Christian support for historical censorship betrays biblical values
Commentary by Patrick McCormick | FāVS News
In January President Donald Trump issued an executive order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” threatening to cut federal funding to schools failing “to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand.”
Trump argues too many of our schools are “imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation’s children,” forcing innocent youngsters to embrace identities as victims or oppressors and impeding their ability to think critically.
Then March brought an executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” Here the goal was to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness,” by putting an end to a revisionist history infecting our national museums and parks.
According to Trump, this revisionist ideology rewrites “our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative” undermining “the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”
Following these orders to purge the stories told in our classrooms, museums, parks and monuments of unflattering details, nearly 300 troublesome words about race, class, gender and climate change were scrubbed from hundreds of federal websites and countless federal administrators urged their staff to avoid such terms, or indeed any words inconsistent with the administration’s political agenda or glowing portrayal of our past.
So, now we are not to teach our children stories that might make them critical of our nation or display artifacts that might raise questions about “our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness.” Indeed, we cannot even mention hundreds of words that might remind us of our need to improve.
Let us set aside the fact that no serious educator, historian or museum curator — no matter how much they love this country — believes our nation is without serious sins when it comes to matters of race, class and gender. Let us also ignore the reality that it is impossible to improve without acknowledging and correcting your failures. And let us overlook the gag-inducing irony of an executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” promulgated by a president who lied over 30,000 times in his first term and is already on track to beat that record.
The point is not to criticize Mr. Trump or his hypocrisy, but to ask why tens of millions of his Christian supporters agree that the official history of the most Christian nation on earth should forbid any serious examination or confession of our most grievous sins. How can they support a whitewashed version of our history that has deleted the two fundamental biblical themes of sin and repentance?
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible offers a catalogue of human sinfulness and a siren call for repentance. Adam and Eve begin a lineage of sinners that blossoms into a sinful humanity meriting God’s wrath in the flood. The Hebrew Scriptures’ greatest heroes, including Moses and David, commit terrible sins. And Israel’s prophets summon God’s people and their leaders to repent of an endless litany of sins. The Christian Scriptures begins with both John the Baptist and Jesus calling everyone to “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” and the Gospels make it clear that no unrepentant souls enter God’s reign.
Can you imagine any serious pastor suggesting we ought not read the Bible to our children because it will remind them of their sinfulness? Can you envision Christian preachers only giving sermons on the uplifting parts of the scriptures and leaving out any reference to our flaws and failings? Such preaching would make people less uncomfortable, but it wouldn’t be biblical or Christian.
There is no Scripture or Christianity without the confession of sin and commitment to repentance. In the Bible the unrepentant (like Pharaoh) are hard-hearted and stiff-necked villains, and the people who do not see and turn from their sins are condemned. And in Christianity the proud and unrepentant church is an oxymoron.
Donald Trump’s triumphalist whitewashing of American history may play well with those hoping to avoid a serious examination of our national conscience. But the majority of his Christian supporters — who seem hellbent on restoring our identity as a Christian nation — should know that the Bible and Christ’s commands to confess and repent of our sins can only be ignored at our peril.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
Thank you for this excellent reminder that repentance is at the heart of Christian dogma and practice and that our country is is dire need of repentance. The church’s stance must always been in opposition to the religion of blind nationalism.
What drew me to the bible and out hedonism was its truth about human nature; and, as it was then, it is now.
Very few preach “love thy neighbor”. If they do, it is only “love thy neighbor IF they agree with you”. Widening the divide is more important than making disciples. We do not want to disciple our enemies by drawing them by our love but rather force them to accept our version of Christianity.