By Richard Allen – March 14, 2022
My Blog this week is a bit “tongue in cheek,” in that I’ve deliberately misspelled “for” from the above song lyric and replaced it with “faux,” pronounced “fō.” If you say it quickly, it almost sounds the same: “We did it all faux (fō) Love!” The definition of faux according to Merriam Webster is: Fake, insincere, or an imitation of something that is actually of more value, or done for show. Most of you know that faux is the French word for “fake.” I can still hear Peter Cetera from the band “Chicago” crooning: “We did it all for the glory of Love!” While no doubt sentimental, or even a bit sappy, the song was a big hit for the band Chicago. It must have made an impression on me, as here I am almost 40 years later with a fond remembrance of the tune. My point in citing the lyric from this song is, that most (not all) of the Social Justice Warriors with their causes and supposed remedies, are intentionally fake! And sadly, in our modern age, good intentions appear to be all that matters – especially with young adults who mistakenly believe that “making a difference” is just caring, voting and being vocal for Marxist-Socialist causes on Social Media!
I’m reminded of the hundreds of young Christian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, a violent group of Islamic terrorists in Nigeria in 2014. The “cause célèbre” of the day was then First Lady Michelle Obama starting a Social Media campaign: #bringourgirlshome, and asked everyone to join in to show they cared. Sadly, the Social Media efforts did nothing – except maybe give the leadership of Boko Haram a good laugh, but in the fake world of the Left, it showed how little Barak, Michelle and the “woke” people in power actually cared for these kidnapped girls. But in the real world it took years of negotiations by the Nigerian government, with horror stories of personal escape – before many of them made it home. Sadly, during their captivity they were forced into sexual slavery, forced to convert to Islam and married as child brides to be abused by violent terrorists.
The irony is, Michelle sat daily with the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States. He could have easily sent in Special Forces to actually rescue these girls, or exercise a host of other options. Why did Michelle just post a hashtag “bring our girl’s home?” Her efforts accomplished nothing that actually ended their suffering. But remember, for the Social Justice Warriors on the Left, achieving actual results, like getting the girls freed – was apparently unimportant. What mattered was that she appeared morally superior, in that she intended to do good and showed others how much she cared. Today we call this type of hypocrisy: “Virtue Signaling!”
For those of you who know the “Sermon on the Mount,” here’s what Jesus said about making an outward show:
“Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)
Early Church leaders also made stark comparisons between those faux Christians who talk a good game and say wonderful things for show, but “actually acted in ways that accomplished no good thing for those in need.” Here are two admonitions from two inspired New Testament writers, James and John:
“My brothers and sisters, what good does it do if someone claims to have faith but doesn’t do any good things? Can this kind of faith save him? Suppose a believer, whether a man or a woman, needs clothes or food and one of you tells that person, “God be with you! Stay warm, and make sure you eat enough.” If you don’t provide for that person’s physical needs, what good does it do? In the same way, faith by itself is dead if it doesn’t cause you to do any good things.” (James 2:14-17)
“We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words.” (I John 3:16-18)
Just so you don’t think I’m being hyper-critical of our modern Social Justice Warriors, consider this: They’re all worried about the destruction of the environment, claiming that not practicing enough infanticide(abortion) is leading to an environmental collapse. They also worry that oppressing LGBT and other victim groups deliberately robs them of wealth and opportunity, all to enrich privileged white racists. Yet, their own policies have created fatherless urban families plagued with poverty, addiction, crime, urban blight and hopelessness in our big blue cities. Please follow me here: They identify a problem – like they did back in the 1960’s with “Racism,” offer unworkable policies that only make the problems worse, and then blame their political opponents when their failed governance causes more pain and suffering. It’s an amazing sleight of hand to keep enslaving poor minorities in the inner city and blame White Christian Conservatives for their own failures.
For some reason the Progressive-Democrat-Socialist-Left in American politics, along with government and academia, have NEVER HAD TO PRODUCE RESULTS. Just caring, voicing left-leaning opinions and voting for Liberal Democrats, has usually sufficed to make them socially acceptable to the “upper classes” in New York, Washington and other bastions of the cultured elites. I’ll go even farther and say, when the results from their “wealth distribution” prove to be disastrous and destructive, they never have to answer for their programs’ failure. Be aware, very few of them are actually doing anything on the front lines – they just take money from one group and redistribute it to another group they deem impoverished or in need of Government largess. It only matters that they’re good people and they preen about as morally superior – all because they care. Why is this? I think much of the answer lies in their guilt and need to justify themselves as righteous. Don’t underestimate this motive, we all want to appear moral before our fellow man. This is especially true among the unchurched who have no mechanism for understanding right and wrong, but still have the need to feel forgiven.
It doesn’t matter what social program you look at, . or the horrible record of dismal failure. As long as they intended to do it for the children, or for the poor, or for this group of victims, or if “even one life can be saved,” it gives them a feeling of moral superiority and the ability to like and accept themselves as good people! Just look at the short list of their fake-accomplishments: Transfer payments for 15-year-old inner city girls to have babies, busing to achieve racial integration, environmental regulations to restrict all forms of energy – including nuclear – the most powerful and environmentally clean form. This was all to save the planet from greenhouse gases or carbon emissions predicted by their fake computer models that can’t accurately predict the weather three days out. They burn down wide swatches of the inner city to protest Police Brutality, leaving death and destruction in their wake, and claim it actually helps poor inner-city residents. They erase American history by the fake-woke-anti-fascist, fascists – including Confederate and other monuments and statues, some of our Founding Fathers – as they accuse them of being Racists. I guess it’s a given to Elites that Statues of Dead White Guys represent the worst threat to minorities in the inner city. Yet no one can point to any tangible results from all of these “wonderful intentions.”
Probably the height of the fake accomplishments happened in 1985 when a group of narcissistic entertainers came together to do a music video to help the starving children in Ethiopia. They did a music video called: “We are the World.” This endeavor was the brain-child of a performer-turned-Marxist-activist, Harry Belafonte. After seeing a UK charity video in 1984 called, “Don’t they know it’s Christmas,” Belafonte enlisted a friend and promoter to ask entertainers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie to write the song, “We Are The World.” The resulting song and Video was a who’s-who of the pop stars of that day. They all came together and filmed their over-the-top video, and the resulting telethon and sales of all related merchandise grossed 63 Million dollars – all to help starving Africans. The problem was the Marxist government in Ethiopia. They scammed, sold or destroyed the 63 Dollars Million in food, farming equipment and other materials, rather than help their political opponents who were starving from the drought. Even fellow-traveler Harry Belafonte was forced to admit: “Ethiopia’s problems are political, not agricultural.”
My point is NOT that we can’t or shouldn’t help where we can, sometimes even as a government. But good intentions and caring are no replacement for well planned economic policy, and especially foreign policy. Most charity done at the government level is fraught with a failure to understand human nature and how to actually help the poor while still holding them accountable. Like the old saying: “A hand up is much better than a hand out.” Author Marvin Olasky’s wonderful book: “The Tragedy of American Compassion” chronicles the dismal failure of government charity and contrasts it with the most successful charities that historically were administered by the Church.
I’m also concerned that many brothers and sisters in Christ are being whipped into a frenzy over the most recent cause célèbre, the Ukrainian War. This is a shining example of faux love. As I pointed out in my last blog, there is more going on in Ukraine than we are aware. The Deep-State-Global-Cabal that our current president represents, has been involved in fomenting this crisis. It’s been acknowledged by the Obama State Department that Ukraine is possibly the most corrupt government in existence today. Yet we’re now being pressured to give 16 Billion Dollars in Aid to Ukraine. Please be aware that much of it will go into our own corrupt politicians’ pockets through Non-Governmental Organizations – of which most are front groups for the New World Order.
Sadly, in our day many people have vacated the public square and given over all personal responsibility to care for the orphans and widows in need to Local, State and Federal Governments. They feel “that’s what my taxes are for,” why should I give any more? In fact, virtually every study done in the last 30 years reveals the huge disparity between Conservatives and Liberals when it comes to charitable contributions. Since most Liberals lean toward Socialism, they believe that Charity begins and ends with the Government, not ME PERSONALLY. It’s easy to see why they trumpet and hype their failed social programs, even if they are running them with other people’s money. Most of their efforts are nothing but a photo-op to be seen by men. To which Jesus declared: “They already have their reward!”
In closing, we are reminded by the gospels what Jesus expects of His followers: “Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). This is why so much attention in the New Testament scriptures is focused on the “thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). God calls upon His children through Jesus Christ not to be Fake Social Justice Warriors, practicing our righteousness as a show to be “seen by men” (Matthew 6:1). Rather, He calls us to “do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) Not signaling our own Virtue, but doing our good deeds Coram Deo - before the face of God - knowing that He will see the thoughts and intents of our hearts and reward us at the Resurrection of the Righteous. Let me state unequivocally, we don’t do it all “faux love,” we do it from a heart filled with “real love,” rooted in truth, honesty and a love for our Savior, Jesus!
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