Gary discusses several recent news stories about Christians trying to have “dialogues” with leftists on various topics.
Any social movement that is serious about changing the shape of history must have at least two features. First, it must have a doctrine of the possibility of positive social change. If men don’t believe that history can be changed through concerted effort, then they are unlikely to attempt to change very much.
Second, it needs a unique doctrine of law. Men need to believe in their ability to understand this world, and by understanding its laws, change its features. In other words, they need a detailed program for social change.
There is another feature of a successful program of social reconstruction which is usually present, and which is undeniably powerful: the doctrine of predestination. The doctrine of historical inevitability strengthens the souls of those who are convinced that “their side” is going to win, and it weakens the resistance of their enemies. A good example in the Bible is the optimism of the Hebrews under Joshua, and the pessimism of the people of Jericho (Joshua 2:8–11).
Where have we seen a fusion of all three elements? Where have we seen simultaneously the doctrine of predestination, the doctrine of the possibility of positive social change, and the doctrine of law? In the twentieth century, we saw all three doctrines espoused by the three most powerful social and religious movements of our time: Marxian Communism, modern science, and (in the final decades of the century) militant Islam. Communists lost hope in the 1980s. Before 1991, all three had these features: a dynamic of history, a belief that external affairs can be controlled by elites, a doctrine of world conquest, and evangelism. All three, therefore, were religions, for they espoused distinct (and morally mandatory) ways of life.
The war is on. The two major participants recognize this war. Too many contemporary Christians have not seen it, or else they have misinterpreted its implications for themselves and the church. The war is between Jesus Christ and the more militant forms of anti-Christianity, especially those that proclaim their versions of all three doctrines.
Unconditional Surrender: God's Program for Victory
A primer in the Christian faith, Unconditional Surrender provides readers curious about the Bible with the blueprint of a biblical worldview. Using the Bible's basic teachings about God, man, law, judgment, and time—and illustrating how these beliefs affect society at large—Gary North wades in at the heart of the battle in today's culture war, and shows that the Bible has the answers modern science and socialism lack.
Buy NowGary discusses several recent news stories about Christians trying to have “dialogues” with leftists on various topics. These types of “sit-downs” are always initiated by non-Leftists and never accomplish anything but further accommodation on the Right.