September 19, 2022

Seeing The Invisible Individual

 Dear Friend,

      A devilish, divisive, destructive force has been unleashed among us and, for the present, is having its way. Let's examine it and see what we can do to turn it back.

     This societal cancer has rapidly produced two notable tumors, Identity Politics and Critical Race Theory, both of which have left many, even born-again Christians, blind to the abiding fact of the individual.

     Identity Politics tells us we should vote for candidates and policies that appear to promote the people and interests with whom we identify most - our race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, geographic region, and so forth. Thus, instead of promoting the good of all, it promotes the good of "us," whether good for all or not. As a result, things are not going so well for "all." Our nation's Latin motto, e pluribus unum, meaning "out of many, one," has been turned on its head. Today, from one union, we are being divided up into many smaller, and often small-minded, self-interested groups. Consequently, our formerly strong, benevolent, and fruitful national union is dying.

     Our second deadly tumor, Critical Race Theory, is supposed to be an astute view of race relations, particularly the historic enslavement of many races by one race. This view claims it is derived from critical, or analytical, thinking and scholarly research. But the reality is just the opposite. CRT is an uncritical, unfactual, and amateurishly unscholarly view of human bondage and race relations that has been denounced by unbiased, legitimate historians almost to a man. It teaches that the white race inherently and incurably desires to enslave, dominate, and oppress people of color. And, conversely, it portrays people of color as pitiful victims, who have to be compensated and supported because, apparently, they cannot achieve as well as Caucasians in the race of life - a blatant, crippling, and openly disproven lie rejected by every clear-headed, square-thinking person of color.

     But as Thomas Sowell, an African American economist and philosopher, has so clearly asserted, historical facts tell us every race has enslaved members of its own race, and those of others, at various times in the long, dark, disappointing history of the fallen human race. So, the tendency toward practicing human bondage is not limited to one (the white) race, as CRT claims. The guilty race is the human race. Oppression is not a skin problem, but a sin problem, as you have no doubt by now heard from your local preacher.

     But, in this piece, I want to call your attention to, not the cleverly contrived Marxist human motivations behind CRT and Identity Politics, but the underlying spiritual root. These "high things," or arrogant errors posing as elevating wisdom, are demonic and designed to poison minds, stop cooperation, fracture unions, and destroy what semblance of justice, human decency, and Christian love remains among us. So, as Paul taught, they must be "cast down" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). How can we do this?

     I suggest two remedies, a biblical one for Christians and a cultural, common-sense approach for non-Christians.

     For Christians, we need only remember that seven times in the Bible God's Word asserts unequivocally and unapologetically that God is "no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34), or completely, beautifully void of bias toward any nation, race, or other group. He loves all equally. "God shows no partiality" (ESV); or, "God shows no favoritism" (NLT); or, "God does not play favorites" (Complete Jewish Bible). All have sinned, all need a Savior, and Christ is that Savior of all!

     For non-Christians, let me remind you first of the mantra of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose extraordinary, peace-making wisdom and race-relations labors have been utterly forgotten (or consciously rejected) by the pseudo-wise devotees of the CRT cult. King taught we should evaluate each other by the content of our character, not the color of our skin - and paid a high price to very visibly live and lead by this principle!

     If neither God's Word nor King's convinces you, then let Hollywood speak. (Yes, I'm dredging here, but willing to use any reasonable argument if it may be helpful.) In the Oscar-winning film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," there is a scene in which Sidney Poitier (one of my favorite actors!), playing the role of a young, modern-minded, mid-1960s, black American man, says poignantly to his father, who grew up in the racially oppressive Jim Crow south, "Dad, you see yourself as a colored man. I see myself as a man." Yet, today, a mere 50 years later, the popular drift is just the opposite. Young black men and women are being ordered to return to the old, outdated view of Poitier's portrayed father - though, today, no Jim Crow culture exists. They are not allowed to see themselves as simply men and women, but must now see themselves through the distorting and limiting lens of skin color. So, if you won't hear God's Word, or King's word, hear Hollywood's word: "I see myself as a man."

     If not, the American body, lethally afflicted by these two raging tumors, is rapidly losing its unity, strength, and life. These ideological cancers are making black people resent, even hate, white people on sight and disdain to befriend or cooperate with them in any meaningful way. And, predictably, many whites are understandably resenting the overtly unfair implications of this reverse racism and responding with equally cold shoulders or hot words. Our Lord warned, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand" (Matthew 12:25). If the current trend continues, we're headed for more unrest, open strife, and eventual self-destruction - a kind of ugly, unofficial civil war relived to the dismay of every loving heart and the delight of every enemy of this once-great nation. But this does not have to be.

     As born-again Christians have done in past periods of turmoil, we should again take the lead in this vitally needed spiritual, intellectual, and social reform. Here are some things we can do.

     First, we must realize we live in a culture that has gone blind. Only demographic groups are seen and within each group everyone is believed to be exactly alike. Consequently, the individual has become invisible. We no longer acknowledge the uniqueness of people's personalities and characters apart from the perceived characteristics of their group.

     Second, we must strive to overcome these demonic lies that would divide us. Encompassing and captivating as it is, the dark covering of falsehood cannot stand one second once penetrated by the sunlight of truth spoken in love.

     Third, we must pray and proclaim. We must ask God to raise many effective voices to speak out against these lies, and others, such as the devastating, new claim that one's gender is no longer defined by one's sexual anatomy, which is presently being used to do untold damage to young children and teens. And we must personally speak the truth in love about these issues ourselves every time we have the opportunity.

     Fourth, we must refuse to be individual-blinded and instead be individual-minded. We must refuse to see a person merely by their race, or other demographic category, and insist on seeing them as a human being, unredeemed or redeemed, made in God's image, made to know God, made to help build His kingdom - which is the only realm where true equality will reign forever. Indeed, every person we meet is perfectly unique - there is not another human being exactly like them.

     Fifth, if we are insulted or wronged by someone infected by one of the above-cited cancers, we must quickly forgive them, understanding the true nature and source of what is misguiding them. "We wrestle not against [mere] flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places" (Ephesians 6:12). We should also pray for the Redeemer to open their eyes and lead them from darkness into the light.

     Meanwhile, don't go blind because the blind are leading the blind right before your dismayed eyes. Buck the trend. Be radically redeemed. Look beyond people's demographic mask: their race, region, socioeconomic class, urban or rural setting, paganism or atheism, religious denomination, conservative or liberal bent. See the invisible individual underneath that external cover. Christ loves them and died for them. So, you love them, too, with His love, whatever their color or character. Or their cancer!

     And rejoice. Our beautifully unbiased King is coming soon!

Seeing invisible individuals,

Greg Hinnant Greg Hinnant Ministries