Evangelicals: Evaluating the Work of Kevin MacDonald
These Jews were more open–minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so. Acts 17:11, NET
Scripture praises the Berean Jews for not only accepting the message of Paul, but also lauds them for their diligent evaluation of his arguments. The Bereans did not simply dismiss Paul’s contentions out of hand; they tested them against their own preconceived notions and against their scriptures. After a good deal of study they found the evidence convincing (e.g., fulfilled prophecies).
Likewise, Evangelical Christians should not blithely dismiss Kevin MacDonald’s ideas. They should give him a fair hearing and rigorously examine his arguments. Why? Because MacDonald might be on to something that is terribly important to their survival and success.
Evangelicals have, as almost every White Christian in our society has, the very real difficulty of distancing themselves from the cultural milieu that surrounds them and is interminably reminding them of their guilt as Whites, Americans, and Christians.
Add to this milieu of cultural suicide the Evangelicals’ zealous desire to reach the unsaved by being “all things to all men,” a pinch of too little concern about this earth and their place in it, and a dash of strongly held beliefs about end times and supporting Israel no matter what Israel does, and you have a recipe for disaster.
I recently talked to an Evangelical pastor about the effect that the flood of immigrants is having on ‘our’ country (he is White). He became immediately defensive and agitated. He took umbrage at me for using the language of groups (i.e., ‘us,’ and ‘them’). How could he be an effective witness for Christ if he saw himself in the White group, and the Mexican in the Mexican group?
Interestingly, he had no problem with holding to in-group/out-group language concerning religiousgroups. When I made the same comment about the many Muslims coming to this country and the potential future problem that presents, he agreed. It was as if the Media were guiding his thoughts. Muslims have not quite gained victim status yet, so it is okay to consider them an out-group. I imagine he would have gone apoplectic if I had mentioned the Jews.
And yet, many Evangelicals do accept the negative portrayal of Jews in the Old and New Testaments, at least in the abstract. And this, eventually, will put them in jail. The State will declare their scriptures to be anti-Semitic, and therefore unlawful to posses or to read. But by then, it will be too late.
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This is where Kevin MacDonald steps in. He explains what is going on. He gives cogent reasons about what has happened, why it happened, and what is happening now. His work could be of great use to Evangelicals who wonder why they are so maligned and why they cannot get traction within the media.
Indeed, as Pat Buchanan recently pointed out (Why No Evangelical Justice?), Evangelical Christians are “the most underrepresented group of Americans — nay, the most unrepresented minority, the largest group of our fellow citizens never to have had one of its own sit on the U.S. Supreme Court in the modern era.”
It is interesting to hear Evangelicals talk. They witness the destruction of their country. They realize the culture is evil. They realize that they have been unfairly demonized. They do not want, at least implicitly, to be dominated by another ethnic group, and yet they see no connections. It is as if all this negative, anti-Christian, anti-American stuff just sort of happened, without any rhyme or reason. A few might blame it on Satan (and I am not denying it), but this kind of destruction of civilization does not happen by accident. MacDonald hits this point home. Another salutary effect of MacDonald is that it is much easier to fight something when you know what is going on, than if you do not.
Evolution, Evangelicals, and Kevin MacDonald
Another hurdle for some Evangelicals is that evolution is the bedrock for MacDonald’s analysis. Since the Bible is an Evangelical’s ultimate authority, and since Evangelicals believe that the Bible does not support evolution (e.g., Genesis), they must reject evolution as contra scripture.
Does this mean that Evangelicals cannot support Kevin MacDonald’s work? I think not. In fact, I believe that they can embrace the thrust of his contentions. Evangelicals need not abandon their belief that God is the creator of all things in order to embrace the idea that mankind has broken up into many different, often hostile and competing groups.
Indeed, Evangelicals often make a distinction that is helpful here. It is between microevolution and macroevolution. Macroevolution, according to them, is the belief that one ‘kind’ (think along the line of ‘species.’) can gradually turn into another ‘kind’ through genetic mutations. This, they reject. For example, fish do not become men. Microevolution, on the other hand, allows Evangelicals to explain how the same ‘kind’ can change over time, but not fundamentally.
Evangelicals use microevolution in order to explain how the immense diversity of peoples that are in the world sprang from only one, founding couple, Adam and Eve.
Consequently, Evangelicals should have no problem in seeing Adam and Eve’s offspring as being affected by natural selection, group competition, and the conscious selection of traits in mates. Indeed, much of the evolution that Kevin MacDonald talks about naturally falls under the rubric of ‘microevolution,’ and does not seem to be against scripture.
In conclusion, Evangelical Christians would do well to follow the Berean example and treat Kevin MacDonald’s work evenhandedly. Examine it carefully and see if there is not a message for you.
Jack Spence (email him) is a family man, Westerner (with Southern sympathies!), and Protestant.