Terms of Surrender
*Audio Available* The Culture War is [Still] Over, Reflections on US vs. Skrmetti
This is a short part two of a series I am doing in light of the US vs. Skrmetti Supreme Court case. If you haven’t read part one check it out here.
The US Supreme Court heard arguments last week for US vs. Skrmetti, a landmark case that has major implications for the transgender debate. The decision will have a dramatic effect on so-called “gender affirming care” for minors in the US. As I watched the case unfold, a few things occurred to me.
The Culture War is [Still] Over
If it wasn’t clear to Christians before, it should be clear now, the culture war has been lost.
After the Skrmetti arguments were heard, it seemed clear to most (even on the left) that the court would rule against the pro-trans side, and in favor of upholding Tennessee’s ban on these pseudo-medical malpractices.
As this became clear, one could hear three cheers from Christians and conservatives, “Huzzah! We won!”
As I witnessed these reactions, something felt off. It was a good thing the court would likely rule this way, but these reactions felt tired and removed.
It appeared these Christians saw themselves as still in a battle, and believed this victory signaled a win for the culture war.
However, what I saw instead were simply disappointing terms of surrender.
The war was over, and this was a sad negotiation of how bad the aftermath would be.
The war was over, and the victors were simply dividing the spoils.
Two reasons for feeling this way.
First, a woman who believes she is a man named Chase Strangio, was one of the lawyers arguing before the court. How could this be considered a major victory in the culture war when a person who is clearly not in command of their rational faculties was selected to argue a landmark case before the US Supreme Court?
Some may say, in a poetic sense, this was the perfect person for the case. What better way to “own the libs” than for a person who identifies as trans to get roundly defeated in proceedings with such sweeping consequences? Others may say, in a practical sense, she was a good choice because her defect of reason will make her less able to present a strong case, making it more likely her side will lose.
But to anyone who has a sense of reverence for the court, or an accurate sense of compassion for those struggling with gender dysphoria, or a grasp on the seriousness of this case, I’m afraid this looked more like a charade than an “own.”
In no way do I intend to hurt anyone by saying this, but a woman who believes herself to be a member of the opposite sex is not well; something has gone terribly wrong and they need our help.
Second, as the court interacted with this individual during arguments, a majority of the justices used incorrect pronouns throughout the case; referring to this woman as “he” “him” and “sir.” How can we, in any real way, claim victory when our Supreme Court justices are intentionally feeding into the trans delusion, openly calling someone who is a woman a man?
Watching these justices capitulate at the level of basic language, language that signifies the most fundamental components of reality (biological sex), mixing words such as “he” and “she”, was a perfect example of what George Orwell called “winning an argument without the bother of having one.”
Abusing language in this way, the court was implicitly accepting and granting the central premise of transgender ideology; that a woman can be a man, and it is reasonable to refer to her as such.
How could this be a victory signaling a real win for the culture war?
The answer is it cannot.
As I considered these things it occurred to me that the western Church is having a long, drawn-out “end-of-The Sixth Sense” moment. We have not yet come to terms with our new reality. We refuse to accept what
has said for many years, “the culture war is lost.”
Hiroo Onoda
I heard a story once of a man named Hiroo Onoda. Onoda was a Japanese Army intelligence officer In World War II, and just a few weeks after arriving to his post on a small island named Lubang, US attacks forced him into a remote part of the Philippine jungle.
Although the war ended in 1945, it was not until 1974 that a former comrade finally convinced Onoda to come out of the jungle. He was convinced, for 30 years alone in the jungle, that his mission and the war was still ongoing.
In a sense, I think western Christianity’s story is like Hiroo Onoda’s. We are hiding in a remote location committed to a war that has been lost for 30 years. The culture war is over, and as
has argued, we have entered into a post culture war “Negative World,” where old strategies no longer work.
The sooner we come to terms with reality, the sooner the Church can strategize more effectively on how to evangelize and engage faithfully in our Strange New World1.
Thank you so much for reading. If you read this and have a thought, please leave a comment here or email me (below). I would love to hear your thoughts.
jeffreycharlescaldwell@gmail.com
Strange New World is the title of an excellent book written by Carl Trueman, Strange New World was a shorter version of a larger more comprehensive book by the same author, an absolute must read called “The Rise and Triumph of The Modern Self”