We live in a strange world where there are those who believe in neither the “deep state” nor sin. Both have consequences in our lives – one temporarily this side of eternity and the other now and eternally.
While Wikipedia calls “deep state” an American conspiracy theory, one historian said, “Ex-CIA John McLaughlin, the interim director, and John Brennan both praised it: ‘Thank God for the deep state.’”
Victor Davis Hanson, a historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, was interviewed recently by The Epoch Times. If you only read one article this week, even if it means you stop reading this one, read that one in full. Hopefully, you’ll read both, because I’m going to bring a Christian worldview with some biblical advice on how we can help break these physical and spiritual strongholds.
Hanson nails the sin of the “deep state” with one word: hubris. Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence. It can be anyone’s sin. I recognize the pride and confidence of our president. Trump got elected on the premise of “Make America Great Again” – a slogan reaching out to those who remember what America is supposed to be and are opposed to the direction progressivism is taking it.
And that upsets the deep state. So they’ve been trying to destroy Trump with a thousand cuts – attacking any real or created weakness repeatedly. It’s the same strategy they use to attack the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
What is the deep state? Hanson says the classic definition is “a state within a state.” It consists of the permanent bureaucracies and the leverage of people and power who shift within these entities and their “…ability to do damage to you or me – the IRS, the NSA, the FBI, the CIA, some of the top cabinet officials – they are people who transcend elections. They are not elected.”
They are supposed to be civil servants, but some are less than civil if the elected person, in this case, President Trump, doesn’t fit their ideals or agenda. And yes, it can be, and often is, the media.
So what is the progressive agenda, which Hanson calls the progressive project, they so wish to protect and grow? He explains:
“So the progressive project started in the 19th century. And it took hold with Woodrow Wilson in the early ’20s, and its basic belief was that the U.S. Constitution erred on the side of liberty rather than equality. [They thought] We should have been like the French Revolution, more of a fluid concept that would change with the times and use the power of government not to ensure equality of opportunity but to mandate equality of result. And therefore, there were certain things in the Constitution that prevented that project.”
Hanson talks of the progressive agenda being a “multifaceted effort by intellectuals, academics, foundations, progressive members of the Democratic Party to change, formally, the Constitution and to change the mindset of the American people so that we can make people all the same by the powers of government.” They want this despite the obvious failures of those likeminded in Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, China, and more.
Even within the United States, we are beginning to see some states which have adopted the progressive ideology begin to suffer (California comes to mind). Unfortunately, rather than admit these policies created the mess, citizens of those states move to other states and try, yet again, to make a failed idea work.
We see this progressive project reflected in recent attempts to hide dangerous policies in something called “The Equality Act.” This progressive project is also seen in their multi-faceted attack on the Electoral College. Or worse, Chai Feldblum who served nine years at the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) even after stating “sexual liberty should win” in the legal fight between “religious liberty and sexual liberty.” What that means is the nullification of the First Amendment. Did you notice how Feldblum didn’t even use “equality” but “liberty” instead? It’s another example of warping words to advance identity politics.
Hanson says the United States is the only major country in the world who says the protections of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution prevent us from having a totalitarian state which crushes individual freedom and liberty – the end result of the progressive project. Those documents are supposed to be the bulwark against insanity and the turmoil other countries have faced and do face when they aren’t built on a strong biblical foundation. And the progressive project continues to try to punch holes in them through any means necessary. That is the deep state.
Another ally against the deep state was supposed to be the Fourth Estate, the press. The press is being willfully ignorant of what happens to journalists in countries where these freedoms have been lost. Even in the U.S. more journalists were investigated or jailed under President Obama than any under President Trump. James Risen, a former reporter at The New York Times, called Obama’s administration “the greatest enemy of press freedom in a generation.”
The more our country embraces the progressive project, the farther the freedoms of the press will sink into the swampy mire.
The Failure of the First Estate – the Clergy
The same sin of pride which emboldens the deep state, as well as the Fourth Estate, is also with the First Estate. When clergy in America fight over the clear meaning of sin as defined by the Bible and try to redefine it to suit modern desires – they contribute to the cause of progressivism.
Both journalists and clergy have gone from suppressing the truth (Romans 1:18) to now fighting over the simplicity of the existence of truth. (If you dare, here’s a 10 minutes video to open your mind about truth both logically and spiritually as Frank Turek answers the question, “Is Truth Knowable?”)
Between the press and the clergy, it is the clergy who are the greater failures since their profession is supposed to be centered on truth (John 14:6). When faithfully proclaimed, the truth shapes culture. When culture is elevated to define the truth, then the clergy have themselves been redefined and have failed in their calling.
The Solution to Really Make America Great Again
Rather than wail about our country which seems to be going off the rails, we can choose to dig deep into God’s Word and draw closer to Him. Follow His lead to repent and then you, I, and the whole nation may see how His promises are not man’s promises.
Come what may: pray, vote, and pray some more. Visit here if you want to know how to vote biblically, even if the choices seem like the lesser of two evils. Remember to pray for whoever gets elected, whether you voted for the person or not.
Americans, both believers, and non-believers, have taken for granted how blessed we are. We’ve either forgotten or have never known Romans 2:4, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Romans 1 and 2 talk about sin and God’s wrath toward those who practice and espouse it. By Romans 8 we see there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
If you haven’t read Romans 1, 2, and 8 in a while, start there. Then regularly return to God’s Word so you won’t be deceived. And if you aren’t sure of who to listen to or don’t have a local church, AFR.net's lineup has programs like “Exploring the Word,” “Turning Point,” “Truth for Life,” and more to help with your spiritual growth.
If you aren’t sure of the validity of the Bible (and why knowing what it defines as sin IS sin) and its inerrancy as the word of the living God, then visit theGodwhospeaks.org or explore people like J. Warner Wallace or Josh McDowell or Ravi Zacharias.
Also, AFA’s Executive Vice-President Ed Vitagliano has created several resources to better understand progressivism (its history and possible future in America). Please access these resources in the AFA Store here, here, and here.
If the Word and the Holy Spirit led you to repentance, then take the path. We can humble ourselves by turning from sin with Christ’s help. Do we dare admit through our actions we love God more than our sin by repenting?
And even if God doesn’t allow America to be great again and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14), won’t you still experience blessings beyond the here and now from your personal obedience to God? Don’t let pride get the best of you. Obedience is a blessing and repentance is obedience.
