Academic Arrogance, A Culprit in Disguise

[HKHaugan]

Academic Arrogance, A Culprit in Disguise

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln

These are wise words from a wise man whose experiences as President gave him an opportunity to see the broad perspective of a struggle he knew was bigger than him. His reliance on God and His Word showed him the depth of man's sin, the evil it causes and, as the leader of a nation, the need to constantly seek God's guidance day by day. This belief is not palatable to contemporary scholars whose worldview is shaped by a critical secular perspective which is distrustful of anything spiritual.

In academia the modern trend is to always go back and look at the negatives in a man's life and dispute his actions. Look for flaws. No one is perfect so it's easy to start with a negative perspective to be cynical about all past spiritual motivation. This, many modern secular scholars have done and for three very basic reasons.

First, they have egos and are seeking notoriety. Tear down the past in order to build yourself up as the prophet of the present. Writings, speeches and letters by Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln and others have all been researched by modern scholars whose present cynicism found all our national patriarchs personally defective. This also is where young college minds are influenced to look for blame, find their personal cause and protest. Here too is the wind up tool for political correctness. Professors can exploit students' youthful momentary dissatisfaction with being unfulfilled. Train the mind to look through the lens of suspicion and distrust at everything. Trust no one. Attack the straw man called 'society' aka in academia as “the dominant culture”, the term academicians hide behind to deny our long held Judeo-Christian values.

Second, they live in and are motivated by a totally secular context quite different from the one our historical heroes lived in. Having no real feel for that context, they make judgments about that context in terms of their own present experience. That makes any historical figure a target to judge within a present context which is always 'more enlightened' and therefore superior to anything in the past.

Third, this 'academania' heightens their 'more sophisticated' view of the past making them feel morally superior to the past. This is what fuels the present academic fever for revising history to justify their reasoning, attitude and action in the present.

These three point to a more disturbing reality, the absence of a spiritual dimension in the institutional leadership that educates our young minds. This is not about religion, the separation of church and state or even the legal structure of our nation. It is far beyond those. We are talking about a spirit of fear that has gripped individuals on every level of our social, intellectual, legal and political leadership. It is about their unfulfilled hearts and spirits. It is the condition of the individual hearts who populate that leadership. They have succumbed to the fear and pride that fills spiritual emptiness.

Just how did we get here?

Let's look at an example of an intellectual fallacy that has contributed to our present dilemma. It is a relatively unfamiliar concept to the public mind. Called the “The Theory of Intentional Fallacy” it was concocted by William K. Wimsatt and Monroe C. Beardsley, Yale professors in the mid-1950's. It's basic assumption was whatever an author intended in what he was writing or saying could not be known outside of the time in which he lived. The author's intention therefore, becomes irrelevant. So a book, speech or poem only has meaning for the person who reads it because the present culture determines its meaning. This then shows the values that shaped the mindset of George Washington have no meaning for our present reading of them. If this view is accepted it means that anyone can take Scripture and interpret it any way they want since its past intention was lost in history and the author's intention means nothing because the author has no significance in the present. Ponder that one for awhile.

OK, let's take a shot at it. First of all, these professors' views are based solely on their personal intellectual assumptions. They avoid two basic realities, the inner heart and spirit of the individual. It's all mind. No heart and no spirit because they are unknowable. They are left out of the human equation; even more so, the heart and spirit behind anyone's work in the past. Their theory further implies that past historical study means nothing since records are words that only have meaning in the present. This takes us to see the past as having no subjective carry through, no value. The past can never be understood. Finally, there is no reliable person-to-person communication possible. I am the sole source of truth and reality. Whatever I believe and feel rules the moment.

If I were a student of theirs I would immediately demand an A for any and all communications and tests they gave since they could not possibly apprehend the source of my answers. Just their assessment would be unintelligible to me. Right and wrong have no foundation. In fact, neither does my demand. To carry it to its conclusion, “What in the world did I take their course for in the first place and why is it even offered?” We are irrelevant to each other. It is the counter product of John Donne's “No man is an island.” Every man is an island unto himself. A spiritual mind immediately knows this is the devil's strategy and goal. He spots it and immediately stands against it. A secular minded professor simply takes his check, gloats and goes to his next class. A politician campaigns from one election to the next since the in-between is the cultural means to stay in office. A clergyman conforms to whatever the culture is saying to appear as its moral spokesman. A business leader caves in to any moral stand that gives the moment a boost in profits.

This situation in our culture is the reason the Bible and our faith in Jesus are under attack all the time. They dare touch the heart and spirit that make up the real hope and future of every individual. They supercede and challenge our pride and control. We are more than our intellect and pride. They are the reality of what it means to be human and when our mind, heart and spirit are in balance, which is what faith in Jesus does, we are unconquerable.

So what do we do? Pray first for our own witness, for our minds to grow in Scripture, for our hearts to deepen our trust in Jesus and then to make our faith available in the world we touch each day. Second, to pray for the larger Body of Christ to be strengthened in its witness. Pray that the Holy Spirit would raise up individuals in the Body to ready themselves to stand in the arena of academia, politics, education and social policy. Third, pray for students we know that are out there in the daily grind as well as teachers and administrators who directly influence them.

There is one more important task for us. That's to carry with us in every next moment the realization we are witnesses to a perfect intellect, heart and spirit, Jesus. He is the One to whom we look and the One for whom we act. The usual attack on this position is the hypocrisy of believers. The attacker is really using guilt and the hypocrisy of believers as weapons. Deal with that by admitting their reality. It gives you an opening to show how sin infects every human being. Paul is the one who quotes its reality and admits to it and tells how he was brought out of its influence by Jesus. It's our issue too and we are in the process of being delivered from it every day in our relationship with Him. Can we help identify sin as the real problem in the world and show how Jesus is the ultimate answer for every human being the world over by His Cross and Resurrection?

When Jesus becomes the focus in any discussion you know you're on the right track. The Holy Spirit will lead you the rest of the way. You will also be guided by Him. He will help you realize when you need to continue and when you need to stop and turn that person over to Him. He knows exactly what is needed in the person to whom you are witnessing. Stay in the Word. Walk in the Word. Breathe in the Word and exhale the Truth it conveys. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.