I heard about Identity Politics and the Spirit of the Age: A Conversation with Political Theorist Joshua Mitchell – AlbertMohler.com from Social Media and Identity Politics and the Future of the Nation | The Christian Outlook.
Mitchell is the author of American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time – National Conservatism. Since the interview was so interesting, this is a book I am going to have to read.
Here is a description of the book.
America has always been committed to the idea that citizens can work together to build a common world. Today, three afflictions keep us from pursuing that noble ideal. The first and most obvious affliction is identity politics, which seeks to transform America by turning politics into a religious venue of sacrificial offering. For now, the sacrificial scapegoat is the white, heterosexual, man. After he is humiliated and purged, who will be the object of cathartic rage? White women? Black men? Identity politics is the anti-egalitarian spiritual eugenics of our age. It demands that pure and innocent groups ascend, and the stained transgressor groups be purged. (continued)
American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time – National Conservatism
What is identity politics about? What is the purpose of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality? Consider the following Bible passage, one that Mitchell cites in the interview. Consider what happened after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.
Genesis 3:8-13 New American Standard Bible
8 Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [a]cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
First, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve. Then Eve used the serpent as her scapegoat. From the first sin mankind has sought a scapegoat. From the beginning we have looked for someone else on which to load our guilt and carry it away. Yet only One is willing and able.
John 3:16 New American Standard Bible
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
How could John 3:16 have anything to do with identity politics? Well, those who believe in identity politics, Critical Race Theory, intersectionality and the like cannot find forgiveness without God, but that doesn’t stop them from desperately trying.
Listen to Albert Mohler’s interview with Joshua Mitchell, and see what you think.
Sounds like a good book. Will need to watch the video, too, when I have more time. René Girard wrote a ponderous tome called “The Scapegoat,” which takes a look at scapegoating throughout human history. He said scapegoating was fundamental in bringing a false peace between warring tribes (by killing an agreed upon scapegoat). Jesus exposed scapegoating by allowing us to not only kill an innocent man, but kill God himself. Jesus’ resurrection forever exposed that evil system for all to see throughout all history.
Identity politics, critical race theory, etc., represent the very worst aspects of scapegoating, as you said here. It’s a worldview that is antithetical to the Christian worldview. It’s fundamentally Marxist in its ideology of pitting one group against another. It’s become the religion of the woke left.
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@Mel
You may wish to check out this poll => https://echeloninsights.com/in-the-news/february-omnibus-party-concerns/. I referenced it in this post => https://citizentom.com/2021/02/26/they-lie-without-rest/.
Whereas Republicans are focusing on issues, the Democratic Party is trying to scapegoat at least a quarter of the population. That is tyrannical. When I said here, https://citizentom.com/2021/01/08/only-democrats-can-save-the-republic/, that only Democrats can save the republic, I was dead serious. Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea how to convince Liberal Democrats to stop fearing and hating Trump’s supporters.
It is remarkably silly. There were hundreds of violent George Floyd riots last year, and the nuts are still rioting in Portland, OR, but the so-called mainstream news media did not tar Liberal Democrat politicians with any blame for riots, even though they actually voiced support. So, Liberal Democrat politicians get a pass. Yet one riot, even though all Republicans, including Donald Trump, strong condemned it was enough to tar Trump’s supporters as violent and tyrannical. Just because the small portion of the crowd in DC who actually attacked the Capitol involved people who looked like a Trump supporters, the so-called mainstream news media had some pictures they could use to blame Trump, and that was enough.
They even called it an insurrection. But the most dangerous weapons the rioters had was pepper spray. If the Capitol Police had properly prepared, the rioters would never have made it into the Capitol Building. If the rioters had actually been as dangerous as insurrectionists, there would have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people shot and killed killed.
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Couldn’t agree more. It’s the definition of tyranny. Not only that, the radical woke left is at war with reality.
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