Apparently, we need another dose
In my first post on what I have coined the “Young, Restless, and Red-Pilled” movement (see here), I gave a brief history of both the original “Young, Restless, and Reformed” movement and my connection to it. I explained how this new YRR movement shares similarities to the first YRR movement, and not in the good kind of way. I explained that what these movements shared was an overreaction to evils in the culture and compromise in the Church. But the pendulum swung too far.
In order to keep the original post to a reasonable length, I limited it to three main issues. However, in light of some recent developments among some of the faces of the new YRR movement, as well as the implications of these developments upon the unity and mission of the Church, I believe a further examination is needed.
I have two things to say by way of introduction to the content in this post. First, I am deeply concerned and saddened by what I have seen in this Young, Restless, and Red-Pilled movement. I do not believe I am overreacting, and I am certainly not a prude. There are lines laid out in the Word of God, and when we cross those lines, it must be dealt with. Second, I know that this will continue to win me no favour among several friends and acquaintances who have, whether they can articulate it or not, bought into facets of the YRR worldview. I am sure I will continue to be called a pearl-clutching pietist, or maybe even a slanderer, and am at peace with all of it. I have devoted my Christian life to pursuing Christ, His Word, and applying that truth. I will not, I repeat - I will not let some immature Theo-Bros stop me now.
Legalistic Liturgy
It’s no surprise to anyone who is being honest that there is a lot of very bad music coming out of the Christian Music Industry. There are countless examples of songs being sung in churches all over Canada that, at best, are neutral and squishy theologically, and, at worst, contain outright blasphemies and untruth. We also have endless examples of boring and generic music that exists because artists have contractual obligations to get an album out regularly. There are also many instances of music being written for the express purpose of eliciting an overly-emotional response above and beyond the worship of God.
One of the responses to this trend is for churches to say that they will only sing tried and true hymns, songs that have stood the test of time for excellence in instrumentation, lyrics, and theological content. If that is the preference of a local church, that’s fine. Other churches have decided that they will only sing Psalms in church, put to various instrumental arrangements that may or not be based on existing hymns. Also, fine. Some churches, such as my own, sing a mixture of older hymns, modern music, and music written by our own musicians, a practice accompanied by a rigorous examination of each song to ensure it is true, good, and beautiful. Believers are entitled to their preferences in corporate worship music, so long as it is Biblically sound, singable, and written and performed with excellence.
The problem within this new YRR movement is elevating preference to principle, and what’s worse, saying that those who do not follow said principle are either compromising or disobedient, or both. The argument goes something like this: “The Psalms are the Divinely-inspired songbook of God’s people, the Church. It’s what they sang in the Old Testament, it’s what they sang in the New Testament, and it’s what we should sing. It’s Psalms-only or sinfulness.”
There is zero Biblical support for this strong assertion, and I mean zero. The position is some combination of arguments from silence, assumptions, and an over-reaction to the ills of much modern music. First, the Bible nowhere commands that the gathered people of God are required to sing Psalms exclusively. Second, passages that do address what we should sing include in the repertoire not only Psalms but also hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16). Third, the New Testament itself contains early Christian hymns that the early Church would most definitely have sung when they gathered (Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Peter 2:21-25). Fourth, if we are going to be consistent, those inspired hymns in Scripture would have had with them inspired music, which we simply cannot reproduce. This is not a small matter; in songs, the music is inseparable from the lyrics. Imagine singing “Happy Birthday” in your mind right now to the melody of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Doesn’t that feel awkward and ill-fitting? Lyrics and music go together, hand in glove. Fifth, if we only sing the Psalms, then we will never, and I mean never, sing any of the following words during our corporate gatherings: Jesus, Christ, Messiah, and Church.
I understand wanting to avoid error in our music and in our worship, and I understand putting safeguards into place so that we honour the Lord. But this Legalistic Liturgy promoted by the Young, Restless, and Red-Pilled is going outside of what the Scriptures command and expound. It is much closer to the man-made traditions Jesus criticized than it is to Biblical requirements.
Unbalanced Uncertainty
One of the consequences of the COVID-era is a thorough distrust of our institutions and authorities. We have seen that our elected officials, unelected health bureaucrats, legacy media, education system, and Big Pharma cannot be trusted. They represent their own interests, which often centre around wealth and power, and they are not committed to the well-being of the average citizen. We are wise to approach these elites with skepticism (which is why many of us did not buy the narrative from the get-go).
However, skepticism and distrust can only go so far. There is a point where measured caution becomes untethered kookiness (I know, a very technical term). Not everything is up for grabs. Not everything is a psyop. Not everything is due to a shady cabal of very powerful people hell-bent on humanity’s destruction. Not everything is a lie built upon a conspiracy built upon revising history. Some things can be trusted and are stable.
I have seen an unbalanced uncertainty emanating from the Young, Restless, and Red-Pilled, and I believe COVID did not create it; rather, it both exposed it and gave it the materials to make the kind of tinfoil mad-hattery that goes too far, even for me, and I already have a gorgeous full-bodied tinfoil gown to go along with my beautiful jewel-encrusted tinfoil crown.
For example, I do not subscribe to what’s known as the “postwar consensus.” Essentially, the postwar consensus is a shared economic order and social model of which the major political parties in post-war Britain shared. This consensus encouraged nationalisation, strong trade unions, heavy regulation, high taxes, and an extensive welfare state. Rich Lusk offers this helpful explanation of the postwar consensus (read the full article here):
“In the aftermath of the war, triumphant Western nations could have chosen to reclaim the legacy of Christendom and rebuild a Christian civilization, as their fathers had done generations before. It was possible, had there been the will, desire, and vision. Instead, the powers-that-be chose to create a secular, egalitarian, globalist “new world order” – the essence of the “post-war consensus.” The elites thought this was the best way to prevent another Hitler, another Nazi regime, from arising and wreaking havoc: Dissolve all religious, familial, and national identities in an acid of globalism and then people won’t fight because they won’t have anything worth fighting for. Weaken their loves, cancel their natural affections, dilute their religious convictions, and peace will follow. Or so the thinking went… Replace patriarchy with feminism, colonialism with diversity, and patriotism with consumerism, and nationalism with globalism.”
As a Christian who loves the Lord and believes His Word, I reject much, if not all of the ideologies represented within the postwar consensus because they are Statist and Marxist. Many in the YRR insist that Evangelicalism has been fully captured by a postwar consensus that goes even farther than what was mentioned above. For example, for some, Winston Churchill was the chief villain of World War 2, and Adolf Hitler was misunderstood - he was not as bad as everyone says and was actually a Christian. A total rewriting and complete overhaul of history is necessary because the New World Order has given its own slant to the current history books.
According to many in the YRR, the real problem, the invisible hand that directs the West, is a powerful and unknown group of Jews who control all of the banks, the entertainment industry (including porn), and pull the levers of power. Any support of Israel in any way, even when they are slaughtered by terrorists, is seen as holding water for the Jews and is an example of a person who has been brainwashed by Zionist thinking.
You know who else can’t be trusted according to the YRR? Boomers, or any older person who has criticisms of the Crusades, who has concerns about raw milk, and who does not approve of Christian Universities creating an advertisement with an image of Johnny Cash giving the middle finger. (You might think these examples are hyperbole, but I can assure you, they are evidences that a person has yielded to postwar Zionism.)
One of the gargantuan ironies in all of this is that the YRR question and doubt almost everything, but they certainly do not doubt their own presuppositions, biases, and beliefs that may be the product of reactionary skepticism rather than measured critical thinking.
Coming out of the COVID-era, I remember a certain breed of tinfoil hattery that was, in my estimation, a wee bit too far. I remember seeing their posts on social media, and it was a person who usually held at least four of if not all five of the following beliefs: 1. The moon landing was faked, 2. The earth is flat, 3. Christmas and Easter are really pagan celebrations, 4. The COVID jabs have microchips which are the Mark of the Beast, and, 5. All modern Bible versions are Satanic creations. I understand the distinction between this kind of extreme scepticism and that possessed by the YRR. However, when you begin to say that the Jews are behind everything, you’re much closer than you might think.
Ethno-Bros
I am quite sensitive to ethnic bigotry and discrimination. I have not been the victim of it myself, but members of my family have. When my Italian grandparents came to Canada after World War 2, they were not met with open arms because Italy began the war on the side of the Axis. There was significant distrust toward Italians which manifested in words and actions. This was on top of the fact that the natural proclivity of people is to prefer those similar to them and be wary of those who are different.
My grandparents were mocked and insulted endlessly when they began to work. My nonna was isolated at the hospital where she worked as a nurse, and all day long the other nurses would jeer at her and mock her. My nonno, who spoke four languages and was a certified carpenter in two countries, had to work twice as hard to get and keep work. When people are treated as “less than” because of their language, skin colour, or ethnic diversity, it bothers me very much.
Quite possibly what is most concerning about the Young, Restless, and Red-Pilled is a kind of ethnocentrism and ethno-superiority that is so contrary to the Gospel. I am astounded that followers of Jesus, Confessionally Reformed ones at that, could give any ground or sympathies to the open bigotry against people who don’t look the same. Ethno-Bros are gross.
Here is an example of an “X” post that included a picture of a page from a book containing the following words: “For Aristotle, democracy is possible only within homogenous ethnic groups, while despots have always reigned over highly fragmented societies. A multi-ethnic society is thus necessarily anti-democratic and chaotic, for it lacks philia, this profound, flesh and blood fraternity of citizens.” Aristotle was wrong, and people who agree with him are also wrong. I think that should be enough, but if not, make sure to read Ephesians 2:11-22, James 2:1-7, and Revelation 5:9-10.
It gets worse. In the process of utterly dismantling the postwar consensus, Hitler ends up being seen in a less negative light, and you end up sharing posts with Nazi propaganda videos saying, “By God we shall have our home again.” You also end up saying that Imago Dei is just “another weaponized postwar consensus term designed to disarm any serious discussion about the real differences between different groups of people and cultures.” You also end up saying that you might prefer Poland to America because Poland is comprised of 98% white people. There is also some antisemitism in the mix too.
Now, you might be thinking that there is no way anything I have just said is an accurate representation of YRR guys, and you would be incorrect. I have the receipts.
The Young, Restless, and Red-Pilled movement can be tribalistic and identitarian. The monumental irony in this is that when this happens, the YRR end up being much closer to the Wokies than they would like. It is looking more like the other side of the coin – you have the Woke Left and the Woke Right. There is an emphasis on people as they are a part of various groups and classes, not on individuals and their individual responsibility; instead of white people and men being the enemies and obstacles to progress you substitute in boomers and the Jews. There is this assertion that history as we have been taught is to be rejected and re-interpreted in light of some hidden and secret knowledge now revealed (which is a little gnostic).
Older men such as Doug Wilson, Andrew Sandlin, James White, and not-so-older men like Joe Boot and Aaron Rock have called the YRR men to account, forcing the younger men to say if what they actually support is some form of White Nationalism. I’m flabbergasted that Reformed Christians need to be having this discussion, but I have seen some weird and wild things over the past five years.
Reproof from a concerned middle-aged brother
I have approached this post a bit differently than I did my first one. If all we are dealing with is some juvenility regarding diverse theological positions, then I can be a little more combative with my language, because if you dish it out you have to be able to take it. But this is different. When you are disrespectful and uncharitable to older men who disagree with you (including saying that pietism has rotted their brains or that they should just ride off into the sunset already), we’re dealing with deeper issues. When you begin to veer into partiality regarding ethnicities, you are on a course that ends up “not understanding the unifying power of the Gospel” kind of territory. When your skepticism is so strong that you run the risk of becoming unhinged, that is problematic.
What I want is for my brothers in Christ to slow down for a minute and have a discussion with someone who is not nearly as Red-Pilled as they are, but who is an ally in other ways. I want them to understand that given the spiritual and cultural war that is ahead of us, if we can’t find a way to get over our preferences and stop “othering” those who might not be as anti-postwar consensus as you are, we will be dividing our ranks. Everything doesn’t have to be questioned, and not everything is being manipulated by of the Jews, or the Illuminati, or the Rockefellers, or the Knights Templar. It could just be that Satan works through all kinds of people of all kinds of ethnicities to make war with the Saints.
My YRR friends are going down a dark and endless tunnel, one that I do not think leads to the kind of balanced and measured faithfulness that is currently needed. I hope they see that sooner as opposed to later. And whenever they want, I am always open for an honest and perhaps sharp discussion about these matters.
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