When people ask me if I’m still involved in politics, I tell them that I’m on a sabbatical. The disastrous nature of the 2016 presidential campaign is the only thing that has pulled me back in a bit. This is not to say that I’m apathetic. I simply don’t pay attention to the “noise” of the daily news cycle as Nassim Taleb would say.
Reading Taleb’s book Fooled by Randomness has helped me think carefully about what I intuitively felt about politics. The daily grind of responding to news is not healthy or helpful. It also leads to unnecessary conflict. Why fight over the dew that will evaporate by noon?
Christians should be especially cautious of the daily news cycle. I’m afraid that we are getting pulled to and fro by agendas that are not our own.
The current noise surrounding bathrooms and gender identity is really a symptom of the sea of confusion over what is real. Thanks to Descartes and others, the West is obsessed with finding the true self within the self. This is a never-ending quest into a black hole. It’s important to remember that this confusion is the absurd result of a particular stream of Enlightenment thought and not some universal problem.
The Bible is clear about our identity: through Jesus Christ, we are adopted as sons of the one true God. Confidence in one’s identity is attractive. The Christian message offers a safe harbor in the sea of confusion.
Christians: do not allow yourself to be pulled into the sea of confusion. Instead, offer the message of Christ, which is a safe harbor to all who believe. I’m sympathetic to the argument that Christians should now be focused on building up separate and parallel institutions. My own faith tradition affirms this activity. We could see many others join us. Let’s build some safe harbors together.
Tyler Dale Gaastra 