I wonder how many people even remember Pogo, anymore? I agree with Kreeft when he says the enemy is the devil and his minions, I really do. But I think Kreeft gets off-track in Winning Strategy, he seems to think we have to be Mother Teresa to be warriors. In fact, his whole quasi-military concept seems to me to be exacerbating the problem. The very last thing American Catholics need is to have their adrenaline pumped.
I don’t mean merely that Western civilization will die. That’s a piece of trivia. I mean eternal souls will die. Billions of Ramons and Vladamirs and Janes and Tiffanies will go to Hell. That’s what’s at stake in this war: not just whether America will become a banana republic, or whether we’ll forget Shakespeare, or even whether some nuclear terrorist will incinerate half of humanity, but whether our children and our children’s children will see God forever. That’s what’s at stake in “Hollywood versus America.” That’s why we must wake up and smell the rotting souls. Knowing we are at war is the first requirement for winning it."...wake up and smell the rotting souls..." was my favorite bit. Okay, so now Kreeft has us all juiced. What's the answer?
And thus we have our third Necessary Thing: the weapon that will win the war and defeat our enemy.All it takes is saints.Can you imagine what twelve more Mother Teresas would do for the world? Can you imagine what would happen if just twelve readers of this article offered Christ 100% of their hearts and held back nothing, absolutely nothing?I vote Kreeft becomes the first of the twelve. Notice that in the previously cited section, Kreeft has already written off western civilization and America, specifically. Becoming a "banana republic" is inevitable.
What is the price? The answer is simple. T.S. Eliot defines the Christian life as: “A condition of complete simplicity/Costing not less than/Everything.”Uh-HUH. So, the decline and fall of everything is inevitable and the only answer against the devil is giving up everything. This is a sure recipe for spreading despair: everything is going to go to hell and I am not good enough or willing enough or something enough to do thing one about it because my only option is becoming a living saint. And I just have to get new brakes and help my daughter not flunk 6th grade....
But the article makes you wonder why bother at all? What good are your few prayers and attempts at a decent life? Might as well sleep in on Sunday.
Kreeft, who do you work for?
(next: threat assessment)
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