If you are going to read a book in 2022 that will explain our modern notions of ...
- "my truth,"
- "living my authentic self,"
- "feeling I'm a woman trapped in a man's body,"
- "viewing modern institutions as places to perform, not be formed,"
- "my inner life is the source of truth,"
- "my identity is defined by me, not by any external authority,"
... then I suggest you buy a copy of Carl Trueman's latest book, Strange New World, at your earliest convenience. Shoot, go get it right now, while it's inconvenient. Just do it. Then read it and mark it up. Type up notes. You will see how we got into this mess and be steeled to confront a world of "emperors without clothes."
My Parents Would Be Utterly Confused
Both my parents were born in the late 1910's, of homogeneous Irish and Italian immigrants. I was born late in their child-rearing years and was cherished as the final gift to their family. Both have passed away. However, if I could resurrect them for one final conversation – about the events of our time – I don't need to wonder what they'd think about:
- William "Lia" Thomas transitioning from male to female and winning the 500y NCAA swimming championship as a woman ...
- Bruce "Caitlyn" Jenner, 1976 Olympic Gold Medal Decathlon champion – who fathered six biological children and graced Wheaties' cereal boxes – transitioning to a woman, stating "There is no bravery in becoming your authentic self. For me it was a form of cowardice to wait so long” ...
- Disney's Boardroom deciding Florida's children (K - 3rd grade) should be taught the full gamut of queer, lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender lifestyles as normative and worthy of celebration ...
- The President of the United States declaring transgenderism "the civil rights issue of our time," ...
- High Public Officials referring to women as "birthing people," so as not to offend biological women who transition to become "men," while remaining capable of pregnancy ... thus suggesting a "man" can birth a baby ...
- Universities requiring students to address classmates by their preferred pronouns, even if the pronoun is contrary to their biological sex or plural (they/them, as though the person embodies multiple genders or so-called "gender fluidity") ...
- Richard "Rachel" Levine, who has fathered two children, touted "Woman of the Year" by USA Today, becoming "the first woman to be a 4-star admiral in US Commissioned Corp" ...
- Yet, despite all that, Rachel Dolezal is not recognized as a Black woman ... (Why not? It's "her truth.")
My parents would be dumbfounded, thinking "what insanity has gripped modern man?" They might think I was making it up and call a psychologist on my behalf ... convinced I'd lost my mind. The psychologist's office would schedule an appointment ... for them, not for me.
Read It
If you haven't read Trueman's previous book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, this new book is its shorter cousin (187 vs. 407 pages). For the sake of our country, our children, your church, your family ... read this book. You may not remember all the details of it when you're done, but it will have formed your thinking, building convictions for the battle ahead.
I will probably devote a few posts to my takeaways from the book. Stay tuned...