel. Thank you for your prayers, responses, and the seen and unseen good each of you bring to our world each day.

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EASTER SUNDAY

April 20th, 2025 |

Key Scriptures: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1:1-11; I Corinthians 15

Every Easter, around the world, billions of believers declare to each other, “He is Risen!” and respond with, “He is Risen, indeed!”

“Every Sunday is Easter when believers realize they live in the Spirit and begin to experience new life today, even while waiting for the Return of the Lord.” (Gordon Fee). Here we see victory over every opposing power, especially death and the fear of death (Hebrews 2:9-18). In our Risen Lord, we see a preview of our future – real, transformed bodies and spirits ready to worship and work under the reign of Christ (Romans 8:28-39; Colossians 1:15-22). Easter is not a psychological projection of wishful thinking (the disciples were astonished), or some kind of spiritual apparition (Jesus invited Thomas to touch him and served breakfast at the seashore).

The Gospels all record the astonishment of the women at the tomb as they discover Jesus is alive. All the Gospels detail the awe of the disciples as they see the Lord and begin to realize (again) that God’s kingdom is present in ways they did not expect (Acts 1). The political and religious opponents spread rumors that the disciples stole the body…and these rumors persist into the 21st century. Eventually, as many as 500 will witness the Risen Lord (I Corinthians 15:1-11).

There is no historical event more studied and more attacked than the Resurrection. If it can be undermined and found false, the entire Christian message has no meaning and power (I Corinthians 15). Why should anyone suffer if Jesus is just a good Rabbi and martyr? If it is true, we see in the Risen Jesus a preview of the future of every believer and validation that death does not have the final word!

Jesus appears to his followers, instructing them about the kingdom, commissioning them to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-21; Acts 1:8), and reassuring them that he will be present with them through the Person of the Holy Spirit (John 14-16; Luke 24:44-47; Acts 1:8; 2:4).

No matter what our trials, we have a hope that is rooted in history and we have victory over sin and sorrow through the Holy Spirit. We can expect a life of resurrection power and suffering (Philippians 3:7-16), a life filled with the miraculous and with punctuated by real challenges.

The certainty of the Resurrection is what caused this small group of Jesus followers to become millions of Christians. The Resurrection proclaims that God is working now to restore all things and invites all believers to join is this mission of reconciliation and repair (2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2). Will we joyfully receive the work of the Holy Spirit in our life and begin to live the future now, sharing our faith, doing good, and honoring God in all we do?

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