Addressing Education in 2021 Part 2
By Kevin Mott
Know your enemy!
There exists in the realm of discourse a term known as the “Overton Window.”This seeks to explain that the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at any given time, can be viewed through a window of acceptance. Anything to the far left of that window would be considered unacceptable: far-left ideas, such as communism; whilst those to the far right, unacceptable far-right ideas, such as neo-Nazism. What we have seen over the last thirty years or so is this window gradually shifting further to the left, so that ideas that were once considered “radical left-wing” are now accepted as being normal within the framework of society. The issue with this is that traditional Christian beliefs, such as those on marriage, have now been pulled out of the window, and are therefore considered to be oppressive and open to censorship.
Recently, the BBC was criticised for showing a film entitled “Identity – Understanding Sexual and Gender Identities” in which children as young as nine were informed that there are now over one hundred different genders and that becoming transgender is a way to achieve happiness. Although this video was subsequently removed from the corporation’s website, it is now out there in the public domain and much like the lawyer on an American TV show who is “overruled” by the judge, you can be asked to ignore what you’ve heard, but you can’t ever forget it. If we tolerate all forms of behaviour in our society, then we cease to have a moral centre and promote a moral sewer – one that is far removed from sound, wholesome, Biblical teaching.
We have an enemy who is a master of deceit, and in less than one hundred years has reformed our education system to ensure that Christ’s message of salvation is removed from the classroom entirely. In 2 Timothy (4:3-4) we are told that the time will come when people “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Cultural Marxism is now the dominant mindset through which many young people see the world, and that is largely due to their exposure to media in all forms, as well as our secular education system. Followers of this new ideology demand complete acceptance and affirmation of their lifestyle choices, and failure to capitulate results in ostracisation and labels of racist, homophobe or worse. Children are pressured and forced into making statements they haven’t fully considered and don’t really believe, whilst Christian teaching on living a holy life and finding our true identity in Christ is no longer promoted and no longer accepted. At best, Jesus has been reduced to little more than a good moral teacher, alongside Buddha and Muhammad.
The ability to self-identify in this new religion of self is also very important, with many young people claiming to suffer from anxiety, depression and PTSD, simply because that gives them a victim status within the broader culture and therefore identity can be found there. We no longer have a single standard of truth; as feelings are prioritised over facts, our individual truths become experiential and therefore subjective. Those who speak out against this turning tide must be silenced or “cancelled” and denounced by all. It is often a perilous existence for those living under the scrutiny of the public eye. In a recent case, a secondary school in East Sussex removed the names of Winston Churchill and JK Rowling from their school houses, because they were both deemed to be intolerant. In the case of Rowling, for simply showing support to a researcher who dared to question the legitimacy of trans identities online.
There have been recent successes for Christian’s, particularly around LGBT influence on sex education in England. However, there is still debate centred around the “Hate Crime Bill” in Scotland which introduces a new law of “stirring up hatred” and has the potential to severely limit Christian witness. In Wales there is an ongoing discussion around Humanism and Atheism being taught alongside Christianity in RE. In both cases we see the law and education mirroring society, where there is no longer an absolute standard of truth. The problem is that the balance of weights and measures is ever-shifting, and the victories Christians enjoy seemingly just delay the inevitable. There is no honour for the bravery of the defenders of truth, and as Christians, we will eventually have to stand our ground and fight, equipped with the “whole armour of God.”
What of the church?
Writing about the Downgrade in 1887, Charles Spurgeon commented that the church was turning away from the truth and “going downhill at breakneck speed.” A situation that he was quick to discern and warn others about, even against fierce opposition. One would have to say that the downgrade Spurgeon alerted us too has continued unabated, despite his admonitions.
Today, the message of Jesus Christ has been perverted in our once conservative denominations, as church leaders embrace this new political ideology. The gospel, now seen in the light of social justice, has become one of acceptance and inclusivity of all lifestyles, and there is no appetite for a life of righteousness and death to sin. We are urged to modernise our thinking and embrace the 11th Commandment, “Thou shalt not judge”, as feminism, LGBT rights and Critical Race Theory are preached openly from our pulpits. Both the Churches of England and Scotland have been captured fully, with the Archbishop of Canterbury rallying to the support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and proclaiming that it was time to “own up to” and “repent” of our perceived “white privilege.” Additionally, and in regard to the recent national celebration for Captain Sir Thomas Moore, the Reverend Jarel Robinson-Brown, who appeared at a conference in January entitled “How to rage: Theology, activism and the Church” wrote on his social media feed that “the cult of Captain Tom is a cult of White British Nationalism” and refused to clap for him. It should come as no shock then that the Church of England rushed to the support of Robinson-Brown, claiming that those who criticised the remarks of this black, former Methodist minister did so out of a place of “systemic racism”.
The new woke religion is one built on man’s flawed morality, and conceived by Godless pagans; not God’s righteousness, but self-righteousness found within our sinful selves. Social Media has become the church building, where conformity is preached and we present ourselves as spotless before our cultural gods. Although the petals and sweet aroma of our Judeo-Christian society are still on display, without the roots it cannot last for much longer; a situation that Melvin Tinker refers to as the “cut flower generation.” One only need browse a selection of comments on The Christian Institute’s public Facebook page to see how far the Marxist mindset has infiltrated the teaching in our churches. We have surely reached the bizarre point whereby a street preacher will be called to swear an oath on the Bible in court, whilst being tried for reading the words contained in that very same book publicly! That is of course until the courts remove all remaining traces of the Bible from them, something that was attempted unsuccessfully in this country in 2013.
Feminism, anti-racism, environmentalism, transgenderism and “gay rights” are not just separate fringe movements that can simply be ignored, but rather key elements of a much broader system that is coming to destroy Christianity. A system with its own saints and martyrs, and one that should be taught in every reformed seminary up and down the land so that the next generation of preachers are fully equipped to protect their flocks, by identifying the wolves within. At this time, the enemy is coming like a tsunami and too many Christian’s are still standing unprotected on the shore, wondering when the tidal wave will come.
This is just one of many challenges facing Christians around the world at this time, with tens of thousands being martyred for their faith each year, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Open Doors UK & Ireland wrote recently that just before last Christmas seventy Christians were kidnapped from a village in Nigeria by Islamic militants, whilst fifty were killed. Following that one hundred people were killed on a rice farm by the same group. Often it is the men who are executed, whilst women and young girls are taken away and forced to renounce their Christian faith. Those who refuse are often never seen again.
In addition to this, Voice Of America (VOA) published an article in December of last year in which it noted that:
As part of a longstanding effort to limit the influence of Christianity in China, central government authorities last year indicated that they would publish an “official translation” of the Bible for Chinese worshippers. The CCP called for “a comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics aiming at contents which do not conform to the progress of the times” in a 2019 meeting held by the Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, which oversees religious matters in China. The meeting concluded that the new “official edition” of the Bible must not contain any content that contradicts socialism, and paragraphs deemed wrong by censors will be amended or retranslated.
As Christians, we are to be counter-cultural, and that is no more obvious today than it’s ever been. Biblical theology and sound exegesis of scripture must drive our lifestyle. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
(Matthew 24:24)
One final thought
In his book, Into The Lion’s Den, Steve Maltz tells us about Alice Bailey, an occultist and hugely influential teacher within certain circles during the early 20th century. Today, she is considered to be the grandmother of the New Age movement. In 1948 Alice Bailey devised a 10-point plan designed to wrench society away from its Christian roots, a plan dictated to her by a demonic force, which she claimed to be called the “Master of Wisdom.” Alice Bailey desired to see a unified society governed by a globalist, one world religion. The ten points on her list were:
- Take God and prayer out of the education system
- Reduce parental authority over children
- Destroy the traditional Judeo-Christian family structure
- Make abortion legal and make it easy
- Make divorce legal and easy, free people from the concept of married for life
- Make homosexuality an alternative lifestyle
- Debase art, make it run mad
- Use media to promote and change mindset
- Create an interfaith movement – all paths lead to heaven
- Get government to make all these points law, get the church to endorse changes
At this stage, we would have to concede that she has been incredibly successful at completing every one of those points on her list.
We serve a wonderful God, a God who we know is all-powerful and in control, working all things together for good. We are to be confident in His promises, but also be a prepared people; informed, wise, faithful and ready to stand our ground until Jesus returns. We must love our neighbour, have hope, and live our lives in the shadow of Christ shedding His precious blood and dying for us on the cross. That is an astounding truth for us to consider and meditate upon. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Glossary of Useful Terms:
Anarchism – A belief in the abolition of all government and the organisation of society on a voluntary, cooperative basis without recourse to force or compulsion.
Authoritarian (Fascism) – Favouring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom and democracy.
BAME – Stands for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and is defined as all ethnic groups except white ethnic groups. It does not relate to country origin or affiliation.
Communism (Collectivism) – A political and economic system that seeks to create a classless society, where private property is eliminated. Goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.
Conversion Therapy – Treatment or psychotherapy which aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or to suppress a person’s gender identity. New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Mexico and other South American countries already have a ban in place. Britain is being encouraged to follow suite. A Conservative MP has requested that prayer be listed alongside rape in a proposed ‘conversion therapy’ ban.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) – The view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of colour.
Cultural Appropriation – The adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures.
Cultural Hegemony – The domination of a cultural diverse society by the ruling class, which manipulates the culture of that society (beliefs, explanations, perceptions and values) so that the imposed, ruling-class worldview becomes the accepted cultural norm.
Egalitarianism – A collection of broad philosophies including Socialism, Communism, Social Anarchism, Libertarian Socialism, Progressivism.
Fascism – A political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, and that stands for a centralised autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation and forcible suppression of opposition.
Identity Politics – Identity politics is a term that describes a political approach wherein people of a particular religion, race, social background, class or other identifying factor develop political agendas and organise based upon the interlocking systems of oppression that affect their lives and come from their various identities.
Intersectionality – A framework for conceptualising a person, group of people, or social problem as affected by a number of discriminations and disadvantages. It takes into account people’s overlapping identities and experiences in order to understand the complexity of prejudices they face. It centres social justice from various social locations, including race, socioeconomic status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, (dis)ability, spirituality, immigration/refugee status, language and education. One of the ideas of intersectionality is for individuals, groups and communities to self-identify.
LGBT – LGBT or GLBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Sometimes expanded to LGBTQ+ to include other sexual or gender identity groups.
Liberation Theology – A synthesis of Christian Theology and political activism, especially in relation to economic justice, poverty and human rights.
Libertarian (Anarchism) – A political philosophy that advocates only minimal state intervention in the free market and the private lives of citizens.
Marxism – Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after Karl Marx. It examines the effect of capitalism on labour, productivity and economic development and argues for a worker revolution to overturn capitalism in favour of communism.
Neoliberalism (Libertarianism) – A political approach that favours free-market capitalism, deregulation and a reduction in government spending.
Overton Window – The range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse.
Protected Characteristics – These are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation as defined by The Equality Act.
Social Justice – Whilst justice is driven by what is morally acceptable, or what God says is right, Social Justice is driven by what is socially acceptable, and what people say is right. That Jesus’ ethical teachings can remedy the problems caused by capitalism. In that sense it removes the gospel and seeks to bring about a type of heaven on earth forged by man’s actions, not Gods.
Woke – A term that originated in the US, referring to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social and racial justice.