Cody Cook's Blog, page 15

PODCAST: The Economic Condition of Black America in the Twentieth Century with author Germinal G. Van

I had the opportunity to talk to Germinal G. Van about his book The Economic Condition of Black America in the Twentieth Century: A Historical and Empirical Analysis. Van is an economist and scholar who was born and raised in West Africa’s Ivory Coast and immigrated to the United States in 2010. He’s written for the Foundation for Economic Education and the Mises Institute.

His book highlights the economic ups and downs of black Americans in the last century and the contributing factors to those ups and downs. We talked about these factors as well as reasons why black immigrants might tend to have both more diversity of political opinion and more economic success than native born black Americans. We also sought to answer the question of how we can build a society which is more just and removes unfair impediments to economic advancement.

You can follow Germinal here:
https://www.instagram.com/germinalgvan
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-N3jTzMV94V6_p_RkTMcgw
https://www.amazon.com/Germinal-G.-Van/e/B07CGXKHM3

Audio:
http://www.cantus-firmus.com/Audio/20201006-germinalvan.mp3

Music:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk

Praying for Trump’s Demise

In this July 17, 2019, photo, President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at Williams Arena in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

After President Donald Trump announced that he tested posted for COVID-19 on the morning of October 2, Bill Corbett, former Mystery Science Theater 3000 writer/actor and current political grouser, tweeted sarcastically:
“Hitler has pneumonia and my family and I are PRAYING to GOD for his very quick recovery…”

Regardless of how you feel about the parity of the comparison, Corbett did raise an important question often ignored by Christians: is there a point at which prayers for the health of a wicked person should give way to prayers for their demise?

A number of biblical authors seem to say yes.

Imprecations

There are a number of psalms, called imprecatory psalms, wherein their author prays for God to issue harsh judgments on others.

For instance, Psalm 58 says of wicked rulers:
“Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun” (Psalm 58:6-8, NIV).

Of his enemies the Psalmist prays, “make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels” (Psalm 5:10, NIV).

When reflecting upon men who oppress and kill the poor, he asks of God, “break the arm of the wicked and evildoer” (Psalm 10:15, NIV).

The New Testament is in basic continuity with this mindset in a number of places. For instance, in accounts of the death of Judas, Jesus’ betrayer, we find descriptions which seem to savor the ignoble end which he reached (see Matthew 27:1-10, Acts 1:18). We could also turn to the judgment sayings of Jesus and the book of Revelation, if time permitted.

Loving Our Enemies

Thus far, it appears that the Bible condones praying for God’s judgment on the wicked, though that isn’t the end of the story.

We must also contend with the fact that Jesus commands His followers to do good to those who hurt them and to pray for their enemies (Matthew 5:44-45). Moreover, 13 books in the Bible, the letters of Paul, would not exist if God had struck down Paul before he repented of persecuting the church and became one of its most able leaders and spokesmen.

Thus, we find an apparent tension in scripture. Do we pray for God to save the wicked, or to destroy them?

The most faithful application of scripture would seem to be to pray for the wicked and seek their good, but, if they refuse to repent of their evil, to pray that God would judge them as He sees fit. God is not only a merciful forgiver of those who repent, but He is also the fair judge of those who will not.

Praying for Trump

This brings us back to the question that sparked our inquiry–is it appropriate to pray for the demise of President Trump? This is a much more difficult question because it places us in the judgment seat of God. Jesus warns us about issuing judgments on others, lest God hold us to account using our own standards (Matthew 7:1). For instance, if we pray for the death of Donald Trump because of his treatment of illegal immigrants, might God hold us accountable for our votes for other politicians, on both the left and right, who supported similar policies? If we hate him because of the polarization he has helped spread across our country, will we have to answer for the part we played– for the family relationships and friendships we have destroyed over political differences?

If we are to pray as God would have us to pray, we should pray for the president in the same way that we should pray for all sinners–that God would save them, heal them, forgive their sins, and make them holy people who do what is just. But if they refuse the mercy of God, we can trust that God will deal with their evil and that justice will be done.

PODCAST: The First Presidential Debate

I was a guest on The Anti-War War Vet’s Instagram to dissect the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, highlighting the policy proposals and tone which was set by this absolute disaster of political spectacle.

Audio:
http://cantus-firmus.com/Audio/20201002-PresidentialDebate.mp3

Video:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFz-BqoF3Hu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Music:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk

The Ballot IS a Bullet

Watch:

Listen:
http://www.cantus-firmus.com/Audio/20200914-theballotisabullet.mp3

Read:
In an election year, especially in a time of intense political polarization like we’re having now, the stakes seem high. We’re always told that “this is the most important election of our lifetime” and we fear the worst if the man or woman we voted for doesn’t get in.

But why do the stakes feel so high? Why does politics make us so suspicious and angry at other people?

As the 19th century natural rights theorist Lysander Spooner wrote:
“without his consent having even been asked a man finds himself environed by a government that he cannot resist; a government that forces him to pay money, render service, and forego the exercise of many of his natural rights, under peril of weighty punishments. He sees, too, that other men practice this tyranny over him by the use of the ballot. He sees further, that, if he will but use the ballot himself, he has some chance of relieving himself from this tyranny of others, by subjecting them to his own. In short, he finds himself, without his consent, so situated that, if he use the ballot, he may become a master; if he does not use it, he must become a slave… His case is analogous to that of a man who has been forced into battle, where he must either kill others, or be killed himself.”

He goes on to describe the ballot as a substitute for the bullet. This an important point, because we’re often told that in a democracy we should use peaceful means like voting instead of outright violence. But what about when voting is violence? In the last election, my right wing friends voted for Trump, even when they didn’t like or respect him, because they saw that vote as a defensive maneuver against a progressive movement that seemed to be on the attack against wedding photographers and cake makers that felt that they had the right to say no to participating in same sex weddings. On the other hand, Trump’s nasty rhetoric against Muslims and immigrants made those on the left fear what a Trump presidency might bring.

In other words, we, both on the right and on the left, are suspicious and angry at our political opponents because we perceive that they are seeking to use violence against us to build the society that they want to see. We vote defensively, trying to protect ourselves by attacking our perceived enemies. And then for libertarians like myself who don’t identify as either right or left, voting is like one big trolley problem where casting a vote for one of the major parties would be like directing a train toward a path where you hoped it would run over the least number of innocent people.

But isn’t there another way? Why can’t we, as the early church did and as alternative societies even today do (such as the Amish), choose to build societies on voluntary affiliation? Why not create a system of governance with the smallest footprint possible so that communities can be organized along shared values and force doesn’t enter into the equation? If you’re a progressive and want to see wealth redistributed, why not create a voluntary progressive community where people choose to share their wealth instead of voting for other people to take it at the end of a gun? If you’re a conservative who wants to see communities built around faith and family values, why do you have to create these communities by force when you can build them on mutual agreement?

We can create the society we want to see without using violence. When we realize that, we can begin to stop suspecting our neighbors and hating our family members, and we can stop believing once and for all that voting for a politician to force our way of life on others is our only hope for protecting ourselves.

Music credit:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk

A conversation with Matthew J. Korpman about his book Saying No to God: A Radical Approach to Reading the Bible Faithfully

I was a guest on the Failed Kingdoms podcast to discuss author Matthew J. Korpman’s book Saying No to God: A Radical Approach to Reading the Bible Faithfully.

The conversation seemed to get a little heated at times, but it brought out some interesting topics that are worth discussing. I hope you enjoy it!

Is Homosexuality Sinful?

I was invited to take part in a discussion with Aree Spivey and Matt Distefano about whether homosexuality is sinful. It was a bit last minute, but I think I did okay! Thanks Aree and Matt for a hospitable, friendly, but substantial conversation!

PODCAST: Cops and Rioters

John Dangelo from The Anti-War War Vet and Aree Spivey from Failed Kingdoms were my guests to discuss how political narratives distort how we perceive police violence, the prevalence of racism, riots, and violence between those on the political left and right, especially in light of current events surrounding the Portland protests, the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Kyle Rittenhouse’s actions in Kenosha, and Aaron Danielson’s death at the hands of a left-wing protestor.

Audio:
http://cantus-firmus.com/Audio/20200907-copsandrioters.mp3

Music:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk

Everything is on Fire and We All Hate Each Other

Watch:

Listen:
http://cantus-firmus.com/Audio/20200830-everythingisonfire.mp3

Read:
A poll conducted by Gallup in 1958 found that about 30% of political partisans wanted to see their daughters marry a man of the same political party, though most people didn’t have a strong preference. That same poll conducted in 2016, though expanded to sons as well, found that 60% of partisans now wanted to see their kids marry someone of their own political party. Why the radical shift? Why have political views become such a central part of our identities?

Well, obviously part of it is the divisive figure we found in Trump in the 2016 election. People on the right support Trump because they see him as a warrior who somehow wins battles against the left by agitating and offending them. But the benefit of a real war, when you win it anyway, is that the people who opposed you are now dead, and the remaining survivors have acquiesced to your demands. In contrast, Trump’s “war” against the left is not really a war that can be won. The people whom he incites to hatred and suspicion, on both sides, still live and remain as neighbors, sisters, sons, and mothers. Some of them roam the streets in cosplay armor setting buildings on fire or carrying rifles. This battle being waged by Trump and his supporters, as well as his detractors, is a battle of slogans and radical, paranoid ideologies. The winners of this battle are, and will continue to be, the radicals on both extremes. As Trump pushes moderate liberals to the extreme left and the extreme left pushes moderate conservatives to the Trump right, we get no closer to resolving our issues and making peace despite our differences, but we grow more and more suspicious of our families, our friends, and our coworkers. Trump is like Randall Flagg in Stephen King’s massive novel The Stand. He shows up and everyone wants to murder each other.

Another reason for our growing political polarization is that families have broken down and religious affiliation has weakened. In the past, identity was built on family relationships, religious convictions, and community ties, but increasingly people are building their identity on their connection to a political party, or at least to the hatred of another party—every movement needs a devil, a god is optional. So politics has become the new religion. This religionizing of politics is of course made worse by churches which are made up of people of only one political persuasion.

But another obvious answer is social media. I’ve been thinking a lot about the benefit of social media to my life and to the world around me. On the one hand, I’ve met so many interesting people and come across so many fascinating new ideas. I can also keep up with loved ones and reconnect with old friends.

On the other hand, I’ve watched people whose political views I had never even been aware of before become radicalized as fake news and uninformed opinion shifts their views out of the mainstream—a problem only exacerbated by the political polarization spurred on by Trump and his radical left wing opponents. While interesting ideas that were out of the mainstream suddenly have a voice through the democratization of social media, terrible misinformation and radical conspiracy theories are now also given an equal platform with carefully vetted news items. Imagine Walter Cronkite sharing a story about lizard people pedophiles alongside a story about the Iran Hostage Crisis as if both had an equal claim to our attention and belief. These conspiracy theories spread like wildfire because they stimulate our primitive fear of the other and our suspicion that someone is out to get us. Social media reinforces our worst instincts and our worst habits of thought.

If social media were something that borrowed only a small amount of our attention, maybe its consequences for social discourse would not be so dire. But social media is designed to work like drug addiction. Over a very short time, we become habituated to checking our feeds constantly, posting our pictures or opinions for the little shot of dopamine we get from the artificial reinforcement of “likes,” and we find that it takes time away from our families and creates distance from the real life people that we care about.

We live in an amazing time marked by incredible progress. Free markets and the Judeo-Christian value of the importance of human life have made a world our ancestors couldn’t have dreamed of. Poverty is being eradicated. Violent crime has taken a downward trajectory. Regular people have a standard of living that would make medieval kings drool. And yet we’re miserable and suspicious because we have no hope for the future and are terrified that someone is going to take our stuff.

If I had no hope in Jesus, in the resurrection of the dead, and in the restored world that the Bible promises us, I would be full of despair. I’m not, thankfully, but I am going to distance myself from the things that distract me from hope. And not just from hope, but from my family, from the time I could spend playing with my daughter or reading books collecting dust on my shelves while I argue with strangers on Facebook and become more fearful and paranoid about the people around me.

I’m going to keep sharing my videos, podcasts, and articles, but I’m going to spend a lot less time looking for a fight and finding one by spending my free time on social media. I hope you’ll consider doing the same.

Music credit:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk

INTERVIEW: Freedom Adventure

I was a recent guest on the podcast Freedom Adventure, which talks about liberty issues. I discussed my book Fight the Powers. A good, concise interview. Hope you enjoy it.

Click the image to listen:

PODCAST: Three Views on Christian Politics

I assembled a politically diverse group to talk about conservative, progressive, and libertarian political models and which one lined up best with core Christian values.

Daniel Sinclair, the conservative, served as an associate pastor for over a decade and is now working through a Masters in theology and writing at www.wholereason.com. Chris Criminger, the progressive, has served as a pastor for a number of years. And then there’s me, Cody Cook, the libertarian who is in the process of completing an MA in theology and who writes and podcasts at www.cantus-firmus.com

We talked about why we found each of our views in the Bible and the flaws we found in the views of the others.

Audio:
http://cantus-firmus.com/Audio/20200823-ThreeViewsChristianPolitics.mp3

Music:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk