A strategy to take the future while no one is looking.
American political discourse, for as long as I have been sentient, has been largely something about how one side is going to destroy the country if they are given power. I think I've heard this idea in virtually every presidential race I've been alive to witness.
And yet, here we are.
Granted, we have some big problems facing our country. These problems aren't only American problems but are symptomatic of the postmodernism and post-postmodernism that have gripped our institutions, politics, and social imaginary.
And who knows, after decades of one side accusing the other of instigating the downfall of the Republic, maybe someone will finally be right. Maybe Biden really will destroy America. Or maybe Trump will come back in 2024 and finish the job he started in 2016.
I've not been around as long as most, but I can recognize patterns when I see them. The constant back-and-forth stalemate that we find ourselves in with "the other side" hasn't changed much in the past several decades.
Is there a way out of the political and cultural stalemate we find ourselves in? Is America doomed to remain positioned in a Mexican standoff with itself for the foreseeable future? Is all of the social gridlock building tension that will inevitably explode into another all-out civil war?
I don't know, maybe. But probably not. That is unless you think that the largely gray-haired MAGA crowd is going to take up arms against a Reddit army of very online liberals. There are ways out of the situation we find ourselves in today that could potentially be much more positive.
And if anyone can afford to take a break from the doom and gloom mentality of cultural analysis, it's Christians. Yes, the skies are getting darker. Yes, our secular, postmodern, post-Christian chickens may be coming home to roost. But let's breathe for a second, and think about a few different ways the sun might peek out again from behind the storm clouds.
There are some hopeful alternatives to the “we’re screwed” mentality of many modern conservatives.
It's all about demographics, baby. I mean, babies.
Of all the decline we see in the Western world, population decline may be one of the most concerning. As much as some hyper-environmentalists may rejoice as their misanthropic dreams of fewer humans seem to be coming true, this is actually a large problem.
Especially considering the large social safety nets that Americans and (especially) Europeans count on in their old age. Fewer younger workers to subsidize these social security programs will lead to problems down the road, as the retirement age drives ever higher and the monthly checks get smaller.
But rates of childlessness have risen with the rates of secularism in the West. The more prosperous, decadent, and secular a society becomes, the less likely they are to have as many babies.
You’re not going to catch me jumping for joy at this news. In fact, it moves my heart to pity and sadness at the low value many in our culture place on having large families (or families at all).
As the West becomes increasingly secular, we should consider becoming increasingly sex-ular (I'll see myself out in a moment). As the West destroys and devalues its children, we should be creating them.
Getting married and starting families younger - and having larger families as the norm - will have a major impact on the demographics of our country in a generation.
Commitment to producing more image-bearers - even if that means sacrificing fun vacations and bigger houses for the sake of having more children - and raising those children in the fear and admonition of the Lord will poise us to shape the future in ways that no liberal college professor or nationalistic demagogue can rival.
So to my Christian friends: Get married. Have kids. Then, have more kids. And teach them to observe all that Christ commanded us.
World domination belongs to the babies born today. So while many of our secular friends and peers are pushing off child-bearing for the sake of prioritizing PowerPoints, emails to their bosses, and $60,000 salaries, we can be busy getting busy (wink-wink) and take the future for Christ.
Now, merely having babies isn't enough, as I mentioned a moment ago. The next step is to model godly living for these children. Love them the way God loves. Pass down the wisdom of Scripture to them. Show them what godly patience, grace, and tenderness look like. Discipline them so that they may hate sin and love righteousness. Refuse to coddle them and absolutely refuse to put them in front of an iPhone or iPad screen for several hours a day.
The primary way Christianity has been handed down for 2,000 years has been through parents disciplining their children. It has come through Christians seeing children as a blessing rather than a burden. It has come from a willingness to adopt orphans and advocate for the unborn at rates far surpassing our secular neighbors.
For our brothers and sisters who are unable to have children, adopting and discipling are wonderful ways to join in the cause of raising the next generation for Christ. Hosting a discipleship group for teenagers, volunteering for Kids Ministry, and spending time with local youth organizations give opportunities for culture-shaping influence. (Christians with kids can do this, too.)
Raising a generation of kids who will saturate the culture in a few decades with minds shaped by Scripture might just lead to the brighter future we all long for.
So, I'll leave you with this:
Psalm 127:3-5 -
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.