What to Make of Extremists

The faithful readers of The Galli Report know that I have a weakness for extremists. They pound the edges of the frame we call civil discourse, bending it here and there. While this finally distorts the picture, along the way, one often gains new insights to the issue at hand because of their bending. Take race in America—lots of extremists are whacking at that frame today. I've already featured the recently expanded "Guiding Principles" of Black Lives Matter (BLM). On the other hand, Elaine Brown, the former chairwoman of the Black Panther Party, derides BLM, saying it has "a plantation mentality." The Black Panthers celebrate their 50th anniversary this year. The party, as you may recall, was a socialist, revolutionary, black power organization of some import back in the day. Brown criticizes BLM for trafficking in mostly sentimental victimhood, which suggests a truth about BLM and many disenfranchised groups. It's the stance they believe will win more hearts today. That's likely true. (The Marxist Black Panthers aren't known for having accomplished much, that's for sure.) Still there is something bracing, and attractive, in listening to Brown's pragmatic revolutionary fervor. Another extreme that has a kernel of truth is "Whiteness: The Original Sin." As I've said regarding other essays I've linked to, the rhetoric is excessive but the author's concern is not. When racism is inextricably bound up with being white, we not only have reverse racism, but more importantly, insight into the human condition. Race and ethnicity are God's gifts to us. Given human weakness, they are also a curse, because it's almost impossible to extol one's heritage without inadvertently, in subtle ways, denigrating the heritage of others. It's call pride, the original sin. So the critique of whiteness that so bothers this author actually contains a large measure of truth: Subtle and inadvertent racism is part and parcel of the fallen human condition. That means it also applies to black, Asian, Latinos, and so on. This was recently reconfirmed in two new studies that concluded, not surprisingly, that "we often think of ourselves as both morally superior and less biased than other people." As I said, the human condition. It's why the gospel of grace remains today's core "justice" issue—or better, justification issue. And why we Christians can listen to the most extreme voices with charity and patience as we try to discern the grace and truth of Jesus in these turbulent times.

The Uncomfortable Gospel Speaking of extremists, Jack Chick was certainly one. He passed away this week. Christians who lived through the '60s and '70s remember him either fondly or in horror. His tracts were no-nonsense condemnations of, well, most elements of modern life. He simply tried to scare people to repent. He became a cult figure that endeared him (if not his message) to many as an outsider-artist of Christian tracts. While most of us recoil at his insensitivity to this group or that, he was right about one thing. At the very center of gospel preaching is this uncomfortable message: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15, ESV). This is how the gospel writers summarized the preaching of Jesus anyway. This week on Quick to Listen: "Rigged!" Different sectors of society are claiming that our elections or our courts or the economy is rigged. What are we to make of these charges?

Grace and peace,

Mark Galli Editor, Christianity Today