[Vision2020] "Canadian Review of American Studies" article on the Confede...

[DonovArn@aol.com]

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In a message dated 12/6/2003 9:02:53 AM Pacific Standard Time,=20
newtknight@mindspring.com writes:
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/theologyCRAS2Final.htm
For those that do not want to wade through the entire thesis I suggest you=20
look through this. It really is sad that people can STILL think this way. I=20=
find=20
it freighting that someone thinks that the 14th amendment to the constitutio=
n=20
was a bad thing. I have pity for anyone that is associated with this man and=
=20
thinks this way.
"In addition to his role as a director of the League of the South, Steven=20
Wilkins is arguably the most prominent member of the current neo-Confederate=
=20
clergy. A member of the PCA, and resident instructor at the R.L. Dabney Cent=
er for=20
Theological Studies based in Monroe, Louisiana, Wilkins writes for almost al=
l=20
the religious publications and groups that advance neo-Confederate and=20
Christian nationalist ideas, interpreting the historical development of the=20=
United=20
States as following a heretical trajectory that culminated in the defeat of=20=
the=20
Christian Confederate states in the Civil War. Wilkins asserts, in a manner=20
reminiscent of Genovese=E2=80=99s assessment, that the cause of the Civil Wa=
r was=20
theological incompatibility between north and south, the former having =E2=
=80=9Crejected=20
Biblical Calvinism=E2=80=9D (Wilkins, America 142). =E2=80=9C[T]he War Betwe=
en the States,=E2=80=9D=20
Wilkins contends, was =E2=80=9Ca true revolution. The foundations of western=
 culture were=20
being broken up and overthrown =E2=80=A6 Their purpose was not merely to des=
troy=20
slavery =E2=80=A6 but to destroy Southern culture=E2=80=9D (Southern pt. I,=20=
11). Wilkins=20
continues, claiming, =E2=80=9CThere was radical hatred of Scripture and the=20=
old theology [and]=20
Northern radicals were trying to throw off this Biblical culture and turn th=
e=20
country in a different direction=E2=80=9D (Southern pt. I, 11). The ultimate=
 result=20
of the Civil War, concludes Wilkins, was a Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.=20
Constitution (ratified 1868) that trampled States=E2=80=99 rights and create=
d an overly=20
powerful and unconstitutional Federal government because it gave citizenship=
 to=20
freed slaves and guaranteed that Federal rather than State government=20
protected the rights of all citizens (America 150). Elsewhere, Wilkins has d=
efended=20
slavery and the discriminatory Reconstruction era =E2=80=98Black Codes=E2=
=80=99 of Southern=20
states (e.g. America 136-137, 148). Writing with Douglas Wilson, Wilkins has=
=20
claimed that =E2=80=9Cthe Word of God=E2=80=9D and Biblical Christian orthod=
oxy are currently=20
threatened by feminism, gay and Lesbian rights, and legalized abortion (11).=
 To=20
shield Christianity from these perceived threats, Wilkins and Wilson utilize=
 a=20
theological analysis that leads them to simultaneously build an argument tha=
t=20
defends slavery as Biblically justified. In turn, Wilkins has maintained=20
that, =E2=80=9CThe War Between the States was a war between two different wo=
rld views: The=20
old way of Biblical Constitutionalism and the =E2=80=98new=E2=80=99 way of H=
umanistic=20
Centralism=E2=80=9D and, therefore, slavery was a mere =E2=80=9Cpretext=E2=
=80=9D used by the Union to force=20
the South into =E2=80=9Cpolitical subjugation and economic destruction=E2=
=80=9D (America=20
138).=20
 =20
Wilkins also writes for the Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, recently=20
reassessing Dabney=E2=80=99s works, arguing that Confederate leaders are ide=
al role models of=20
Christian masculinity, and reiterating the theological war thesis (e.g. Dabn=
ey=E2=80=99
s, Character). Lamenting that the modern Southerner is failing the South and=
=20
Christianity because =E2=80=9Cthings which once marked the South are no long=
er present,=E2=80=9D
 Wilkins decries:
[t]he erosion of Biblical Christianity that has occurred over the last=20
century has left the South a bare shadow of its former self. Many Southerner=
s are=20
now realizing what has been lost in cultural terms but fail to realize the t=
rue=20
cause for this loss. It has not been caused by the opposition of the liberal=
s=E2=80=A6=20
It has been caused by the rejection of the historic Christian Faith of the=20
Reformation. (Christianity 13)
The solution to this lack of orthodox Christian faith, for Wilkins, is that=20
residents of the South recover their religious tradition and reinstate this=20=
in=20
a revived Confederate States of America. Indeed, Wilkins is optimistic about=
=20
this proposal, perhaps signaling the growing popularity and power of=20
neo-Confederate and Christian orthodox movements at the end of the twentieth=
 century:
Until only a few years ago, it looked as if the vision of the fathers of thi=
s=20
nation had died out completely and the legacy of reconstruction would be our=
=20
nation=E2=80=99s epitaph. Today, there are hopeful signs that God=E2=80=99s=20=
people are waking=20
up to the call of restoring true liberty in Christ to this nation and all it=
s=20
institutions. (America 150)"
 =20

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<DIV>In a message dated 12/6/2003 9:02:53 AM Pacific Standard Time, newtknig=
ht@mindspring.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue=20=
2px solid"><FONT face=3DArial>http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/theologyCRAS2=
Final.htm</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>For those that do not want to wade through the entire thesis I suggest=20=
you look through this. It really is sad that people can STILL think this way=
. I find it freighting that someone thinks that the 14th amendment to the co=
nstitution was a bad thing. I have pity for anyone that is associated with t=
his man and thinks this way.</DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"mso-layout-grid-align: none" align=3Dleft>"In=20=
addition to his role as a director of the League of the South, <STRONG><U>St=
even Wilkins is arguably the most prominent member of the current neo-Confed=
erate clergy</U></STRONG>. A member of the PCA, and resident instructor at t=
he R.L. Dabney Center for Theological Studies based in Monroe, Louisiana, <U=
>Wilkins writes for almost all the religious publications and groups that <S=
TRONG>advance neo-Confederate</STRONG> and Christian <STRONG>nationalist ide=
as</STRONG></U>, interpreting the historical development of the United State=
s as following a heretical trajectory that culminated in the defeat of the C=
hristian Confederate states in the Civil War. Wilkins asserts, in a manner r=
eminiscent of Genovese=E2=80=99s assessment, <STRONG>that the cause of the C=
ivil War was theological incompatibility between north and south, the former=
 having =E2=80=9Crejected Biblical Calvinism=E2=80=9D (Wilkins, <I style=3D"=
mso-bidi-font-style: normal">America</I> 142). =E2=80=9C</STRONG>[T]he War B=
etween the States,=E2=80=9D Wilkins contends, was =E2=80=9Ca true revolution=
. The foundations of western culture were being broken up and overthrown=20=
=E2=80=A6 <STRONG><SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Their purpose</=
SPAN> was not merely to destroy slavery =E2=80=A6 but to destroy Southern cu=
lture=E2=80=9D (<I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Southern </I>pt. I,=
 11).</STRONG> <U>Wilkins continues, claiming, =E2=80=9CThere was radical ha=
tred of Scripture and the old theology [and] Northern radicals were trying t=
o throw off this Biblical culture and turn the country in a different direct=
ion=E2=80=9D </U>(<I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Southern </I>pt.=20=
I, 11). <STRONG><EM><U>The ultimate result of the Civil War, concludes Wilki=
ns, was a Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (ratified 1868)</U><=
/EM></STRONG> that trampled States=E2=80=99 rights and created an overly pow=
erful and unconstitutional Federal government <STRONG><U><EM>because it gave=
 citizenship to freed slaves</EM></U></STRONG> and guaranteed that Federal r=
ather than State government protected the rights of all citizens (<I style=
=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">America</I><SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi-font-sty=
le: italic"> 150</SPAN>). Elsewhere, <EM><STRONG><U>Wilkins has defended sla=
very and the discriminatory Reconstruction era =E2=80=98Black Codes=E2=80=
=99 of Southern states</U></STRONG></EM> (e.g. <I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-sty=
le: normal">America</I><SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: italic"> 136-137,=
 148)</SPAN><SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">. </SPAN>Writing with=
 Douglas Wilson, Wilkins has claimed that <STRONG>=E2=80=9Cthe Word of God=
=E2=80=9D and Biblical Christian orthodoxy are currently threatened by femin=
ism, gay and Lesbian rights, and legalized abortion (<SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi=
-font-style: italic">11</SPAN>)</STRONG>. To shield Christianity from these=20=
perceived threats, <STRONG><EM><U>Wilkins and Wilson</U></EM></STRONG> utili=
ze a theological analysis that leads them to simultaneously build an argumen=
t that <STRONG><U>defends slavery as Biblically justified</U></STRONG>. In t=
urn, Wilkins has maintained that, =E2=80=9C<SPAN style=3D"mso-bidi-font-size=
: 10.0pt">The War Between the States was a war between two different world v=
iews: The old way of Biblical Constitutionalism and the =E2=80=98new=E2=80=
=99 way of Humanistic Centralism=E2=80=9D and, therefore, </SPAN>slavery was=
 a mere =E2=80=9Cpretext=E2=80=9D used by the Union to force the South into=20=
=E2=80=9Cpolitical subjugation and economic destruction=E2=80=9D <SPAN style=
=3D"mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">(<I>America</I> 138).<O:P> </O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dleft>&nbsp; <O:P></O:P></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dleft><STRONG><U>Wilkins</U></STRONG> also write=
s for the Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, recently reassessing Dabney=E2=80=
=99s works, <STRONG><U><EM>arguing that Confederate leaders are ideal role m=
odels of Christian masculinity</EM></U></STRONG>, and reiterating the theolo=
gical war thesis (e.g. <I>Dabney=E2=80=99s</I>, <I>Character</I>). Lamenting=
 that the modern Southerner is failing the South and Christianity because=20=
=E2=80=9Cthings which once marked the South are no longer present,=E2=80=9D=20=
Wilkins decries:</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in" align=3Dleft>[t]he erosion=
 of Biblical Christianity that has occurred over the last century has left t=
he South a bare shadow of its former self. Many Southerners are now realizin=
g what has been lost in cultural terms but fail to realize the true cause fo=
r this loss. It has not been caused by the opposition of the liberals=E2=80=
=A6 It has been caused by the rejection of the historic Christian Faith of t=
he Reformation. (<I style=3D"mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Christianity</I> 1=
3)</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dleft><STRONG><EM><U>The solution to this lack o=
f orthodox Christian faith, for Wilkins, is that residents of the South reco=
ver their religious tradition and reinstate this in a revived Confederate St=
ates of America.</U></EM></STRONG> Indeed, Wilkins is optimistic about this=20=
proposal, perhaps signaling the growing popularity and power of neo-Confeder=
ate and Christian orthodox movements at the end of the twentieth century:</P=
>
<P class=3DMsoFooter style=3D"MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; tab-stops: .5in" align=3Dl=
eft>Until only a few years ago, it looked as if the vision of the fathers of=
 this nation had died out completely and the legacy of reconstruction would=20=
be our nation=E2=80=99s epitaph. <STRONG><EM><U>Today, there are hopeful sig=
ns that God=E2=80=99s people are waking up to the call of restoring true lib=
erty in Christ to this nation and all its institutions. (America 150)"</U></=
EM></STRONG></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dleft>&nbsp; <O:P></O:P></P></BODY></HTML>

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