By Selwyn Duke

I happened to tune in to a documentary last night titled "God’s Christian Warriors."  It’s one segment of a three-part series on religion that is the handiwork of veteran reporter Christiane Amanpour.  It caught my eye while watching the program guide, as I expected the usual anti-Christian double standards.  I was not disappointed.

Because I tuned in halfway through the broadcast, I cannot provide a comprehensive review, nor would I be inclined to do so.  I simply want to address a couple of points.

To be fair, I think Amanpour was as even-handed as she knew how to be.  The real issue is that we all have biases — it’s just a matter of whether we’re biased in favor of the Truth or a lie — and we’re so often oblivious to them.  This is especially true of liberals, as they fancy themselves to be paragons of objectivity, people who aren’t "enslaved" by dogmas.  It’s easy to believe that when you’re shallow and live an unexamined life.  Yet it is this very delusion that makes them the most dangerous of individuals: Those capable of deceiving themselves. 

In reality, everyone governs his life based on some set of "doctrines," and this Truth was expressed beautifully by G.K. Chesterton a long time ago:

"Really, there are only two kinds of people: Those who accept dogmas and know it, and those who accept dogmas and don’t know it. "

Now I’ll provide two examples of how Amanpour’s (and she’s not alone in this; she’s merely archetypal) dogmas colored her reporting.

Amanpour spent a lot of time focusing on Ron Luce, a preacher who holds "battle cry" rallies for youths as part of his "Teen Mania" ministry.  Luce’s goal seems to be to encourage teens to reject pop culture and the decadence of modern society, so his message seems quite authentic.  Anyway, Amanpour attended a Teen Mania event I’ve written about before, one of the rallies in, of all places, San Francisco.  The event was attended by rancorous protests, which is not surprising given the venue.  Let’s just say that the "velvet mafia" was out in full force.

So while talking to Luce, Amanpour asked something to the effect of, "Is it good to preach such a divisive message?"  While the minister’s answer wasn’t the worst, he still missed the point, as most everyone does.

I’m always amused when liberals talk of the "divisiveness" of Christians/conservatives/Republicans — pick your label.  This is because something is forgotten.  Now I’ll give you my answer:

"Mrs. Amanpour, it takes two to tango.  You can’t have division unless you have at least two opposing groups that disagree with one another.  So why do you put the onus on Christians?  If the left would agree with us, there would be no division.  Why do you behave as if we should consider your secular values the default and any deviation from them a ‘divisive heresy’?  Is this the Church of Amanpour?"

This is how you turn the tables on the left.  Why isn’t it done?  Because traditionalists themselves have unwittingly accepted the biases of the age.   In doing so, we cede the high road in the debate and allow ourselves to be put on the defensive.  But there is no reason for this.  Remember, the Truth is on our side.

Amanpour’s next misstep was also born of blind acceptance of the spirit of the age.  She was discussing a program Luce has for training teen ministers; it involves staying at his academy for a year, receiving instruction and abiding by certain rules.  Among other things, the kids aren’t allowed to date and there is a dress code, which, among other things, prescribes that girls must wear skirts of at least a certain length. 

When Amanpour learned that this rule existed because showing too much flesh could be a temptation for the boys, she seized upon the terrible trespass against a woman’s right to be an absolute slut.  She asked if this wasn’t like the Taliban; after all, that’s the reason they give for keeping their women behind closed doors, is how I think she put it.  And, again, I thought Luce was just slightly non-plussed.  Here’s how we should respond:

Mrs. Amanpour, the Taliban is one extreme, you and your libertine ilk are the other.  While they drop full-length burqas on their women, you think it’s OK to walk around in a state of undress.   American society has lost its sense of modesty. 

So here’s what I want you to realize: You have more in common with the Taliban than we do because you’re both extremists.  You just think there’s no similarity because you’re at opposite ends of the spectrum, but you find common ground in that you’ve both deviated from the Truth to a similar degree.  We are the happy medium.

My friends, one reason why we’re losing the culture war is that we allow the left to frame the debates.   We think inside their box when formulating our arguments.  Think outside the box.

That’s where the Truth can be found.