The asymmetry thing is a big deal, and there are many examples. There's one I hesitate to mention, but I've become convinced is true: progressives are different from conservatives in that they are *liars.* In the specific cases of seminary theological statements, or organizational mission statements, or academic codes of conduct, progres…
The asymmetry thing is a big deal, and there are many examples. There's one I hesitate to mention, but I've become convinced is true: progressives are different from conservatives in that they are *liars.* In the specific cases of seminary theological statements, or organizational mission statements, or academic codes of conduct, progressives simply don't mind signing their names to things they absolutely don't believe. This allows them to burrow into organizations committed to hateful conservative ideals.
I almost wonder if progressives justify such behavior due to a belief in the leftward ratchet theory. "This mission statement I'm signing is conservative for now," they must tell themselves, "but it will drift leftward in the next 10-20 years because that's what always happens. History is on my side. What I'm signing is secretly the version that will be, not the version that is."
Of course, that leftward drift *does* happen in a lot of cases. Regarding church bodies and seminaries and universities in general, there was a moment in the 1960s where it looked like the leftward ratchet was an iron law of nature. Now, thanks to the counter-examples you've highlighted (and Calvin University looks like it's going to be another), progressives are going to experience their own crisis of faith in the leftward ratchet.
But yes, I try my best to be charitable towards people with whom I disagree, so I'm not normally the first guy to sign on to the statement, "The problem is they just plain lie more than we do." And I'm not entirely sure how true it is when we compare the secular right vs. left, but within the scope of Christianity and the church, it's absolutely, undeniably true.
Or rather, if a conservative Christian nakedly lies, it's almost invariably to cover up his personal crimes and sins. It's not to advance the cause of conservative Christianity per se (in fact, the effect is generally to undermine it for his own selfish benefit). But theological liberals will lie IN ORDER TO advance liberal theology. The difference is real.
And I don't think it's a new problem, I'm pretty sure I recall Gresham Machen noting it in "Liberalism and Christianity" -- that liberal Presbyterian clergy in the early 20th century were already signing on to statements affirming the WCF while clearly taking issue with large sections of it.
Unrelated to the church, one thought that has occurred to me is that conservatives could, for example, probably simultaneously undermine affirmative action and improve their own prospects through widespread lying about one's ancestry. Which I think is pretty easy to do, Hispanic probably being the weakest link.
I've heard that Brazil's affirmative action system is much more widely exploited than America's for the simple reason that it's a lower-trust society. I'll admit I've had this thought, for my children's benefit, but I dismiss it out of hand because I'm not a liar.
Though a more honest alternative is to look into whether one might qualify for Tribal status. Like many families, we have a rumor in ours, and it's on my agenda to dig into before my kids are applying to colleges -- to at least give them the option of ever using that arrow in their quiver.
Re Calvin U., see Paul Vander Klay's Youtube channel for more info ... although briefly, it looked like the denomination that owns it was drifting left (the CRC, I believe) but now the conservatives have won decisively there and the liberals are waking up to the fact that time is not on their side after all, because of demographics, etc. So the liberals are exiting the denomination. Over the next years the denomination will appoint increasingly conservative school presidents and the LGBT-friendly profs will be isolated and replaced. Probably.
Thanks. I agree with your refinement of the accusation against progressives.
Also, I too have a family with rumors of a Native American ancestor, and I've sometimes wondered how I could have exploited that, were I more cynical than I am.
The asymmetry thing is a big deal, and there are many examples. There's one I hesitate to mention, but I've become convinced is true: progressives are different from conservatives in that they are *liars.* In the specific cases of seminary theological statements, or organizational mission statements, or academic codes of conduct, progressives simply don't mind signing their names to things they absolutely don't believe. This allows them to burrow into organizations committed to hateful conservative ideals.
I almost wonder if progressives justify such behavior due to a belief in the leftward ratchet theory. "This mission statement I'm signing is conservative for now," they must tell themselves, "but it will drift leftward in the next 10-20 years because that's what always happens. History is on my side. What I'm signing is secretly the version that will be, not the version that is."
Of course, that leftward drift *does* happen in a lot of cases. Regarding church bodies and seminaries and universities in general, there was a moment in the 1960s where it looked like the leftward ratchet was an iron law of nature. Now, thanks to the counter-examples you've highlighted (and Calvin University looks like it's going to be another), progressives are going to experience their own crisis of faith in the leftward ratchet.
What's the news RE: Calvin?
But yes, I try my best to be charitable towards people with whom I disagree, so I'm not normally the first guy to sign on to the statement, "The problem is they just plain lie more than we do." And I'm not entirely sure how true it is when we compare the secular right vs. left, but within the scope of Christianity and the church, it's absolutely, undeniably true.
Or rather, if a conservative Christian nakedly lies, it's almost invariably to cover up his personal crimes and sins. It's not to advance the cause of conservative Christianity per se (in fact, the effect is generally to undermine it for his own selfish benefit). But theological liberals will lie IN ORDER TO advance liberal theology. The difference is real.
And I don't think it's a new problem, I'm pretty sure I recall Gresham Machen noting it in "Liberalism and Christianity" -- that liberal Presbyterian clergy in the early 20th century were already signing on to statements affirming the WCF while clearly taking issue with large sections of it.
Unrelated to the church, one thought that has occurred to me is that conservatives could, for example, probably simultaneously undermine affirmative action and improve their own prospects through widespread lying about one's ancestry. Which I think is pretty easy to do, Hispanic probably being the weakest link.
I've heard that Brazil's affirmative action system is much more widely exploited than America's for the simple reason that it's a lower-trust society. I'll admit I've had this thought, for my children's benefit, but I dismiss it out of hand because I'm not a liar.
Though a more honest alternative is to look into whether one might qualify for Tribal status. Like many families, we have a rumor in ours, and it's on my agenda to dig into before my kids are applying to colleges -- to at least give them the option of ever using that arrow in their quiver.
Re Calvin U., see Paul Vander Klay's Youtube channel for more info ... although briefly, it looked like the denomination that owns it was drifting left (the CRC, I believe) but now the conservatives have won decisively there and the liberals are waking up to the fact that time is not on their side after all, because of demographics, etc. So the liberals are exiting the denomination. Over the next years the denomination will appoint increasingly conservative school presidents and the LGBT-friendly profs will be isolated and replaced. Probably.
Thanks. I agree with your refinement of the accusation against progressives.
Also, I too have a family with rumors of a Native American ancestor, and I've sometimes wondered how I could have exploited that, were I more cynical than I am.
As the old dissident right slogan has it, "SJWs always lie."
Yeah, come to think of it, that's what probably emboldened me to say it.