Subverting the Spirit of the Age
by Jim Kenaston

I recently referenced the 1976 Steely Dan song "The Royal Scam" in what was intended as a rebuke to the Biden administration (here is that brief article). The song focuses on the plight of immigrants to the U.S. during the 1950s and 60s. Our current wave of illegal immigration is one of the concerns I have about our current time. Thus the rebuke, offered via a quote from Steely Dan.

My other concerns about this administration and its supporters include:

1. The selective enforcement of law
2. Aggressive prosecution of political opponents while turning a blind eye to crimes committed by members of one's own party
3. Gaslighting the public through incessant lies and the use of false-flag operations (e.g., the Russia collusion hoax, the J6 "insurrection," censoring evidence of corruption, censoring information contrary to the preferred narrative of the party in power, etc.)
4. Eschewing education in favor of indoctrinating students toward political activism on behalf of an ideologically driven agenda
5. Seeking to advance hedonistic and/or narcissistic ideologies, based in the Sexual Revolution, that are harmful to both families and individuals
6. Political pandering in the form of wealth redistribution initiatives (e.g., student loan forgiveness schemes, proposed just prior to an election, no less)
7. Unsustainable and irresponsible spending on ideological projects based in alarmist scenarios, increasing of our national debt to the hurt of future generations

One could go on. My sense is that quoting songs of protest by way of rebuke is likely to fall on deaf ears among our cultural elites. 

Perhaps a stronger form of rebuke would be to "vote the scoundrels out of office." This may be an optimistic hope in a time when we're no longer certain that we can trust our elections.

My own conclusion is that the strongest rebuke I could personally offer is one that is not limited to the leaders of a specific party or administration, but to the spirit of this age. I draw this from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans: "...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2). 

In a world awash in materialism and hedonistic values, living in obedience to Christ seems the most subversive choice one could make in rebuking the spirit of this age and the purveyors of lawlessness.

Yes, we should continue to vote, write letters of concern to our representatives, participate in the public square, share our songs of protest, etc., hoping to persuade fellow citizens toward better ways. More importantly, though, the strongest statement we can make with our individual lives comes in choosing to bow to an authority higher than that of the state. 

Such a tact welcomes persecution at the hands of the state, but for those of us who claim Christ as our Lord, this is part of what it means to pick up our cross to follow Him. In doing so, our lives serve to subvert the secular values of the age.

As for the corrupt leaders of our time, we're also called to "...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Christ's ways are indeed subversive, even of our own inclination toward personal retribution.