Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. (Psalm 146:3-4)
Rising Fear and Authoritarianism: Lessons from History and Scripture
In this post I examine the use of fear in manipulating behavior. I also discuss the warning against authoritarianism, both from a historical and scriptural perspective. This post highlights the discussion on the current state of democracy. It also covers the warnings from George Washington about the dangers of political parties. It emphasizes the intersection of religious values and political decision-making, addressing the importance of righteous choices in the upcoming election.
There is a longstanding history of employing the fear of “the other.” This tactic turns humans into absurd weapons. It is used in service to an ideology. Fear is a very strong tool that can blur humans’ logic and change their behavior. Former President Trump took this tactic to a whole different level to manipulate conservative voters. This is nothing new. Demagogues have always used fear for intimidation of the subordinates or enemies and shepherding the tribe by the leaders.
Fear also destroys your faith in God and replaces it with trust in man. There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear. Fear involves punishment. The one who fears is not perfected in love. Perfect love does not fear the other. Jesus calls us to love those who are unlike us.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it
George Santayana
On January 6, 2021, a violent mob driven by fear and rage attacked the US capitol. They were incited by the President’s speech, which told them that they would no longer have a country. This shocking effort aimed to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. The crowd, many of whom were heavily armed and wearing military fatigues, broke through the barricades. They scaled the walls of Congress like commando fighters. They shattered doors and windows to enter the Capitol building. I was horrified as I watched in real-time the extreme violence in the mobs efforts to enter the Capitol. I was sitting in my living room overseeing my grandson with his classwork. I didn’t want image to become his view of America.
A Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police officer was crushed in the doorway. Sadly, one zealous insurgent, Ashley Babbitt, an air force veteran, was shot and killed by a guard. She attempted to climb through a bullpen glass panel door into the Capitol. Members of Congress were being evacuated at the time. This should never have happened in a free nation of laws, but it did. The former President told the crowd, “We fight like hell.” He said, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” 2 We shouldn’t forget this as we approach the anniversary of that fateful day, and the upcoming 2024 election. God help us!
Justice has become perverted in America. The law has become paralyzed (ignored), and justice fails to be upheld (Hab.1:4). I believe there is a bigger picture to consider as the fractures in our democracy are being revealed. George Washington warned of the dangers of political parties. He noted that over time, they can become potent engines. Cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men might then subvert the power of the people. They can usurp the reins of government for themselves.
Washington warned the American people against the negative impact that opposing political parties can have on the country. During his presidency he worried that future political squabbles would undermine the concept of popular sovereignty in the United States. He specifically stated, ”However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men (emphasis mine) will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.1
Apostle Paul also warns the Church to be on guard of being carried away by unprincipled men. “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity (2 Peter 3:17-18 NASB).
A country that was once considered as a global symbol of democracy is now teetering on brink of authoritarianism. I believe that those who support former President Trump’s authoritarian aspirations do not realize the potential consequences. They do not know how miserable life will be if he wins the 2024 elections.
Hosea 4:6 says, God’s people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, and because they rejected knowledge, He would reject them from being His priest or witnesses. Hosea brings an indictment against the people on God’s behalf. Israel had broken their covenant so God bought a case against her.
Israel’s breaking of the covenant consisted of its failure to absorb the qualities of life consistent with covenant obedience. These are the sins of omission “there is no faithfulness, or loyalty, and no lovers of God in the land” (v.1b). The word faithfulness indicates trustworthiness and fidelity to ones commitments. God is committed in relationship to Israel, but Israel has not reciprocated the trust God has shown. Israel’s story has been given to the Church of Jesus Christ as examples. The events that happened to them are written as warnings for us. They are intended for us, who live at the end of the age (1 Corinthians 10:11). Our faithfulness as believers should be to God first.
I am appalled and ashamed. Conservative evangelicals have bought into a Christian nationalistic view. This view does not work the works of righteousness that brings peace (Isaiah 32:17). A toxic political culture serves no purpose, but to create chaos and confusion. These actions contradict Christ’s teachings to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart.’ Love God with all your soul, and all your mind. And ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Matt. 22:34-40).
If the foundations of democracy continue to be destroyed, what will the righteous do? Will we stand for truth, justice, and righteousness? Or will we go along to get along, hoping that things will work out in the end? A nation that is truly under God would work to unite rather than divide for the betterment of the country. The existing divisions in the American Republic lower our faith in institutions. They also reduce trust in the institutions that help sustain a strong democracy.
America is at crossroads. Will the body of Christ choose righteously in 2024?
America is at crossroads. Will the body of Christ choose righteously in 2024?
Tweet
Notes: Unless otherwise identified, scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard unless otherwise noted.
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon. George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796). https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington-s-farewell-address/Accessed 13 January 2024
- Cooper-White p., The Psychology of Christian Nationalism, (2007). https://read.amazon.com/kindle-library
afrancinegreen.com 