Really Bad Apologetics

"but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15 ESV.

As with most things, there is a right and a wrong way of doing Christian Apologetics. One of the reasons that 1 Peter 3:15 has been most often quoted as the mandate for Christians to be pro-active with giving a defense of the faith is because Saint Peter in his God-given wisdom was careful how he framed this command. Let's face it some people just love to argue, and provoke a response, and some people treat getting people to make a decision for Christ as just another way of notching up a trophy; like some game hunter looking to put another head on the wall of the trophy room. Apologetics is not the same thing as selling vacuum cleaners. Why is it that in commercial law people are given "a period of Grace" after they have signed up a contract to buy that expensive vacuum cleaner, or that ostensibly wonderful time-share apartment? Obviously people will do things under the pressure of the moment because they have been bullied into something they just weren't ready for or really didn't want. Sometimes they agree to something without really knowing what they are getting into just because of a very slick sales pitch.

Is that what we are to practice as Christians?

I don't think so, therefore in the context of telling us to be always ready to give that defense of the faith, Peter is careful to frame it in words that leave us in no doubt as to what our attitude should be towards the people we are conversing with. It is to be done with gentleness and respect. We don't have to brow-beat people into the Kingdom of God. One of the most wonderful characteristics of our gracious God is that he was willing to come down to our level as an ordinary looking human being without pomp and ceremony and persuade us to follow God. He reasoned with people, he asked them questions so they could better see themselves and make up their own minds voluntarily to follow Him. The only compulsion that was evident were the miracles that were sufficient to get the attention- but not so compelling or overpowering that it left no room to refuse Him. The only force evident in his words were in the power of his great wisdom and logic. The great beauty of the Gospel is in part enhanced by the graciousness He afforded people in that- at least from an earthly perspective- he gave them the room to say no. That does not mean that we can use sloppy or weak arguments but they must always be framed with respect for the individual despite the fact of our inner abhorrence for any particular view or attitude that we might encounter in our interlocutors.

The eminent Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias says this:

"the next thing that is very critical to know is: Apologetics is not the ultimate answer, apologetics is only a means to gain respect- to be heard and observed. What is going to change their life is not the brilliance of your answer, that may just open up the avenue, ultimately the changing of the heart is God's work in the individuals life. Sometimes it's a gentle word, sometimes it's the love of Christ, sometimes it is the way you have handled the question and retained the dignity of the moment without... you know in India they have a proverb: Once you have cut off a persons nose there is no point giving them a rose to smell- and apologetics can slice off a persons nose- you've got to how to answer and when to back off."

The following audio is a prime example of how not to do apologetics, it has nothing to do with the argument itself, which in itself may be really true and even powerful, but it has everything to do with an attitude towards those whom you wish to persuade. The idea is to be winsome, not to conquer. I have no doubt that we all will overstep the mark at times and people will be offended by the message often enough without the messenger adding insult to injury. Towards the end of this episode which took place in a public space the apologist continues to harangue the "victim" as he quietly walks away.

The following article was found on the Parchment and Pen Blog

“THE NEPHILIM HAVE BEEN FOUND” OR YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF REALLY BAD APOLOGETICS by C Michael Patton April 4th, 2010

'Not too long ago I wrote a blog post about 14 examples of the type of apologetics (defending the faith) that Christians should not use. Due to an enthusiastically sent email I received today, I have a 15th example. And I am not happy about it.

I know how it is. We believe what we profess and we are quick to accept anything and everything that confirms some aspect of our faith. I am the same way. However, what we believe is too important for us to be uncritical, even about those claims that seem to support what we believe.

These pictures below represent supposed archaeological finds of giants in Greece. The person who sent these to me (and lots of other people after being forwarded many times) believes this to be proof of the giants that lived in the days of David (Goliath and his bothers; the Nephilim, etc.). The title of the email was “Nephilim – Giants in Greece.” The last words on the email were these: “And in the final analysis…….. The Bible does tell the truth and with precise accuracy….. No doubt about that!!!!” '

'I must admit that my critical admonition here is only going one way. I have not checked to see if this is true. I simply know it is not.

The enthusiastic, “No doubt about that” from the sender scares me for many reasons.

1. I am frightened by the lack of critical spirit this represents among Christians who blindly accept any bit of “evidence” that seems to support the faith. This is not the way God wants us to use our minds, even if the uncritical conclusions support his truth. We simply can’t do this folks.

2. I am also afraid of a faith built upon such tabloid evidences. Whether it is the Bible code, the Shroud of Turin, the lost day of Joshua, crying statues of Mary, or Noah’s Ark sightings, these type of things usually don’t last. If your faith is built on them, it won’t last either.

Could it be that we find evidences that confirm our faith? Certainly. We do all the time.

It is not the finding of evidences that concerns me, but the uncritical method with which these evidences are evaluated by many well-meaning Christians.

I am sure that some Sunday School teacher is going to use these pictures in a PowerPoint presentation this Sunday to show how Christianity is true.

Want to set people up to leave the faith later? This is the first step.

3. Finally, this gives our critics great ammunition. I know that critics will always find their reasons for rejecting our beliefs no matter what, but let’s make sure we do our part to help them reject and criticize for the right reasons. Let them take on our best apologetics, not these side shows.

In short, if you are reading this and your conversion is strongly supported by any tabloid support for Christianity such as this, please, please, please, rethink your faith. I would rather have you not believe having looked at good evidences for Christianity, than to have a believe built upon this type of manipulated sensationalism. More than likely, most (if not all) of these types of things are going to fall apart.

Most Christians are not too critical when it comes to this type of thing. They think that they are supposed to believe it. And I know that this does not only go for Christians. Atheists, Mormons, Muslims, and any other faith-based belief system is going to have those who uncritically use “evidence” that is, in the long run, counter-productive. But I am not talking to them right now. They can use all the pancake apologetics they want. But we (Christians) simply don’t need to. We have enough evidence for our faith to keep up from resorting to such things.'

I have added emphasis to the punchline here, clearly glibly accepting photo-shopped images as real evidence of the veracity of the Bible is not in the best interest of Christian credibility. On this point we are not left without scriptural witness: Even if those images were not photo-shopped, even if it was genuine evidence of giants, look what scripture says about these "experiences".

We give certain things a level of priority in our understanding. For us the truth of God's existence may come from several different directions, different types of personal evidence. You may have had a specially holy moment when the presence of God was all but palpable to you. That's great. You may have had a combination of circumstances unfold that made your faith in him more sure, maybe the Inland Revenue gave you a refund you weren't expecting right when the overdraft was perilously large like happened to me once! Maybe it was the blessed assurance of answered prayer- my mother in-law recently told us how she had been praying for a new home-group but had nowhere to host it. She had a particular person whose house she thought was appropriate but never said anything when all of a sudden the particular person suggested it herself- the joy of answered prayer!

All of these evidences are important and not to be dismissed or made light of, but they are subjective, they are deeply personal, like our own personal testimony and so they must feature on a lower scale of evidence compared to other things. The scripture leaves us in no doubt as to the priority of experience in relation to the Word of God.

"For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased "--and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts," 2 Peter 1:16-19

What an amazing experience Peter James and John had had on the holy mountain when Christ was transfigured before them and they heard the voice from heaven and saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus. That was such a holy, fearsome time. But look what Peter says about that:  Though they saw with their own eyes- the more sure word of prophecy, that is the prophetic Scriptures were to him more sure in order of priority as the evidential proof of Christ as the Son of the Living God. That is a high regard for scripture.

Are We Human Beings or Human Doings? Shane Rosenthal and the Restless Life.

Shane Rosenthal of the White Horse Inn relates to the findings of Alexis De Toqueville who studied the American culture and democracy in the early half of the 19th Century.

'Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville (French:  29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both of these works, he analyzed the rising living standards and social conditions of individuals and their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America (1835), his major work, published after his travels in the United States, is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.' (Wikipedia)

One of the most sure ways of evaluating a culture is to listen to what others from outside that culture have to say about it. One of the problems of attempts to understand culture from within is that culture by nature is all pervasive and so effects our thinking and ways of relating without being conscious of it. The outsider has a more objective view of the differences between that of his own and that which he is examining, and so is a useful sounding board from which to make more objective observations.

Here is an example of De Toqueville's evaluation of America that I have referred to before:

" I went at your bidding, and passed along their thoroughfares of trade. I ascended their mountains and went down their valleys. I visited their manufactories, their commercial markets, and emporiums of trade. I entered their judicial courts and legislative halls. But I sought everywhere in vain for the secret of their success, until I entered the church. It was there, as I listened to the soul-equalizing and soul- elevating principles of the Gospel of Christ, as they fell from Sabbath to Sabbath upon the masses of the people, that I learned why America was great and free, and why France was a slave." – Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian reporting to the French Senate, -

In this video clip Rosenthal speaks of the good "protestant work ethic" that in the past has made the U.S. strong, now may well be making her weak.

Many churches today are filled with programs, activities and events to build up and encourage, but very few are designed to develop the critical thinking skills needed to understand our world and to know the mind of Christ on the issues that face the church today. 

When Jesus speaks of the yeast of the pharisees we are still reasoning among ourselves- it is because we have taken no bread.

How to Survive a Cultural Crisis by Mark Dever of The Gospel Coalition

The following piece, though written in the United States and though it is specific to their current situation, it is applicable to any setting in which the church finds herself grappling with a secular society. This article is copied from the website of The Gospel Coalition:

How to Survive a Cultural Crisis by Mark Dever

Public opinion appears to be changing about same-sex marriage, as are the nation's laws. Of course this change is just one in a larger constellation. America's views on family, love, sexuality generally, tolerance, God, and so much more seems to be pushing in directions that put Bible-believing Christians on the defensive.

It's easy to feel like we've become the new "moral outlaws," to use Al Mohler's phrase. Standing up for historic Christian principles will increasingly get you in trouble socially and maybe economically, perhaps one day also criminally. It's ironic that Christians are told not to impose their views on others, even as the threat of job loss or other penalties loom over Christians for not toeing the new party line.


In all this, Christians are tempted to become panicked or to speak as alarmists. But to the extent we do, to that same extent we show we've embraced an unbiblical and nominal Christianity.

Here, then, are seven principles for surviving the very real cultural shifts we're presently enduring.

1. Remember that churches exist to work for supernatural change.

The whole Christian faith is based on the idea that God takes people who are spiritually dead and gives them new life. Whenever we evangelize, we are evangelizing the cemetery.

There's never been a time or a culture when it was natural to repent of your sins. That culture doesn't exist, it hasn't existed, it never will exist. Christians, churches, and pastors especially must know deep in their bones that we've always been about a work that's supernatural.

From that standpoint, recent cultural changes have made our job zero percent harder.

2. Understand that persecution is normal.

In the last few months I've been preaching through John's Gospel, and a number of people have thanked me for bringing out the theme of persecution. But I'm not convinced my preaching has changed; I think people's ears have changed. Recent events in the public square have caused people to become concerned about what's ahead for Christians. But if you were to go back and listen to my old sermons—say, a series preached in the 1990s on 1 Peter— you'd discover that ordinary biblical exposition means raising the topic of persecution again and again.

Persecution is what Christians face in this fallen world. It's what Jesus promised us (e.g., John 16).

Now, it may be that in God's providence some Christians find themselves in settings where, even if they devote their lives to obeying Jesus, they won't encounter insult and persecution. But don't be fooled by the nice buildings in which so many churches meet. This Jesus we follow was executed as a state criminal.

One of my fellow pastors recently observed that, in the history of Christian persecution, it's often secondary issues—not the gospel—that elicit persecution. Persecutors don't say, "You believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ; I'm going to persecute you now." Rather, some belief or practice we maintain as Christians contradicts what people want or threatens their way of seeing the world. And so they oppose us.

Again, to the extent we respond to changes in our culture either with panic or alarmism, to that same extent we contradict the Bible's teaching about ordinary Christian discipleship. It shows we've traded on the normalcy of nominalism.

Pastors especially should set the example in teaching their congregations not to play the victim. We should salt into our regular preaching and praying the normalcy of persecution. It's the leader's work to prepare churches for how we can follow Jesus, even if it means social criticism, or loss of privilege, or financial penalties, or criminal prosecution.

3. Eschew utopianism.

Christians should be a people of love and justice, and that means we should always strive to make our little corner of the globe a bit nicer than how we found it, whether that's a kindergarten classroom or a kingdom. But even as we work for the sake of love and justice, we must remember we're not going to transform this world into the kingdom of our Christ.

God hasn't commissioned us to make this world perfect; he's commissioned us chiefly to point to the One who will one day make it perfect, even as we spend our lives loving and doing good. If you're tempted to utopianism, please observe that Scripture doesn't allow it, and that the history of utopianism has a track record of distracting and deceiving even some of Christ's most zealous followers.

It's good to feel sadness over the growing approval given to sin in our day. But one of the reasons many Christians in America feel disillusionment over current cultural changes is that we've been somewhat utopian in our hopes. Again, to the extent you think and speak as an alarmist, to that same extent you demonstrate that utopian assumptions may have been motivating you all along.

4. Make use of our democratic stewardship.

I would be sad if anyone concluded from my comments that it doesn't matter what Christians do publicly or with the state. Paul tells us to submit to the state. But in our democratic context, part of submitting to the state means sharing in its authority. And if we have a share in its authority, we just might have, to some extent, a share in its tyranny. To neglect the democratic process, so long as it's in our hands, is to neglect a stewardship.

We cannot create Utopia, but that doesn't mean we cannot be good stewards of what we have, or that we cannot use the democratic processes to bless others. For the sake of love and justice, we should make use of our democratic stewardship.

5. Trust the Lord, not human circumstances.

There's never been a set of circumstances Christians cannot trust God through. Jesus beautifully trusted the Father through the cross "for the joy set before him" (Heb. 12:2). Nothing you and I will face will amount to what our King had to suffer.

We can trust him. He will prove trustworthy through everything we might have to endure. And as we trust him, we will bear a beautiful testimony of God's goodness and power, and we will bring him glory.

6. Remember that everything we have is God's grace.

We must remember anything we receive less than hell is dancing time for Christians. Right? Everything a Christian has is all of grace. We need to keep that perspective so that we aren't tempted to become too sour toward our employers, our friends, our family members, and our government when they oppose us.

How was Paul able to sing in prison? He knew that of which he'd been forgiven. He knew the glory that awaited him. He perceived and prized these greater realities.

7. Rest in the certainty of Christ's victory.

The gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ. We need not fear and tremble as if Satan has finally, after all these millennia, gained the upper hand in his opposition to God through the same-sex marriage lobby.

"Oh, we might finally lose it here!" No, not a chance.

People around the world now and throughout history have suffered far more than Christians in America presently do. And we don't assume Satan had the upper hand there, do we?

Each nation and age has a unique way to express its depravity, to attack God. But none will succeed any more than the crucifixion succeeded in defeating Jesus. Yes, he died. But three days later he got up from the dead.

Christ's kingdom is in no danger of failing. Again, Christians, churches, and especially pastors must know this deeply in our bones. D-Day has happened. Now it's cleanup time. Not one person God has elected to save will fail to be saved because the secular agenda is "winning" in our time and place. There shouldn't be anxiety or desperation in us.

We may not be able to out-argue others. They may not be persuaded by our books and articles. But we can love them with the supernatural love God has shown to us in Christ. And we can make his Word known today—with humility, with confidence, and with joy.

Jesus Among Other Gods- Ravi Zacharias

In an upcoming course on Christian Apologetics one of the first things to grasp is the importance of knowing the exclusive nature of truth. Following from this will be an examination of the amazing and unprecedented claims of Christ. Ravi's book is a timely reminder in a relativistic world the law of non-contradiction is as valid in the spiritual realm as it is in the everyday world we conduct ourselves in.

'In a world with so many religions, why Jesus?

We are living in a time when you can believe anything, as long as you do not claim it to be true. In the name of “tolerance,” our postmodern culture embraces everything from Eastern mysticism to New Age spirituality. But as Ravi Zacharias points out, such unquestioning acceptance of all things spiritual is absurd. All religions, plainly and simply, cannot be true.

Jesus Among Other Gods provides the answers to the most fundamental claims about Christianity, such as:

Aren’t all religions fundamentally the same?

Was Jesus who He claimed to be?

Can one study the life of Christ and demonstrate conclusively that He was and is the way, the truth, and the life?

In each chapter, Zacharias considers a unique claim that Jesus made and then contrasts the truth of Jesus with the founders of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism with compelling insight and passionate conviction. In addition to an impressive breadth of reading and study, he shares his personal journey from despair and meaninglessness to his discovery that Jesus is who He said He is.

“In Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias demonstrates that he is one of the most intellectually gifted as well as spiritually sensitive writers of today’s leading apologists for the Christian faith. Zacharias brings alive the unique power of the claims of Jesus about himself and the utter relevance of his message today for the human condition.”

— David Aikman, author of Great Souls'

"It's about freedom of speech, traditional values, and abuse of government power."- Bob McCoskrie, National Director Family First

  

A man, an off-duty soldier is set upon by two others and hacked to death with knives and cleavers in a suburb of Greater London.

A right wing activist and historian commits suicide at the altar of Notre Dame in symbolic protest to recent law changes.

News breaks out that a U.S. government department unfairly targeted conservative groups in scrutinizing their organizations.

A pro-family conservative lobby group in New Zealand is in the process of being  forcibly de-registered from its  status as a charitable group.  

Is there a common denominator to these seemingly disparate events?

While murder and mayhem differ widely in terms of shock impact from the far more mundane acts of  government agencies throwing their weight around, there is- at least in this writers view- the potential to do far more damage of a wider scale in the latter two incidents than that which first meets the eye. 

Here are some excerpts of a story found on the Mirror Online, By Tom Pettifor, Andy Lines 23 May 2013 

'Horrified witnesses told last night how the off-duty soldier beheaded by two Islamic terrorists yesterday was hacked at “like a piece of meat”.

The unnamed serviceman, wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt, was brutally butchered with knives and meat cleavers after a car mounted the pavement and ploughed into him.

The barbaric killing that has shocked the nation happened at 2.20pm on a busy main road just 50 yards from a primary school and 200 yards from Woolwich Barracks in South East London.

The two attackers, who also had a gun – believed to be a revolver – were later shot and wounded in an apparent “suicide by cop” attempt after waiting at the scene for 20 minutes – then lunging at anti-terror squad officers.

They were both taken to hospital, where one was said to be in a serious condition last night.

Earlier it emerged that the pair filmed themselves moments after the killing – with one of them delivering a hate-filled warning to the people of Britain.

In the chilling mobile phone video, one is shown with his hands covered in blood as he clutches a cleaver and knife, the body of the soldier lying in the street behind him.

Speaking with a London accent, he rants: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”

Bizarrely, he apologises to women who saw the slaughter, but adds: “In our land our women have to see the same.

“You people will never be safe. Remove your governments, they don’t care about you. You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start busting our guns? You think politicians are going to die?

“No it’s going to be the average guy, like you and your children. So get rid of them. Tell them to bring our troops back so we can all live in peace.”

Speaking on a visit to France, Mr Cameron said the whole country would condemn the “absolutely sickening attack” – and vowed that Britain would not “buckle” in the face of it.

The PM warned:

“The terrorists will never win because they can never beat the values we hold dear, the belief in freedom, in democracy, in free speech – our British values, our Western values.

They are never going to defeat those.”

He said: “It is the most appalling crime. and our thoughts tonight must be with the victim, his family and friends.

“People across Britain in every community will condemn this attack. We have had this kind of attack before and will never buckle in the face of it.”

He added: “In a free country like ours the best way to defeat terrorism is to go about your life and live your life and show terrorism can never win.” ' (Emphasis mine)

In The Independent, JOHN LICHFIELD,   PARIS TUESDAY 21 MAY 2013 filed this story about the recent suicide at the altar of Notre Dame Cathedral in the 850th anniversary of its existence :

'A far-right French historian shot himself in the head beside the altar of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris today apparently in protest against the legalisation of gay marriage in France.

Dominique Venner, 78, a former member of the nationalist terrorist movement, OAS, placed a pistol in his mouth and shot himself dead in front of scores of tourists inside the most visited building in France.

Mr Venner, a presenter on a Catholic-traditionalust radio station and controversial historian and essayist, posted an essay on his website earlier in the day calling for "new, spectacular and symbolic actions

to shake us out of our sleep, to jolt anaesthetised minds and to reawaken memory of our origins".

His long essay was a tirade against gay marriage but also a warning that the "population of France and Europe" was going to be "replaced" and brought under "Islamist control" and "sharia law".

Mr Venner placed a sealed letter on the altar of the cathedral before shooting himself. His choice of the altar - associated with religious marriage ceremonies -appeared to be a symbolic gesture of protest against the law permitting civil gay marriages in France which took effect last weekend.

The leaders of the protest movement, including

most but not all leading centre-right politicians, have pilloried the law as politically-motivated attack on family and religious values and the imposition of a "new civilisation". (Emphasis mine)

In the last few days the news has come to light that the Inland Revenue Service of the United States has been targeting conservative groups that are critical of various policies of the Obama administration. Many are suspicious this has emanated from the White House.

 The following excerpt comes from CBN News, Thursday, May 23, 2013

In a reversal from its previous claims, the Obama administration now admits the IRS did inform a top White House lawyer last month about its investigation into improper scrutiny of conservative groups.

'But according to the administration, that lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, stopped short of sharing any information with President Obama.

"She made the decision on the judgment that it was not necessary or appropriate to inform the president of this, and that didn't happen," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

That top White House officials didn't know is a notion Republicans and a lot of Americans find highly suspect.

The IRS scandal has angered and revitalized the Tea Party movement, which began, supporters say, to fight this very thing.

"It's ungodly, it's un-American and it's just plain wrong to target Americans because of what they say about the government," Paul Johnson of the Grassroots Tea Party of Boone County said.

"What the IRS did to conservative Tea Party and pro-life groups starting in 2009 was not just wrong;

it wasn't just bad; it was criminal and it was the behavior of a tyrannical government,"

Ulysses Arn, co-coordinator of the Rockford Tea Party, said.

In Cincinnati, hundreds of protestors marched on IRS headquarters, demanding an end to this abuse of power.'(Emphasis mine)

In an email I received this morning Bob McCoskrie, National Director for Family First draws attention to a similar plight facing his organization, a lobby group that advocates traditional family values and a Judeo/Christian ethic. Don't be surprised if the link doesn't work or the website is unavailable, this website and others associated with Family First have been the target of so many cyber attacks that they have had to move them (no doubt at some expense) offshore to a service that offers the same encryption services as those used by credit card agencies!

'Today we are lodging an Appeal in the High Court at Wellington against our de-registration as a charitable organisation. The role of marriage and families is an important public good, and groups who research and advocate on these issues should be encouraged, not muzzled.

The real concern is - where does this lead?

If they're willing to go after us because of our views on marriage and families, who will be next?

You only need to look overseas in the US and the actions of the IRS towards conservative groups to see that this is not just a New Zealand issue - this is a blatant attempt to muzzle groups that you and I hold dear, and who represent our values.

In just one example from overseas, IRS officials refused to grant tax exempt status to two pro-life organizations because of their position on the abortion issue, according to a non-profit law firm, which said that one group was pressured not to protest a pro-choice organization that endorsed President Obama during the last election. And the National Organisation for Marriage (whose President I met in Australia last week) had confidential tax documents stolen from or by the IRS and leaked to the pro-gay marriage groups whose President at the time was the national co-chair of Obama's re-election campaign!'

'It's about freedom of speech, traditional values, and abuse of government power.' (Emphasis mine) 

But is there anything that these four events have in common?

Well, yes I believe there is, and the common denominator is multiculturalism and the erosion of Western civilization. In an article on multiculturism in Wikipedia:

'Multiculturalism centers on the thought in political philosophy about the way to respond to cultural and religious differences. It is closely associated with “identity politics,” “the politics of difference,” and “the politics of recognition.” It is also a matter of economic interests and political power. (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Despite the fact that multiculturalism has mainly been used as a term to define disadvantaged groups, including African Americans, women, gays and lesbians, and the disabled, many theorists tend to focus their arguments on immigrants who are ethnic and religious minorities, minority nations, and indigenous peoples.

Harvard professor of political science Robert D. Putnam conducted a nearly decade long study how multiculturalism affects social trust. He surveyed 26,200 people in 40 American communities, finding that when the data were adjusted for class, income and other factors, the more racially diverse a community is, the greater the loss of trust. People in diverse communities "don’t trust the local mayor, they don’t trust the local paper, they don’t trust other people and they don’t trust institutions," writes Putnam.  In the presence of such ethnic diversity, Putnam maintains that

[W]e hunker down. We act like turtles.

The effect of diversity is worse than had been imagined. And it’s not just that we don’t trust people who are not like us. In diverse communities, we don’t trust people who do look like us.' (Emphasis mine)

Some of the themes common to multiculturalism include the ideas of tolerance and relativism, ideas which I have addressed in their respective posts. This breakdown of trust in our communities will have far reaching implications, not the least of which will be the continued and escalating feeling of isolation and marginalization of various groups. This fragmentation and the ensuing development of a siege mentality will further undermine the glue that holds these societies together. Up until recently the delicate balance between tolerance of various minorities and respect for human rights and the rule of law has been relatively assured in Western civilization- but is that a chapter in our history becoming more tenuous as these various factions explode into fresh forms of expression? As I have said elsewhere, tolerance without limits, tolerance without a guiding moral framework leads to intolerance, tyranny and irrationalism.

There never has been a civilization so successful and enduring as that which we broadly call- Western Civilization, what has been the cause of its unprecedented success?

Why, as a culture, has the West enjoyed such singular success? Let me answer by asking some questions: If you were to do a survey of human migration over the last decades what countries would you expect these migrants to come from? And what countries do you think these migrants are going to? Now if you investigated the reasons for these movements what do you think would be behind them? I venture to say that people move from poverty, oppression, disenchantment and fear- and they move towards wealth, opportunity, security and hope- to give a few examples. If you wanted to find a common denominator as to those countries that represent opportunity, wealth, security I think if you scratch the surface you will find that Western Culture is the key. And what does Western culture value? (Western culture has nothing to do with race) Since Western culture is based on objective reality and universal human nature, it is open to everyone, transcending both geography and race. But if one digs deeper, it becomes clear that

the truly fundamental basis for the rise of the West was an extraordinary faith in reason.

Western culture inculcates the value of "reason". "The Victory of Reason" explores a series of developments in which reason won the day, giving unique shape to Western culture and institutions. The most important of these victories occurred within Christianity. . . . While the other world religions emphasized mystery and intuition,

Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth. . . .

Encouraged by the Scholastics and embodied in the great medieval universities founded by the church, faith in the power of reason infused Western culture, stimulating the pursuit of science and the evolution of democratic theory and practice." [see the letter re. separation of church and state] Rodney Stark- "The Victory of Reason"

There is a very strong compunction in me to associate the breakdown of Western culture with the denigration   of, and the systematic programme for the removal from any sphere of relevance and influence of the Christian voice. Multiculturism is strongly associated with philosophies of relativism and the denial of exclusive truth. Relativism, especially in a moral setting, provides no firm context for right and wrong and perhaps more importantly undermines reason and logic, that which has underpinned the West for centuries.

It is a never ceasing marvel how much is comprehended in those immortal words:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." 

It is no accident that this all important "Word" capital "W" is in the opening verse of the Gospel of John. This "Word" refers to Jesus the Christ who- according to Christian theology- came down from heaven where he existed from all eternity as the second person of the trinity- the eternal Word of God. In the language of the Greeks in which this was first written some two millienia ago, this "Word" is the "Logos"- the reasoning word, from which we get logic and reason. Is it any wonder as more and more people in the West appreciate reason and logic less and less, and a well reasoned Christianity along with that, that we are in a spiralling descent into irrationalism and nehilism?

However the news isn't all bad. In certain circles thanks to the unstinting effort of a significant number of highly trained and mobile group of Christian apologists there has been a revival of interest and a heightened sense of credibility in arenas of traditionally strategic areas of cultural influence. These people of the Christian academy are having a big impact in Universities, government, media and other spheres all over the world. 

While the world at large observes through the media the shock content of extremist factions of Islam and other pressure groups, including aberrant forms of Christianity- these people are quietly at work in the centers of Islam and other cultural forums  having an unprecedented access to conduct respectful and important dialogue with regard to the diversity of these two mono-theistic religions and other worldviews like secularism.