“We are goldfish swimming in Christian waters,” writes Tom Holland in his recent book, “Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World.” Yet our society paddles blithely on with seemingly no awareness of the source of many bases of our western values.
The “politically correct” orientation contains some good and fair perspectives toward corporate human life. It is right to disregard the ethnicity or age or skin color when considering qualified candidates for a position. But you probably wouldn’t hire an extortionist as a bank official. And you might not want to hire a child sex offender as a kindergarten teacher’s aide. And with good reason.
But from where does the discernment for these value decisions arise? Is it only pragmatic? Is it only the reputation of the bank or the school that matters? Or is it fundamentally wrong to cheat persons, made in God’s image, of their financial resources or abuse them bodily for personal pleasure or power? It is Judeo-Christian teaching passed down the generations in western society that nails these actions as unjust.
Therefore, a considerable irony exists that many proponents of political correctness are decidedly anti-Christian and condemn the church for its racist, sexist and violent failings. This is justifiable when that has, indeed, occurred, but any human institution without good checks and balances or the personnel with courage and wisdom to implement those measures, can fall prey to abysmal standards. However, those pushing bold PC agendas do so by unconscious adherence to gospel principles that have undergirded western governance.
Philip Yancey, in his book, “What Good Is God,” tells of his trip to China and an encounter with a former Beijing bureau chief for Time magazine. This man, David Aikman, reported on a conversation he had with a Chinese social scientist given the assignment of researching what was responsible for the outstanding success of the West over all parts of the globe. After 20 years of study in which all angles — historical, economic, political, social and cultural — were considered, the scientist and his team concluded that Christianity — the historical and moral core of Western civilization — was undoubtedly the virile root to the flourishing of both capitalism and the development of democratic government. Amazing — our “adversaries” see clearly that to which we are now blind.
Not only did Christianity contribute majorly to sound economics or politics, but the legacy of committed Christians acting according to their beliefs brought generational strength to Western society.
Rodney Stark in “The Rise of Christianity” writes that during the peak and subsequent demise of the Roman Empire, Christians related to slaves humanely, often releasing them; in times of plague when cities were abandoned, Christians remained to care for the sick; they promoted women to spheres of leadership; they refused to take part in abortion and infanticide; and when Roman social agencies deteriorated, churches took up the charge. Most of these concerns would fall under the purview of “politically correct matters” today.
Surely any Jane or John Doe can recognize that when and where corruption (of all stripes) is eschewed and genuine honoring for “do unto others as you’d have them do unto you” is part of the foundational underpinnings of the political system; that this nation will offer greater opportunities, harmony, prosperity and just plain more fun. But if we continue to forsake our Christian moorings, and unquestioningly bow before the claims of what is now “woke culture,” we will likely end up as C.S. Lewis, the well-known Cambridge and Oxford don, wrote: “We castrate … and bid the geldings be fruitful.”
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