While many Christians believe the changing cultural and legal landscape in the U.S. has given rise to actual persecution, the concept of Christian privilege is being promoted to explain why, in fact, Christians in America simply have a persecution “complex.”
Christian privilege is considered to be a type of dominant group privilege in which the unconscious or conscious attitudes and beliefs of Christians are used to discriminate against non-Christians, particularly in the United States.
Examples given include the idea that non-Christian beliefs are amoral, immoral, sinful, or misguided. Further, that such beliefs constitute prejudice which infiltrates established social institutions, are reinforced by broader American society, and are societal/cultural norms.
Christian privilegists refute the legitimacy of traditional Christian thought and belief, deny its beneficial role in Western civilization, and – most importantly – seek to remove any vestige of what they see as its undue influence on public life.
As with the terms “male privilege,” “white privilege” and evolving definitions of “racism,” it doesn’t matter whether the beliefs involved are conscious or unconscious. Particularly under the “unconscious” criteria, this theory promotes the idea that traditional Christian beliefs are wrong and abhorrent – even if well-intentioned. Christians have neither the right nor the ability to interpret even their own identity as long as they cling to outmoded ideas of sin.
In other words, they need to conform to progressive interpretations of their belief system. In fact, not only should they conform, they also need to admit their guilt, as evidenced by the case of Jack Phillips, a baker who was ordered to be “re-educated” by the state of Colorado.
According to the privilegists, Christians can’t be trusted to interpret their beliefs “correctly.” Centuries of Christian scholarship by some of the greatest minds in history, including Isaac Newton, be damned.
Implicit in this theory is the demand to hand over the power to define and interpret Christian beliefs to those who lay claim to an ascendant moral superiority – power being the operative word.
An alternate way of looking at the concept of “Christian privilege” is to view it as an academic tool for propagandizing, used to manipulate others’ beliefs and persuade them to take action in the interest of the propagandist. Repetitious drilling of the message into listeners’ heads, using prejudicial or perjorative terms is needed. The ultimate goal is to entice message recipients to come to voluntarily accept the propagandist’s position. Stereotyping, scapegoating and portrayal of opponents as evil are part and parcel of the message.
Vilifying Christians by describing their opposition to sin, as set forth in the Bible, as immoral, misguided, even evil – is a narrative that purports to have the lofty goal of defending victims of Christian “bigotry.” It assumes a position of moral superiority which is doubtful in terms of fact, but is both useful and necessary in terms of achieving power.
At its core, “Christian privilege” functions to provide a negative, stereotyped definition of a specific group and set of beliefs – and to use that framework to suppress dissent, foster doubt about identity, create division in the targeted group, and to justify the use of force against those who refuse to conform.
Far from being a fact of cultural life, Christian “privilege” is an assault weapon in the ever-expanding arsenal of anti-Christians. Those who spread the myth of Christian privilege won’t be content until their gains are completely consolidated – meaning the criminalization of beliefs the dominant group finds unacceptable.
The ruined livelihoods of Christian bakery owners and others are a testimony to the fact that process has already begun.
Are Christians actually dominant (and therefore privileged) in American society? At one time, the answer was probably “yes.” Would it be possible to look around America today and make a serious case for such a claim?
The short list:
Prayer was banned in schools more than 50 years ago.
Abortion was legalized more than 40 years ago.
Gay marriage was institutionalized last year.
Each of these major Supreme Court decisions, two of which were made decades ago, provides ample evidence that traditional Christianity is no longer dominant in America.
The long list would include the normalization of extramarital sex, the proliferation of pornography and other drastic social changes. Once viewed by mainstream Americans as sin, the same behaviors have been viewed by a very different mainstream society as social norms for a very long time.
It’s clear that whatever dominance and privileges Christians may have had in America have been gradually transferred to a different dominant group, which has been, and is, aggressively asserting its own privileges.
While anti-Christian groups have been busy forming a united front to destroy what they call Christian privilege, boosted by their supporters in academia, most Christians seem to simply be stunned by the accusation. Hit from behind, as it were. It’s easy to imagine this conflict in terms of a boxing match, with the mild-mannered Christian who doesn’t really want to fight being knocked down by much larger opponent, who really does want to fight. And win. And leave the little Christian down for the count, bloodied, stunned – and defeated.
Of course, Christians would rather dialogue than fight and are doing that. But the concept of “Christian privilege” isn’t designed for dialogue. It’s part of a narrative designed to justify the coercion of Christians who refuse to surrender their history, traditions – and conscience.
Perhaps it’s time for the bloodied little Christian to stand up, get out his Bible and re-read the story of David and Goliath