Plague Journal (44): On Christian Cynicism

My step-dad did not trust politicians. He said they were all crooks and liars. I wanted him to be wrong about that, because I was young and wanted to believe that some at least of our political leaders were real heroes. I'm now far closer to his position than I once was. Okay, maybe they're not all crooks (in the strict definition, etc.), but I don't trust any of them as far as I could throw 'em.

That mistrust of politicians is an ages-old tradition in America, of course. Another age-old tradition is the sudden suspension of that distrust in order to go all-in on a single politician who is deemed the exception to the rule. When this happens, all caution is left behind. Masses of people are stirred by a great sense of mission, coupled with that wonderful feeling of renewed hope, the discarding of cynicism, the renewal of energy and fervor.

Campaign managers try to stoke that phenomenon. Some would contend there are a million suckers born every minute, but perhaps every minute there are also a million disappointed suckers vowing, I'll never fall for the big lie again!

Deep inside, we all really want to believe in something fervently. We look around, looking for where the fervor is, and try to join in. We might find it in stadiums, in concert venues, even in churches. The presence of fervor seems to ratify its object. We tell ourselves, well, if people are that excited about it, there must be something to it!

The cynic knows better.

But then again, who is this cynic! Perhaps there are very few real cynics, and those that do exist should be pitied every bit as much as the trusting rube. In truth, cynicism is only a mental construct, a defensive posture, selectively appropriated in order to resist the delusions of the mob. The real task at hand is to discover what ought to be believed, who ought to be trusted. As Dylan said, you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Well, you can see where this is heading. The God thing. For the Christian, Jesus was the one trustworthy man. The Christian is to be distrustful of what the world offers, and yet, where God is concerned, to believe all things. Not with mindless fervor, and yet not hunkered down in a position of defiant cynicism. To be a kind of wily fool. Cynical toward this world's empires (and its wanna-be empires), but confidant in our savior all the while.