culture | Robert Kunda

Dan Savage, the man behind the It Gets Better campaign, doesn’t like bullies. Well, he doesn’t like bullies that disagree with him. He is more than willing to bully others, and using the crudest and most shameful of means. A few months ago, Savage unloaded on masses of students at a journalism conference. Offended students walked out and were repeatedly heckled, called “pansy-a**es,” etc.

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This post isn’t about Savage. Commentaries about him are readily available. I want to note the reaction against the students that left his talk. Note that this was a journalism conference where he launched into a tirade against all the “bull sh**” in the Bible. Offended students, ones that had no reason to expect such treatment, walked out quietly, quickly, and peacefully. It offends them; they left.

Now, let’s consider a recent talk Douglas Wilson gave at Indiana University. From the description (you should watch all 3 videos in their entirety):

Douglas Wilson, of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, was invited to Indiana University by Clearnote Church to talk about sexuality from a Biblical perspective. Bloomington Indiana is home to the Kinsey Institute, started by Alfred Kinsey who is famous for his experiments in sexuality. The videos below are the full lectures, as well as the very long Q&A that followed. A large crowd of “dissenters” gathered to demonstrate their disapproval of Wilson’s message in word in action.

It wasn’t a secret what Wilson would speak about, though as I’ll note below, what he actually did say is still a mystery to many present. This was a voluntary lecture that had an established topic. What did the mature student body of the university do? They demonstrated all the maturity of my three year old throwing a tempter tantrum.

As many of you are likely aware, Christopher Hitchens recently died, and as one would expect, the mix of thoughts and emotions is rather broad. There’s been no small amount of accolades for and lauding of Hitchens and a good deal of mourning and sorrow over his death among Christians. No doubt some of the positive views on Hitchens come from the recognition of his obvious talents. As Ed Feser said:

He was almost always smart, funny, and interesting even when he was wrong.

I think this is just right. He was all those things and, in contrast to the other atheist horsenmen, likable. Unfortunately, his showmanship, bravado, English-accent, and astute observations in some areas of life gave his works and writings on all things metaphysical and religious, an undeserved reputation as an authority figure. Frankly, he really had no standing on which to argue as he did. As Feser continues:

[On religion, Hitchens] was a complete bore and an insufferable hack… Religion is the last subject about which to have a tin ear or a closed mind, and Hitchens had both.

Because people have already said so much and so well, I think I’ll be better served to just allow the others that have already said anything I might. I will say this however: Hitchens’s death was not a tragedy. The same thing said back when Michael Jackson died is applicable here, too: His life was the tragedy.

This was a man with such a mind, such gifts of communication and oratory, such a position to influence and affect so many people, yet used his gifts to slander, shock, belittle, and mock good people—a man that used all his talents to ultimately stand with a clenched fist at the God that gave him such things (a God whom he both disbelieved in and yet still hated)—was not a man whom one would hope to emulate, and certainly was not a man we should praise. His was a life poorly lived, and on his death, we should lament his lifelong rejection of the only hope one has in this life or the next: Jesus Christ.

Also read the thoughts by:
Doug Wilson
Peter Hitchens

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