Bruce Charlton posed a pertinent question on his Notions blog today:
Why not convert to leftism? (You know it makes sense . . . )
The use of the verb 'convert' is particularly revealing. The question is not aimed at leftists or atheists or everyday moderns. If it had been, the verb 'convert' would be both superfluous and irrelevant. After all, there is no need to turn anyone already saturated in leftism toward leftism or turn a leftist into a leftist. No, the question was not aimed at leftists, but at Christians. At you. At me.
After posing the question about leftist conversion, Dr. Charlton wasted no time wading into some seemingly positive rationale for answering the conversion question in the affirmative:
Since you can't do anything about global totalitarianism, why not just make the best of it?
Why not exploit the situation instead of moaning about it? Do what is expedient - why not?
Why not make a successful career out of leftism - like so many others? Why not surrender your private mind to leftism, in the same way as you have already surrendered your public behaviour? By having any reservations at all, you are making yourself miserable - why not simply cast-aside those reservations?
Just say an inner yes to what you will, anyway, be forced to do (sooner or later)...
The last in the excerpt above is particularly pressing. As the days and weeks move forward, we are likely to increasingly find ourselves in circumstances in which we feel we are being forced to do something that goes against our will, belief, and judgement.
How will we respond to such pressure? What choices will we make? What will we do?
More importantly, what will we think?
Some of us may simply shrug and decide to grudingly submit to the program. Others may become resentful against God Himself. Why would he put us in such circumstances if He loves us? A few may embrace the notion; enthusiastically convert.
Hey, why not? As Dr. Charlton notes in his post:
There is no earthly reason why not.
Of course, the utter lack of an earthly reasons for not converting to leftism are tremendously outweighed by the simple yet seemingly infinite number of spiritual reasons for not converting to leftism, chief among them, the welfare of your soul.
Upon encountering Dr. Charlton's question, I took a few moments to conduct a little thought experiment and and attempted to imagine myself surrendering - willingly, wholeheartedly - to leftism.
I found I couldn't do it.
Not because I'm a saint, or sinless, or pure, or perfect, or righteous, or holy, or elevated, or what have you.
I know what leftism is.
For many years - too many to mention without feeling pangs of shame - I did say 'yes' to the conversion question to a certain degree. I was at best a tepid convert, but a convert all the same.
I mostly went along to get along. I deliberately said things I knew to be insincere and untrue; did things I recognized to be immoral and ugly; believed things I knew to be false and evil.
For years.
And I was able to do all of it because I had tricked myself in thinking that I was still a true Christian and that none of it really mattered - not in the present, not in the end, not ever.
I won't bore you with a prolonged digression of how I reverted back to being a more sincere Christian, but suffice to say the process involved the joyous acceptance that all of it - my words, my actions, my thoughts - really does matter. Nay, more than really matters - more like nearly all that matters, in the present, in the end, and forever.
As I thought back to my own conversion to leftism years ago, I simply could not imagine doing it again. Yes, I still struggle with sin, and I still scrub away at the leftist residue that stubbornly sticks like tar, but I can no longer imagine not being a Christian.
Especially not today. What would I be turning toward? What would I turn into?
Seriously . . .
I find it impossible to imagine not being a Christian because without Christ all I would have is the world, but with no means of overcoming.
I find it impossible to imagine not being a Christian because without Christ I would not know Truth, appreciate Beauty, understand Virtue.
I find it impossible to imagine not being a Christian because without Christ I know I cannot really, truly, deeply love.
And if I could not really, truly, deeply love, I would not be able to find purpose and meaning.
And without purpose and meaning, I would once again become a slave to fear, to comfort, to convenience, to lies.
I would live in complete darkness, yet remain convinced that my life was somehow bathed in light.
That part of me that is divine would diminish, perhaps even die.
No.
Been there. Done that. Never doing it again.
Why not convert to leftism? (You know it makes sense . . . )
The use of the verb 'convert' is particularly revealing. The question is not aimed at leftists or atheists or everyday moderns. If it had been, the verb 'convert' would be both superfluous and irrelevant. After all, there is no need to turn anyone already saturated in leftism toward leftism or turn a leftist into a leftist. No, the question was not aimed at leftists, but at Christians. At you. At me.
After posing the question about leftist conversion, Dr. Charlton wasted no time wading into some seemingly positive rationale for answering the conversion question in the affirmative:
Since you can't do anything about global totalitarianism, why not just make the best of it?
Why not exploit the situation instead of moaning about it? Do what is expedient - why not?
Why not make a successful career out of leftism - like so many others? Why not surrender your private mind to leftism, in the same way as you have already surrendered your public behaviour? By having any reservations at all, you are making yourself miserable - why not simply cast-aside those reservations?
Just say an inner yes to what you will, anyway, be forced to do (sooner or later)...
The last in the excerpt above is particularly pressing. As the days and weeks move forward, we are likely to increasingly find ourselves in circumstances in which we feel we are being forced to do something that goes against our will, belief, and judgement.
How will we respond to such pressure? What choices will we make? What will we do?
More importantly, what will we think?
Some of us may simply shrug and decide to grudingly submit to the program. Others may become resentful against God Himself. Why would he put us in such circumstances if He loves us? A few may embrace the notion; enthusiastically convert.
Hey, why not? As Dr. Charlton notes in his post:
There is no earthly reason why not.
Of course, the utter lack of an earthly reasons for not converting to leftism are tremendously outweighed by the simple yet seemingly infinite number of spiritual reasons for not converting to leftism, chief among them, the welfare of your soul.
Upon encountering Dr. Charlton's question, I took a few moments to conduct a little thought experiment and and attempted to imagine myself surrendering - willingly, wholeheartedly - to leftism.
I found I couldn't do it.
Not because I'm a saint, or sinless, or pure, or perfect, or righteous, or holy, or elevated, or what have you.
I know what leftism is.
For many years - too many to mention without feeling pangs of shame - I did say 'yes' to the conversion question to a certain degree. I was at best a tepid convert, but a convert all the same.
I mostly went along to get along. I deliberately said things I knew to be insincere and untrue; did things I recognized to be immoral and ugly; believed things I knew to be false and evil.
For years.
And I was able to do all of it because I had tricked myself in thinking that I was still a true Christian and that none of it really mattered - not in the present, not in the end, not ever.
I won't bore you with a prolonged digression of how I reverted back to being a more sincere Christian, but suffice to say the process involved the joyous acceptance that all of it - my words, my actions, my thoughts - really does matter. Nay, more than really matters - more like nearly all that matters, in the present, in the end, and forever.
As I thought back to my own conversion to leftism years ago, I simply could not imagine doing it again. Yes, I still struggle with sin, and I still scrub away at the leftist residue that stubbornly sticks like tar, but I can no longer imagine not being a Christian.
Especially not today. What would I be turning toward? What would I turn into?
Seriously . . .
I find it impossible to imagine not being a Christian because without Christ all I would have is the world, but with no means of overcoming.
I find it impossible to imagine not being a Christian because without Christ I would not know Truth, appreciate Beauty, understand Virtue.
I find it impossible to imagine not being a Christian because without Christ I know I cannot really, truly, deeply love.
And if I could not really, truly, deeply love, I would not be able to find purpose and meaning.
And without purpose and meaning, I would once again become a slave to fear, to comfort, to convenience, to lies.
I would live in complete darkness, yet remain convinced that my life was somehow bathed in light.
That part of me that is divine would diminish, perhaps even die.
No.
Been there. Done that. Never doing it again.
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