The considerable fuss caused by the Cornerstone Church of Alexandria reminded me of a movie from the 1970s. This is not to make a direct comparison between the bad guy character of the movie and the Cornerstone pastor. To do that would be to violate Godwin's rule or principle. Look that up if you want to. I nevertheless see a parallel.
Often when you see people do outrageous or reprehensible things, you should not race to a conclusion that it is a matter of character. We are flawed human beings, sometimes terminally flawed. This is an understanding we recognize as part of being Christian. Yes we are sinful but we should not wallow in it. Or to celebrate it? It seems the latter direction is becoming more noticeable now.
The ilk of Conerstone would seem to be more inspired by the image of Donald Trump playing golf than the standard things we would like to think guide Christianity.
Would you believe, I can see up to a point where the Cornerstone pastor is coming from? Like the bad guy character in the 1976 movie "Marathon Man," he was embittered by things he observed or was forced to ingest as a young man. The pastor had issues with the nature of academia. Although I am on the other side of the coin politically from him today, I understand his perspective.
The bad guy character in "Marathon Man" was a former Nazi. Can sympathy be cultivated toward this character in any way? On the face it would seem no. I'll suggest some nuance. I saw the movie many years ago but I think I can recall the most revealing scene which was toward the end. It's where "Christian Szell" played by Laurence Olivier is cornered and he lets spill his bitterness to his tormentor. It's a tribute to the actor that the scene came across as so moving, because it would be so easy to make the character sound like he was just pleading for mercy, for his life. But the character's bitterness sounded genuine.
Perhaps the distress of Germany in the 1920s created a kind of desperation that we in America have not had. The resolution of World War I had basically screwed the country. Hyper-inflation! It was a defining part of life in the nation. Desperation leads to despots. We know full well how the German people, who we totally respect today, became delusional and sold out to the premier despot. We might sense a firebell in the night that we should heed today.
Look at the headlines in America in early 2021. Look at the "craziness" emerging from the nation's so-called "conservative" element. I might suggest William F. Buckley is rolling over in his grave. Marjorie Taylor Greene? She of the theory of Jewish people with their "lasers from outer space?"
The German people needed a scapegoat and thus the Jews emerged fully. Jews would be the first to advise us to be vigilant regarding the likes of Greene's crowd. It is intertwined with the Trump element that can increasingly be described as a cult.
America was not adequately shocked by what happened at the capitol on Jan. 6. In Morris there is still a prominent Trump-Pence sign between the service road and highway on the north end. The election was quite some time ago. Trump inspired the capitol rioters with his words obviously. Why did he even have to address them? Would Pence want anything to do with Trump now? Pence's very family was endangered.
Most of us just seem too numb to what unfolded right on TV.
The Cornerstone pastor is embittered by his background as a young adult being surrounded by left-leaning or progressive thought. Of course many people do embrace the left-oriented views with the utmost sincerity. The people who don't at least deserve some deference or respect.
If the pastor thought the typical college environment was too biased or unyielding, I'd have to tell him this is no revelation. Anyone who attended college, especially a state college, in the 1970s remembers clearly the kind of biases that were dispensed. Don't be so bitter about it. College is but a sliver of your life.
After college I made a point to seek out a paperback book by William F. Buckley so I could learn what conservatism really was. In college it was presented as pathology.
My goodness, Pastor Knappen, you have had your whole adult life to develop your opinions as you please. America really is a free and fair country, despite what Josh Hawley, the fool, might assert about being "censored." Hawley doesn't know what censorship is. He is perpetually frowning. The picture of him raising his fist in support toward the Trump mob will become iconic. It will become iconic as a warning.
Rev. Knappen, I totally understand the wellspring of your frustration. You resent the forces of what you would consider indoctrination. The German young men who became Nazis drew from a wellspring of bitterness and went astray with their reaction. Irrationality ruled as they cast about for adversaries real and perceived. Yes, the Jews. Or, other various categories of human beings too like even the handicapped.
It's too easy today to just write it all off as pure evil.
Our environment influences us all the time. Because we are flawed human beings, we can easily become derailed in how we respond. We all feel just a little paranoia sometimes. Colleges acquiesce with climate change because, well, what would you expect them to do? Be climate change deniers? What would be the point of having a science curriculum?
The problem comes when government might impose certain remedies too fast. It's like the City of Morris deciding it was our responsibility to fight the issue of chloride in the Pomme de Terre River. Government gets ahold of something like this and it can be like a bear with boxing gloves. I sense a push toward the greater implementation of solar panels. In theory that's fine but the government must be considerate and patient.
Government must understand how its power can intimidate people. And oh my God, academic people probably need to realize this even more!
The Cornerstone Church of Alexandria and its nationwide brethren are in the scapegoat-identifying process now. Let's look at immigrants, people of color and non-heterosexuals I guess. Seems irrational but that is the nature of these things. Germany went crazy in the 1930s. Take a look at our recent U.S. capitol insurrection. Is it absurd to draw a comparison with the rise of the dangerous elements in mid-20th Century Germany? I think not.
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| Pastor Darryl Knappen |
I think it's natural for most of college to be in line with what we'd call progressive views. We wouldn't really want it any other way.
College butts up against the real world in which we don't have the luxury to adapt continually to prescriptions from the "lab" of college. In other words, it isn't practical to expect everyone to purchase a new water softener or to procure solar panels. Or to switch to an electric car etc. Trump supporters have been known to park their pickups to obstruct electric charging stations. And so goes the world.
The problem now is that the Cornerstone Church and its brethren have become caricatures. They are caricatures worthy of mocking by many of us, just as the "My Pillow" guy gets increasingly mocked. And Marjorie Taylor Greene with her "Jews with lasers" absurdity. Let's make "Saturday Night Live" work a little harder to get its parody material, please.
A final note about the movie "Marathon Man" (1976): This movie and "Cross of Iron" of the same period had a type of violence that Hollywood has appeared to depart from. Violence too unpleasant for Hollywood? Yes! The form of violence is so unpleasant I will not describe it here. I also don't think it was presented realistically. It seemed too tidy in the the movies. In reality it would be a screaming mess.
No, I won't describe it. Let's just say that after watching "Marathon Man," I had trouble seeing Roy Scheider in a movie again. You can watch for yourselves. No, don't.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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| Does this church really want all the attention? |
