This is a pretty good speech about the power of narrative to shape culture, and how “the left” has pretty much got a lock on untrue narrative. The title is “Tell the truth and pay the price” — I’m not able to embed it here, because it’s not on YouTube — but you should watch this if you can.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?449308-1/national-conservative-student-conference-andrew-klavan#
Please stick to apologetics and save the right-wing political commentary for Fox News or where ever else. It's empirically false to imply people on the right rarely lie; Trump does it virtually every day. I don't come here for right-wing propaganda and will stop coming entirely if it continues.
ReplyDeleteApparently you've been triggered. Where in the blog did John, or in the speech did Andrew Klavan claim that the right rarely lie? I occasionally watch Klavan's podcast and he often admits that both the right and the left are dishonest. He'll even call out Trump for it (though, not as often as Shapiro does). In the speech Klavan's call was for the right to speak the truth, and to speak it knowing that they'll be attacked for it by the left. Your comment makes me wonder if you're a leftist who likes to monitor Christian apologetics. OR, maybe a Christian who is not very consistent theologically and politically. Whatever you are, you're being overly sensitive.
DeleteMost Christians believe that Christianity has political implications (even if we disagree on what those are). If you (as a Christian or non-Christian) disagree, then the best thing for you to do is keep monitoring the blog. Instead of running away and shielding yourself from opposing views (something which the left love to do to their own hurt and the hurt of other people).
The Triabloggers (including John) have often exposed the lies of the right, and not just the left. So, you're wrong if you think they support the right without criticism and qualification.
I've read and recommend reading Andrew Klavan's biography "The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ". Maybe you should read it, whether you're a Christian or not. His fictional book Empire of Lies was also entertaining.
So - an apologetics blog is not expected to express/share political positions when their political positions are shaped by their theological worldview? Or is the apologist expected to ignore politics which is directly influenced by the present culture war when the said politics affects his lives and the lives of his fellow citizens? Is apologetics only a defense of the faith in the theological plan - and not other areas where it could affect or overlaps with his beliefs?
DeleteIf yes - what a preposterous expectation that is. If no - then what is your problem here.
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DeleteMy problem is that his blanket statement -- “the left” has pretty much got a lock on untrue narrative -- is preposterously overbroad, empirically false, completely unprovable (due to the first two points), and generally unbecoming of this otherwise excellent blog. You could have said "... as pertains to issues X, Y, and Z, for these logical and/or Biblical reasons," but he didn't. In other words, he failed to show the careful attention to facts, logic, argument, and theology that you usually demonstrate, in an effort to take a cheap shot at "the left" (whoever he envisions that to be). Obviously it's his blog to do with as he wishes. It's my prerogative to call him out when he makes preposterously overbroad, empirically false, completely unprovable statements and to go elsewhere if he persists in doing so.
I obviously meant "he could have said..." above. I don't see an editing function for the comments.
DeleteTblog is a group blog. There's no one contributor, although I do most of the posting.
DeleteKlaven is a novelist and a storyteller. He is describing the fundamental imbalance between "the Left" and conservatives. And by "the Left", he is talking about the agenda-driven portion of those who have dreamed up such things as "intersectionality", homophobia, and islamophobia. In a sense, he's reporting on what he sees happening.
DeleteThe premise of this video ("that conservatives are never going to 'win' the culture") because, as he says (roughly), "there is something inherent in the conservative philosophy that is antithetical to making culture. Conservatives believe in facts ... always pointing to the facts, whereas 'the left' seriously believes there is no such thing as moral reality, it's just "the narrative", it's just the fiction" (roughly 7:20-7:50 in the video).
As an example, he points to Paul Ryan's efforts as Speaker of the House to rein in spending on entitlement programs. "Ryan had out his charts and graphs, typical conservative. 'The Left' produces a video of Paul Ryan pushing an old woman in a wheelchair off a cliff."
You don't have to make an argument to describe that difference.
So regarding my statement, ///“the left” has pretty much got a lock on untrue narrative///
DeleteWhere do we see conservatives making that kind of statement, where Paul Ryan is pushing an old woman in a wheelchair off a cliff? "The Left" has a lock on that sort of thing.
More videos from Young America's Foundation
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/user/YAFTV/videos
Nice talk - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTriablogue actually has done a good bit of political commentary. I think that (thanks to technology) some of the issues are becoming much clearer. Conservative commentators are analyzing and disassembling some of the messages from “the left”; and actually, some “classical liberals” too, are understanding and disassembling what “the left” is saying and doing. The more clarification that we can have on this sort of thing, the better, in my opinion.
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