1) The deconstruction movement within evangelicalism continues to gain an audience among many. Baptist pastor Matt Chandler who attacked “deconstruction” as a philosophical approach taken from Jaque Derrida received some pushback which led him to defend his comments by saying that he was not talking about modern attempts at “deconstruction” from within evangelicalism, but rather on atheist assertions that the text is unknowable. He writes:
“I have the deepest empathy and compassion for those who find themselves wading in those waters. I certainly don’t want to make things harder for anyone in those seasons and struggles.”
This is an entirely disappointing response. The “evangelical” deconstructing taking place is often led by leftists who despise traditional roles in the home and church and who spend most of their time promoting politically unsustainable ideologies like BLM and social justice. These apologists are not using “deconstruction” as a code for struggling with the faith, but as a re-ordering of the social structures of traditional Christian ethics and theology.
This modern attempt falls squarely in line with Machen’s exhortations against the religion of liberalism. Deconstruction has the same goal as liberalism did in the 20th century–to reform the faith after the image of modernism. Chandler’s original observations are true not only about the textual implications of deconstructionism from a philosophical perspective but also in modern attempts to re-examine the faith. It applies to both and he shouldn’t have to apologize or nuance his observations.
2) A public school in Los Angeles bribed students with pizza so that they could get vaccinated. And here is the kicker: “don’t tell your parents.” You do need the parents’ consent to give your child Aspirin, but vaccines are another level of importance according to these arbiters of truth.
I have been speaking about the religiosity of vaccine mandates for a long time, but this form of the priesthood is an entirely new level of ecclesiocracy. Apart from the fact that COVID vaccination for children is entirely irrational scientifically and sociologically, this sphere tyranny puts the issue at the forefront: how long until parents begin to see the ultimate agenda of godless pedagogy?
3) Despite some of the turmoil going on nationally, Christians should be thrilled about the recent legal decisions made across the country. Part of this stems from Trump’s genius in appointing young, conservative judges. The Guardian some years ago referred to Trump’s appointments as a revolution, especially on the pro-life side:
“The new rules threatened to shutter Planned Parenthood clinics and other facilities that offer abortion services alongside healthcare subsidized by federal funds.”
We are now fairly close to seeing his strategies bear national fruit. But beyond that, we are also seeing many of the vaccine mandates overruled as the AP reports:
“A federal judge has blocked President Biden’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors. It’s the latest in a string of court victories for Republican-led states and others challenging a series of federal vaccine requirements.”
This is good news all around and we should give thanks to God!
4) If you were to ask, “What organizations should I support financially that are doing good cultural and biblical work?” I’d choose two: a) The Center for Cultural Leadership led by P. Andrew Sandlin and the Theopolis Institute led by Peter J. Leithart. These two bodies are decisive in their biblical vision and are seeking to educate a new generation to think about the cultural, economic, and theological implications of the faith.
5) The Church needs more musicalization training which means that she needs to sing more. Music is a hermeneutic to discern where to go in our age. As the Church sings, she is conformed more and more to her Lord, who sings over her (Zep. 3:17).
