One would be hard pressed to find anyone, regardless of political persuasion, who wouldn’t acknowledge that our state and nation have been, and remain, in a state of turmoil. From the COVID crisis … to the climate crisis … to the transgender crisis … to the education crisis … to the crisis of loneliness … and on and on. No sooner has one issue grabbed our attention than an even more disturbing one is being forced onto the societal stage – it, too, demanding our immediate attention. The net effect is nothing less than an unrelenting state of social chaos, leaving an increasingly large number of people, especially young people, bewildered and, sometimes, despairing. Indeed, it’s been an unsettling phenomenon we’ve been experiencing for years now. 

For those who lack the stabilizing influences of a solid family and faith life, it’s been especially hard to bear. Even for those with such resources to draw on, the whole experience has been dizzying and disconcerting. Trying to understand it all has proven very challenging, to say the least. All of which makes me pleased and excited at the recent arrival of several extremely well-researched and well-written works that go a long way toward helping us connect the dots … to making sense … of it all. In fact, my sole intent in this posting is to introduce you to three such books. I have found them very helpful in comprehending what’s going on, and I hope you will find informative as well. They are:

1)     “The Weaponization of Loneliness” by Stella Morabito
2)     “America’s Cultural Revolution” by Christopher Rufo
3)     “The Marxification of Education” by James Lindsay

In way of general comment, I would not classify any of these as an easy read, although “The Weaponization of Loneliness” comes closest. The truth is, they require effort on the part of the reader, but it is an effort I believe is richly rewarded. The Morabito and Rufo books are of a more general nature, while the Lindsay work, as the title indicates, takes a deeper dive into education, in particular. Each, in their own way, offers insights to help the reader better grasp the steady stream of events and news items which frequently leave us wondering, “where in the world did an idea like that come from?”; or saying to ourselves, “where’s the logic in that?!”; or thinking, “I’m quite sure the Constitution doesn’t allow what I’m seeing!” In short, they’re works that help us make sense of our daily experience of public life by revealing the common ideological root from which these things spring. The operating assumption is that as we grow in our understanding of what’s going on, our feelings of frustration and fear will be diminished, and our feelings of confidence and resolve will be enhanced.

That said, the most important takeaway -- a takeaway sited by all three authors -- is simply that we are in this sad circumstance because we, as a culture, are no longer deeply grounded in the truths of Scripture, especially that one Truth that took on human flesh and blood, our Lord Jesus. No longer do we collectively understand we are a people bound together in one human family … that we are all created by God and all bear His image. No longer do we understand we are all deeply stained by sin and we are all offered full and free forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. Though these books are not primarily religious in character, in the end, each makes clear it is the proclamation of the Christian Gospel and the moral guidance offered by Holy Scriptures which offers us not just the promise of personal salvation, but also the hope of a renewed society, a society not so much marked by suspicion and division as by trust and harmony.

The Lord’s blessings on your reading and on your reflecting.

In Christ,
Rev. Fredric Hinz
fred.hinz@mnsdistrict.org
507-317-9634

Public Policy Advocate
Minnesota South and North Districts   
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod