In the Old Testament, young Samuel believes he is being called by Eli. But Eli is certain “the Lord was calling the youth.” The Lord calls Samuel for allegiance to a War Lord, King David, and to a warrior nation, Israel. In the Gospel, Andrew believes he is being called by Jesus. Jesus says nothing of Old Testament belief, nothing of certainty, nor of WarLords. Instead, Jesus asks Andrew, “What are you looking for?” Andrew is looking for knowledge of Jesus and thus asks him, “Where are you staying?” Jesus answers, “Come, and you will see.” Andrew “stayed with Jesus.” Andrew experiences a peacemaker and tells others he “found the Christ.”
Samuel and Eli from the Old Testament can represent people whose belief is certain in a War Lord and a warrior nation, but not well balanced with critical thinking. Critical thinking has three ingredients that are helpful, but challenging – to belief, to certainty, and to War Lords. Critical thinking is based on criteria, is self-correcting, and is aware of context (M. Lipman). What happens when we challenge belief with critical thinking? First, whatever we believe about belief, we can grant it exists in critical thinking’s realm of criteria, an objective agreed upon standard. Second, life’s certainties are worked through via critical thinking’s self-correcting process which includes stages of uncertainty. Third, critical thinking’s awareness of context makes distinctions, for example, between an Old Testament War Lord and a Gospel peacemaker. Failure to balance belief with critical thinking produces an unbalanced, unthinking society, such as the present U.S. society. The U.S. is filled with believers certain in their War Lord and their warrior nation. These believers who lack critical thinking are religious conservatives. This is ironic, since for much of the global media era religious conservatives have lamented the loss of critical thinking; William F. Buckley (Up From Liberalism), Bill O’Reilly (Culture Warrior), Victor Davis Hanson (The Case for Trump). The lamentations of the latter are routinely communicated by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News. But Fox’s cadre of lamenting conservatives has for decades been proven to regularly communicate not facts, investigations, and truth but lies, biases, and disinformation. They have specifically done so around the recent presidential election. Religious conservatives, therefore, have never been lamenting the loss of critical thinking; the loss of criteria, self-correction, and context. They have always been lamenting the loss of conservative propaganda. Conservatives have long been nullifying “Christian” as a critical thinking criteria by applying it to their warrior selves and their warrior nation to which they are faithful. Second, they are certain the Bible, or church dogma, is without error and thus certain they never need to self-correct. Third, they assert “God uses imperfect people like Trump… (after all,) King David wasn’t perfect,” and thus prove their context is War Lords and not the peaceful Christ. Religious conservatives cannot be compared with critical thinking peacemakers like Andrew in the Gospel. Andrew validated “Christ” as the criteria for Christians by staying with Christ Jesus and being faithful to his Way. Also, Andrew’s belief and thinking go through self-correcting uncertainties because Jesus keeps challenging the holy books and dogma of the religious conservatives of his time. Third, Andrew’s context of the “Christ” is as a peacemaker, a man persecuted by believers certain about War Lords and warrior nations. Religious conservatives have rejected balanced critical thinking as disciples in favor of unbalanced conservative propaganda as citizens. It is evident most recently in violent practices and plans related to the inauguration of a new War Lord. Conservative propaganda has little if anything to do with Jesus and everything to do with Biblical Nationalism. Being a believing and thinking follower of Jesus like Andrew means we are willing to challenge Biblical Nationalists as we are willing to challenge ourselves.
“You can dwell in the most atrocious dream world and call it religious faith – all the while planning the destruction of the world.” (Daniel Berrigan SJ)
Prayer: Spirit of Belief and Knowledge, keep us balanced and thoughtful as peacemakers.
Question: What can I do to not be an unthinking conservative but a critical thinking peacemaker?
January 17, 2021 Gospel John 1:35-42 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time