The Fallacy of Political Correctness

In the world in which we live, political correctness has almost become a mantra. It is felt that if the politically correct word or thought is repeated often enough in the right circumstances, the repetition will somehow transform people to accept the idea being espoused. It is often tied to diversity, with the idea that if we are politically correct we will be more accepting of cultural diversity. It is sometimes used to embarrass people for being intolerant of others. To avoid feeling embarrassed, many people will avoid stating their true feelings or will go along with the crowd.

But political correctness has a more sinister side lurking in its background. It is often a cover up for immoral, unethical and bad behavior. Tying behavior to political correctness provides it with a false sense of legitimacy. It can then become an excuse for intolerance, discrimination, bigotry and immorality. Being considered politically correct, these behaviors are never examined and judged for what they truly are. Under the guise of political correctness abortion and homosexuality are fashionable, intolerance towards Christians is acceptable, freedom of speech is discouraged, and discrimination against anyone disagreeing with political correctness is encouraged. Anyone not accepting the current politically correct positions is ironically heavily discriminated against, as several Christian students attending various universities have recently discovered when they went against the accepted social norms of the day.

The burden of political correctness seems to affect the Christian community the most, for many of the false ideologies that hide behind political correctness run counter to biblical ethics. They foster oppression against the church, even targeting individual Christians. As society becomes more pagan in nature, this trend will only continue. The physical, cultural, emotional and spiritual oppression we now feel will only intensify. Will the church be prepared to stand against the malevolent storm building against it?

In many ways the issue facing Christianity in the Western world today is similar to the situation faced by the people of God in the book of Judges. Several times they were oppressed for many years before God would step in. But he would only act when they cried out to him. The Hebrew word for “cry” in these passages implies a cry of desperation. It comes from a confession that they cannot control the situation. After trying everything else on their own, they finally cry out to God as their only hope and savior. They have to first acknowledge that they are totally dependent upon him. Only then does he act.

I wonder if the church today is going through similar times. For many years we have acted self sufficiently. We have attempted to do it on our own under the guise of success and power. We have sought to be successful by imitating successful church models, though experiencing the disquieting notion that all may not be well. We have inaugurated coalitions and joined political parties, but the various coalitions we have put together, such as Moral Majority, Focus on the Family, and the joined political parties, etc. have proved to be illusionary, unable to fully deliver the desired goals they have sought. We may wonder why God seems to be so inactive, not realizing that he is waiting for us to cry out to him for his help. He desires that we place our total trust and dependence upon him; only then will we experience his miraculous intervention on our behalf. And so he waits, waiting for us to cry out for deliverance. Have you reached the point of crying yet? May it be soon!