Cultural Marxism

Early in January of this year a friend referred me to an article on cultural Marxism in the Journal of Christian Legal Thought. My initial interest was in the article “A Primer on Cultural Marxism” by P. Andrew Sandlin. The article provides a broad picture of the impact of cultural Marxism in society today and will prove to be valuable to those who are following my blog.

Just a note on terminology. What Sandlin refers to as “cultural Marxism” would be what I have been referring to in this blog as the cultural results of the Postmodern Movement’s ideology. The particular results I am focusing on is the decentering of truth based on a critical knowledge of reality in order to give central authority to an alt-truth that is the common language and strategy of the postmodern culture. Of course, this means that the Postmodern ideology has its roots in Critical Theory, which has been the ever more dynamic driving intellectual force in academic and sociopolitical centers since the 1960s. Critical Theory is Marxian at the core. There are good reasons to unpack these relationships, not least of which is to recognize the size of the problem we are facing as a democracy and the problems of secularization we are facing in the church.

For those who want to more fully explore this whole subject matter, I would recommend that you first read the lead article “Putting First Things First,” by Thaddeus J. Williams. It serves both as an introduction to the entire issue, but also as an editorial comment on various aspects of the whole.  In my opinion, the entire issue would serve well as a basis for a book club study covering several weeks.

https://www.christianlegalsociety.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/CLSJournal_Winter2019_web.pdf

Separation of Church and State

The teaching of separation of church and state was forcefully stated and supported by Thomas Jefferson.  However, it takes nothing from him to be reminded that this concept was not something he created out of thin air. Not only does it have its roots as a concept early in the Bible record, it was an issue through the centuries, became a critical issue in the Reformation, was a major factor in the everyday lives of the Pilgrims as they fled Europe for America. Separation of church and state was a defining issue for the Baptists when the original constitutional documents were being written, as can be seen in this article from Time magazine. https://time.com/5103677/church-state-separation-religious-freedom/

Pew Research Center Report on Polarization

While the subject of our study is a focus on a truth vs. alt-truth conflict that is widely spread in major institutions and most sectors of society, research on the political scene, prior to the Trump years shows that the shrinking influence of the center.  The problem is not narrowly a political problem.

The widely respected Pew Research Center has been tracking the trend for more than two decades.  This should warn us that polarization won’t be solved in a political way alone.  Truth is everyone’s concern, or should be.

Follow this link to gain a brief but powerful image of what research shows.  www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/12/7-things-to-know-about-polarization-in-america/