How the Deep State Has Evolved—and What Christians Can Do About It
President Trump’s State of the Union address was a doozy. Much to the chagrin of the religious left, he demonstrated why the evangelicals are still with him.
To New York and Virginia governors and legislators attempting to impose the killing of 9-month-old preborn and already born children, he said:
There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the governor of Virginia, where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.
Among the outlandish reactions by Democratic legislators, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s faltering response held barely any connection with the President’s message:
The State of the Union speech felt like it was, as someone described it, “the most pedestrian speech,” um, we probably have ever heard. It didn’t feel like a presidential speech. It also didn’t address any of the critical issues we have. There was no talk of climate change, there was no acknowledgment of the federal employees, that he just disrupted, um, for 35 days for no reason …
Secular politicians have reached a point where they are living in a universe that is an alternate one to that of the American electorate. Unlike a “parallel universe,” which would be completely separate in space and time, their “alternative universe” takes place in the same universe, but is lived with “altered” facts and conclusions.
Representative Omar needs to look at the CBS poll of those who watched the president’s State of the Union speech: “Just over three-quarters [76 percent] of those who watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech approved of what he said.”
Are we missing something? Self-absorbed and blindly caught up in their own “articles of faith”—political correctness, multiculturalism and secular humanism—Democrats seem hell-bent on destroying what the Founding Fathers intended.
As evangelical and pro-life Catholic Christians begin to play the long game—to resurrect the biblically-based culture—whole new skill sets will have to be developed.
To make it plain, the 45th president of the United States inherited on Jan. 20, 2017, a secular, weaponized governmental bureaucracy from, at least, the last three U.S. presidents: William J. Clinton (42nd), George W. Bush (43rd) and Barack H. Obama (44th).
It should be remembered that government bureaucrats are not elected. Though merely functionaries, they have taken on themselves the power to make very important decisions that are rightly the duty of our elected representatives.
The “deep state,” the clandestine nefarious network set up by seemingly omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent government bureaucrats, has evolved over the last century. It is now beginning to mirror the famed and corrupt Roman Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome. Over time, the Praetorian Guard developed into a type of bureaucracy, a group of powerful kingmakers, a kind of secret police force that, ultimately, possessed power even over the emperor himself. As the Roman Empire grew, so did the Guard’s corruption, machinations and its manipulation of Roman politics. The essence of secular bureaucrats never changes; “the one who has no fear of God before his eyes, has no genuine respect for the rights of his neighbor.” (A.W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis)
Over the next 30 years, the fight for cultural renewal in America will be won by bringing exclusively biblical values to the public square. For that to happen, a drastic revision of the mindset and philosophy of the role of the church in America will need to happen. The church must move from the meetinghouse to the marketplace, to what is called the ekklesia. The shift of Christians from “church house” to public square for civil engagement will cause a profound realignment.
Rejuvenation of the culture will require a different model than any now being used. The church must begin again to influence the categorical imperatives of the culture. There must appear a new type of leader, different from those often presently operating, perpetually preoccupied with social justice, the distribution of wealth, budgets, buildings, additional privileges and rights. Focusing in these areas has been tried and found ephemeral. The Word must be the centerpiece, both in the church and in the culture (Ed Silvoso, ekklesia).
This new type of leader will not be in the same mold as we conventionally envision a leader: a single person in front of a crowd of followers. For the leaders of the new paradigm, think of Gideons and Rahabs. Each individual can and must be a leader so that we have a nation full of them. They will all have experienced intimacy with God; holiness will be their sole desire. Through knowledge of His Word, they will be able to stand against the deluge of secularism, which has ravaged American culture. These saints, called to walk point, may appear “a little bit angry with the world” (A.W. Tozer, Of God and Men), and with what secularism has done to the country. In all likelihood, however, they will have learned to think spiritually and speak in the secular. In their education, they will have acquired the knowledge to make the most effective use of political currency, which will include the mustering and marshaling of Christians to the public square.
Gideons and Rahabs are now beginning to stand.
