Category Archives: Totalitarian

Christmas 2024 Message: Hope Rooted in Love and Truth

December 18th, 2024 |

The recent election in the USA represents renewed political and social hope for some and deeply disconcerting signs for others. In this essay, I am foregoing political commentary and focusing on the deeper needs and hopes of humankind. We do not elect messiahs or monarchs, and the last half-century serves as a warning that no person or party contains all we need for a flourishing future.

Christmas is about divine humility and hope, as God becomes one of us forever in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Our identity, purpose, and flourishing begin with love and reverence for the Lord, followed by alignment with God’s principles. The message of Christianity is not self-improvement, but a new creation. Jesus is not a guru, he is God. Cries for justice are heard by the Almighty, and we can be partners with the Lord is bringing much good to our world.

From federal budgets to global hotspots, from sexual anarchy in the post-modern West to totalitarian rule in many places, our world is filled with crises. Serious peacemaking efforts are welcome, but sustainable shalom must include changes in the human heart as well as military and political action. The moral chaos we see around us will only change when there is a recommitment to enduring truth that is beyond our momentary feelings and thoughts.

Here are some applications of Christmas love and truth for our world:

  • “Be a good person” is only possible when goodness is rooted in the unchanging character of God.
  • “My truth” must be exchanged for the pursuit of the truth.
  • “Toleration” must again be understood as living peaceably with our differences, not celebrating every opinion.
  • “Democracy” means little without ethical first principles that are shared by citizens. The American experiment is representative governance with protections for all citizens, not the rule of a current 51%.
  • “Disinformation” is a term used historically by totalitarian states to limit access to all ideas and information. Freedom includes hearing and reading things we do not like. “Consensus” can be a slippery term and must not be used to stifle inquiry.  “Everyone knows” or “97% of scientists say” deserve examination.
  • “Make America Great Again” is a popular political phrase, but it must be tempered with the reality that there are no good old days – just good people in old days.

The King who comes to us in a creche calls us to seek the glory of God and the good of others before our own temporal pleasures or personal ambitions. My prayer for each reader, for the USA, and for the nations is that the “good news of great joy” shared with shepherds will reach every barrio and hamlet, every migrant procession and refugee camp, every penthouse suite and mansion, every home and the homeless, and when received, change the trajectory of each person and community that embraces the Messiah.

Merry Christmas and thank you for reading and reflecting with me as we aim for a free and virtuous world.

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Totalitarians Unite: August 22-23, 1939 and 2021: Will Democracies Capitulate or Find Courage?

August 25th, 2021 |

The triumph of the Taliban in Afghanistan is a devastating blow to US prestige and the cause of pluralistic liberty everywhere. Afghan history reveals a region that is a collection of tribes and utterly unconquerable by outside forces. From Alexander the Great three centuries before Christ, to a variety of empires, this inhospitable and divided land will not subject herself to colonialism, communism, or western democratization.

US/Allied policy for nearly two decades has wavered between simply rooting out terrorist dens and trying to instill some cohesive and democratic regimes. The former would have been a wise policy, with a strong Allied base and less occupying influence. All this is now water under the bridge. What is instructive are the implications of this current moment for the future of freedom and the historical connections that should inform the responses of nations and peoples that love liberty.

The Taliban are presently supported by a variety of jihadist networks, Islamic states, and totalitarian regimes such as China. Even though China is persecuting Islamic groups in its own nation, she has vested economic interests in ousting western nations and being in position to mine the resources of Afghanistan. What we have is a pragmatic alliance of two totalitarian systems that equally hate the USA and her allies.

The 1939 Connection

On August 22-23, 1939, the world was stunned as the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a 10-year non-aggression pact and trade agreement. These mortal enemies suddenly were friends. Communist parties around the world were told overnight not to disparage Germany. Of course, for both Hitler and Stalin, this was a marriage of momentary convenience, until each had sufficient forces to oppose the other. The secret protocols of the agreement divided Poland between the two empires, gave the Soviets free reign in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, with Germany also willing to let the USSR wage war against the stubborn Finnish nation. Hitler was given freedom for his eventual invasions of the West.

The significance of the moment for today must be clearly seen, with no illusions: jihadists are happy to unite with other groups that desire the demise of democratic and pluralistic nations. Each totalitarian group thinks they will eventually triumph, while the immediate impact is harm to liberty. Hitler and Stalin hated the democracies and they united for their dictatorial ends. The various forces of jihadism are willing to work with Marxists to undermine the West.

Here are the signs of 1939 in 2022:

  • The irrational hatred and delegitimizing of the State of Israel and the enormous rise in antisemitism around the world. Jewish heritage and a democratic Israel stand in the way of the “long march of Marxism” (Os Guinness) and Jihadist goals, just as both Hitler and Stalin saw the Jews as the impediment to their utopias. 
  • Among many Marxists in the West, there is an unwillingness to criticize the Islamist oppression of minorities and women while projecting Nazi and Taliban identities on conservative political parties in Western democracies. This includes castigating any African-American or Hispanic-Latino conservatives, and refusing to listen to serious empirical and historical arguments that do not fit “the narrative.”
  • Utter disregard for the suffering of Cubans and Venezuelans while keeping an open border with Mexico reflects the political strategies of those aiming for a one-party state in the USA.
  • The refusal of the current administration to see global situations clearly and work in concert with democratic allies.
  • Fueling greater divides among cultural and economic groups.

Our response to this serious moment must not be ideological polarization or personal insults, but affirmation of core principles that cultivate the character and community ethos needed for a more loving and just world. In next week’s essay, I will propose new ways forward that refuse to look to political leaders as messiahs and empowers caring people for participation in community flourishing.

We can learn from history and forge a fresh future without the subversions of totalitarian ideologies and regimes. The choice is ours: fear or faith, capitulation or courage.

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