Tag Archives: totalitarian

Making Sense of the World: May 2026

May 16th, 2026 | Dr. Charlie Self

My daily life has been very compressed in the past months. Speaking and advising, editing and writing, teaching and serving leaders: I am grateful waking up each day with purpose and people to encourage. In the coming months this site will be refreshed, and I am looking forward to a new season of communication. Thank you for your patience and prayers.

Information overload

Local, national, and global events assail us hourly and making sense of it all is more difficult. If someone says, “The sky is blue” there are immediate posts clarifying what blue means and whether the first commentator has the authority to speak about the sky! Yes, I am using humor and hyperbole…but this process can overwhelm us. For example:

Israel carries out a targeted strike on Hezbollah bases. One or two outlets simply report the news…but hundreds in the antisemitic chattering class declare another, “genocidal action.”
A state court overturns extreme gerrymandering of voting districts. Immediately political proponents scream racism and the subversion of civil rights, failing to see the racial biases in maps that look like crazy Rorschach images and not sane geographies.
Young women advocate that female sports remain biologically female for safety and an equal playing field. Headlines declare these athletes “transphobes” and politicians (especially on the Left) dance around the issue.
Radical Islamists living in Europe explicitly declare their aim of conquest and the imposition of Sharia Law. Opponents of such aims are branded intolerant and Islamophobic and the debate about the rule of law and religious freedom is truncated.
Christians are targeted for persecution globally and the world in mostly silent. People praying silently across the street from abortion clinics are arrested for their thoughts in Great Britian.
President Trump speaks without reflection, and some positive policies are lost in the uproar over his latest insults and observations.

Some Insights

There are wonderful voices of sanity and women and men debating issues with civility. Unfortunately, the loudest and often least informed voices get too much attention. Making sense of events and ideas, information and issues requires maturity and thoughtfulness. Here are four insights that can help with sense-making and create pathways toward wisdom.

Insight One: There are significant spiritual and political forces at work that aim for control, all in the name of creating a better world. Totalitarian goals of micromanaging our lives are disguised with concepts of compassion, equity, fairness, and even saving the planet. Look deeply and there are ambitious global technocrats that believe they know what is best. What is out task here? Affirming axioms of freedom and virtue, faith and responsibility that lead toward human flourishing and refusing the relinquishment of freedom for security.

Insight Two: There really are people that hate freedom of conscience/speech and desire religious or secular control. The “Red-Green Alliance” of Radical Islam and Marxism is real. Both of these groups hate the Judeo-Christian and Enlightenment philosophical and religious principles that lead to prosperity. Each group thinks they will win in the end…AND increasingly, each group in this unholy alliance is either advocating or excusing violence, while projecting their sins on their opponents.

Insight Three: Even talented and thoughtful leaders can be corrupted by power. In the providence of God, abuses of power, financial evils, and sexual malfeasance are being exposed and the fallout is profound. We must own these grievous sins, engage in corporate lamentation and repentance, and humbly serve. We are all beautiful and broken, and when we forget that biblical faith is rooted in grace, pride begins subverting persons and institutions.

Insight Four: While we must speak and work on vital issues with humility and wisdom, only a spiritual awakening can change the trajectory of neighborhoods and nations. This is not a call for passivity and disengagement. All Christians are commissioned for influence and impact in their spheres of relationships and work. At the same time, only the grace of God will turn enemies into friends and change hearts and minds.

And one more thought

If we believe that our prayers matter, we will take time and pray that God’s grace and mercy will touch the hearts of those we disagree with the most. There are public figures that open their mouths and my first reaction is not holy! It is the next moment that determines personal and social pathways: we bless and intercede for the very ones who marginalize and persecute us. May God help us be thoughtful, prayerful, and wise in these days of confusion and reaction.

Christmas 2024 Message: Hope Rooted in Love and Truth

December 18th, 2024 | Dr. Charlie Self

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.

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

August 25th, 2021 | Dr. Charlie Self

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.

July 14, 1789: Bastille Day and The French Revolution: So Much Promise; So Much Failure

July 14th, 2020 | Dr. Charlie Self

Liberté, Égalité, et Fraternité!” This cry of the revolutionaries in Paris, started a process of change that began idealistically and ended in anarchy, totalitarian rule, and complete change in the map of Europe. Bastille Day is the moment that two handfuls of political prisoners were liberated from prison. It symbolizes the end of the old hierarchies of church and state and the dawn of a new era of secular citizenship and equality. Many Americans were excited about another nation (and their ally in the War for Independence) throwing off a corrupt monarchy and becoming democratic. But the joy was short-lived as France went to war with most of Europe, secularized every institution, and, after a decade of turmoil, found herself ruled by Napoleon. What happened? Why is this Revolution so different from the American one just a decade earlier?

There are three reasons these two revolutions are NOT the same and why the one in France turned out so poorly. First is the historical context. The American colonies were quite diverse culturally and religiously, though British and Protestant sensibilities were dominant. Jews, Quakers, Baptists, Roman Catholics, and even free thinkers could flourish to some extent. This diversity led to the phrase, “E Pluribus Unum” – Out of Many, One.” France’s cultural and religious history was much different. In 1598 the Edict of Nantes offered limited toleration for Protestants; however, it was revoked by King Louis XIV in 1685 and France lost hundreds of thousands of Protestant and Jewish citizens, leaving a polarization between a reactionary Roman Catholic church and a secularizing Enlightened elite.

The second difference is the vision of the revolutionaries. The 1789-1792 era has many similarities with the USA, but after the execution of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, secular radicalism took over and imposed a new kind of intolerance. Soon there were all kinds of ideological and verbal litmus tests of how truly “revolutionary” one was…and over 40,000 died by the guillotine, most of them original supporters of the 1789 uprising!

Thirdly, anarchy and polarization left a vacuum for a totalitarian regime to fill…hence, the rise of Napoleon. At first his rule brought order and peace, new laws, and even religious toleration. Soon, however, he set about conquering much the European continent and battling Great Britain for dominance. Within a decade of coming to power, Napoleon was one more despot and military leader full of his own self-importance.

The legacy of 1776 and the birth of the USA is one of gradual toleration and democracy. The legacy of 1789 is more akin to the 1917-1922 Communist Revolution in Russia – another land without a history of religious diversity and representative governance. Though France is a strong republic today, she is still radically secular in her corridors of power. The USA remains a haven of religious freedom and diversity, enriching its communities and offering hope to a world.

Defending the West

August 14th, 2017 | Dr. Charlie Self

I desire that all others enjoy the opportunities, privileges and rights I enjoy. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is not a guarantee of outcomes, but a call for access and justice for all. Life is not a zero-sum game. There is room for all to fulfill their callings and develop their capacities.

Our deeply flawed President is correct when he challenges all lovers of freedom to consider the structures and values that contrast the best of the West with the totalitarian threats of Islamicism and radical global-secularists.

I am not defending the egregious actions and words of our leader(s).

I am asking that all of us look deeply into the first principles of virtue-based liberty and take responsibility for the moral and spiritual condition of America and Western Europe.

From the French Revolution to today, we see the tragic effects of removing reverence for the Almighty and replacing it with elitist scientism and technocracy.

I am NOT aiming to reify a prior age, but crying out for humility, reflection and renewal…and liberation from the anger, fear and hatred that spoils discourse and debate.