Were you expecting the year 2021 to be any better? I sensed an uneasiness this past New Year's Day. It was a cautiously, or perhaps hesitant, optimism about the new year. I doubt there were many of us foolish enough to assume that we left the troubles of the world behind us in 2020.
If there was anyone who was hoping for a calmer, more normal year, then those hopes have been thoroughly frustrated by yesterday's calamitous events. In the aftermath of such chaos and violence in the seat of our nation's government, how we should respond? Specifically, how ought Christians think about and answer what we witnessed in the United States of America? I will give my imperfect, incomplete answer in two parts. In this post, I will deal with what I see as more preliminary issues, then in part two, I will provide my analysis of what this event means.
Trump's Leadership Was Inexcusable
Much of the responsibility for the violence and riots that happened yesterday fall on Trump's leadership. It has become something of a meme in right-leaning circles the past four years to say, "Orange Man Bad!" This refers to the predictable reaction that mainstream media would have to anything that happened between Trump's inauguration until the present. No matter what occurred at home or abroad, the Very Serious People, journalists, and media pundits would turn to say it was Trump's fault—Orange Man Bad!
I did not support Trump in his 2016 campaign but neither did I join the Never Trump crowd. Similar to how I never would have called myself a Never Obama-er. The reasons were two-fold: first, I believe in change and redemption, so I do my best to never write-off any person but to hope that they one day might hold the same principles that I do; second, I saw the Never Trump position as being a reactionary stance which inevitably allowed one's opinions to be controlled by the choices of someone else. Hence, no matter the actual cause, the Left and conservative Never Trumpers were always forced to choose Orange Man Bad.
So, I cannot be accused of the same reactionary judgments by many on the Left or the Never Trump crowd. I have always tried to judge his statements and actions fairly and without bias. This same commitment leads me to be disgusted with his leadership yesterday.
The President of the United States used his influence in such a reckless and negligent manner that a mob of thugs overran the Capitol, resulting in a loss of life and destruction. I am not saying that Trump is directly responsible for the woman's death or that the rioters' culpability is shifted to Trump. However, I do believe that he holds more blame for what happened than what some conservatives are willing to say. James 4:1-12 warns us about the power of the tongue and how we ought to master control over it more than any other part of our body. He wrote, "So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. And the tongue is a fire" (James 3:5-6, CSB). Trump's tongue started that fire yesterday.
He incited the rally of people with wild rhetoric of not conceding, continued to make claims about voter fraud which have not held up in court, and attacked his allies including his Vice President. I am ashamed of this behavior. Yes, he did eventually tell the rioters to peacefully go home (though still with some mixed messages) and he stated this morning that there would be an orderly transition to the next president. Good. Yet I still see it as too little, too late.
Believe me, I am nowhere near thrilled about the incoming Biden/Harris administration; but after yesterday, I say good riddance to Donald Trump. Does yesterday's chaos justify the Never Trumpers? No, I do not believe so. Samuel James argued that it did. I think that Christian philosopher William Lane Craig's assessment was much better.
No Defense for the Rioters
We have enough video evidence to see these rioters forcibly pushing back barricades, breaking through windows, and attacking law enforcement. I have absolutely no words of defense for these thugs.
I'm disappointed by so many conservatives who are determined to argue that these violent people were actually Antifa or some other covert Left-wing group. Until contrary evidence comes out, why do we need to assume that they were anything other than who they presented themselves to be? Certainly, we can continue to be peaceful, principled conservatives while casting out the barbarians in our midst. I feel no compulsion to play defense attorney for these rioters in order to retain moral authority for my political convictions.
There were most likely many people at the rally and protest yesterday who were peaceful and did not participate in the mayhem. I am in full support of any group's right to protest a matter that is important to them. I love the first amendment. Even if I disagree with your cause, I'll defend your right to speak about it. Similarly, I am in full support of peaceful, non-violent resistance to the government. However, the rioters' conduct yesterday went far beyond a fair exercise of free speech. The belief in free speech assumes that there is power in principled arguments. They revealed that their only principle is power.
The Double Standard
Almost as unbelievable as what happened inside the Capitol is the double standard applied to this riot by the mainstream media. These cataclysmic events are all the more difficult to understand since we are inundated by the narratives of activist journalists. In other words, we can barely look at the event and actors involved as they are and make a judgment about them. Every portrayal of them comes with an opinion or interpretation.
The immediate narrative drawn by the mainstream media was that this entire assembly of conservatives was a violent mob looking to accomplish a coup. Very few people either in the news or on social media were willing to give it such an empathetic, nuanced view as was expected for the BLM demonstrations.
The violence from BLM and Antifa rioters was far greater in damage to private property and loss of life. Americans watched major cities burn for months in response to the George Floyd killing. They also watched Joe Biden and other Democratic politicians repeatedly refuse to acknowledge the existence of Antifa. Biden called them an "idea," not an organization. Jerry Nadler alleged that the reports of Antifa violence were a right-wing conspiracy. Trump's handling of this event has been negligent, but the Democratic leaders were not much better this year.
Those who condemned the rioting and looting were scolded for their calllousness. They were told that it was insensitive to denounce the rioting; instead, they should be empathetic to the reasons why people resorted to looting. Christians were often at the forefront of this scolding. Too many of these same Christians were lamenting the disruption of Congress yesterday, while silent when churches were vandalized and burned last summer.
Well, where are the empathy police now? Violent rioters aside (which I already condemned above), shouldn't we also consider what is causing so many Americans to distrust their government? Why can't we ask the reasons for disillusionment among the left-leaning BLM protesters and right-leaning MAGA protesters?
I believe that if we actually listened to both groups, then we would discover that they have much in common. Namely, the feeling that the people occupying seats of power have no true awareness of the reality of their lives and no real concern to do anything about it. Tho Bishop writing at Mises Institute articulated this well:
Once upon a time, those in power were smart enough to recognize the importance of popular support and went to great lengths to help ensure a level of general consensus. While technology has made the manufacturing of consent more difficult now than ever before, it is ultimately the arrogant behavior of those in power that is sowing the seeds of true subversion of federal authority. Washington today is an increasingly isolated, imperial city, occupied by legions of mediocre and arrogant dunces who are incapable of empathizing with the sincere concerns of average Americans. Ultimately, this is a recipe for political instability and decline.
I fear that we will miss this insight if we continue to allow ourselves to be influenced by reductionist double-standards. Yet, it might be that us missing this point—not interpreting events for ourselves, deaf to the concerns of those across the aisle, remaining unable to unify—is just what the media and political establishment wish to happen.
In my next post, I will provide an analysis of what these events mean. I believe that what we are witnessing—and the opportunity for Christians—goes much deeper than BLM or MAGA, Antifa, or White Nationalism. I'll give you a preview: we must reject the humanistic worldview which is ruling our country and, unfortunately, too many Christians have allied with.