The following are a few of my scribblings upon watching the Vishal Mangalwadi interview by Douglas Wilson. It’s best you watch the video for yourself, because my own interactions are interspersed among some of Dr Mangalwadi’s comments, so much so, that we wouldn’t wish him to get the blame for something I said. He provokes thought and I tend to think out loud.
Vishal mentioned that it was poetry, along with the Bible, that changed India. He mentioned Psalms 102 and 137 in particular (which, among other things, shows OT Israel’s attachment to land). He spoke of the English poets, mentioning Wordsworth and Longfellow. Longfellow is, of course, American. Therefore, is Vishal perhaps using the term English to refer to English speakers/writers as opposed to Englishmen? There is English Canada and there is French Canada. And, annoying as it is to Scots, Americans often refer to Great Britain as England. Here in Australia, I have been asked if I can do a British accent. Upon investigation I discovered that a British accent is more like an Etonian accent. Therefore, Scots and Scousers need not apply.
It is interesting that the word poet has to do with creating and making according to its Greek etymology. The word ποιητής originates from verb ποιώ (which means create). So, the Greek word for poet has to do with being a creator. God is the Creator who spoke creation into being. We are made in His image and likeness. Poets reflect Him in creating poems. (We are fallen, therefore, we are not always the best reflectors.) Wordsworth and Longfellow were Anglos in the sense that they wrote in English. Longfellow said, “All that I have is the Lord’s; not mine to give or withhold it; His, not mine, are the gifts, and only so far as I can make them mine, as in giving I add my heart to whatever is given.” “Glorious indeed is the world of God around us, but more glorious the world of God within us, there lies the land of song; there lies the poet’s native land.” The Psalms are inspired poetry. They speak of God. Wordsworth and Longfellow, though uninspired, spoke of God too.
Vishal says that India had no concept of nationalism, until an Indian Hindu convert to Christianity began writing poetry. He was ‘inspired’ by the ‘English’ poets. Nationalism has ties to the land. It is a Jewish (OT) concept. Vishal maintains that Longfellow, Wordsworth etc. inspired Indian poets. Out of that came Indian nationalism, the concept of a nation. This came from reading English poetry and reading the Bible.
NT Greek did not have a word for nation. This has been misunderstood by American theologians and missiologists. “Go into all the world and disciple all nations (ethnoi)…” does not mean disciple people groups per se. Vishal says that though it is true that the Greeks did not have a word for nation, the (NT) Greek word needs to have the Hebrew (OT) theology poured into it to have its intended Biblical meaning, i.e., make nations great again. Vishal said that President Trump understands the meaning of the word nation much better than American missiologists do.
My own thought: Will we begin to see prayer return to the state schools and the Ten Commandments to the court buildings now that President Trump wants to give God back His rightful place, as rehearsed in the words in the pledge of allegiance “one nation under God”?
Vishal says that the idea of nation was a Jewish-Protestant idea, not Roman Catholic or Orthodox. Nation was God’s idea for peace. The Netherlands and Switzerland first and second (OT Jewish-Protestant) nations. America was third. Interestingly, there were thirteen tribes of Israel (Joseph had two sons), and America had thirteen states (or colonies). Just as the Christian Church was in the thirteen states, so the Levites were everywhere. They were the glue that held OT Israel together.
An empire is about conquest, which is bad. Imperialism is evil. According to the Bible, a great nation is something different to a mere nation. A great nation is defined as that which holds to God’s justice and law. The further any nation moves away from this, the less great it becomes.
The apostle Thomas went to India because there already was a Jewish community already there. Therefore, God had His witness in India.
American Christianity foolishly handed over education to the state. Therefore, a new encyclopedia cum university is needed. Free to everyone, K through 12. Using AI technology to bring to life Shakespeare to teach his own plays, Einstein to teach his own theories, Newton etc. (makes me think that this may be a precursor for something like Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Holodeck”, where participants enter into the Globe Theatre or Einstein’s classroom to learn firsthand!) The world’s best curriculum, would be given away for free to home schoolers, filling the earth with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. College level too, with BAs etc. offered. Editorial control would be by Christian scholars. A way to pay for it all has been anticipated. Now that the anti-Christian neo-Marxism is on the wane, the four-years Trump window of opportunity must not be squandered by Christians.
Post-DL Moody American Christianity is a defeated religion. It’s a theology in the silos. Instead of teaching all aspects of Christianity holos-bolos in universities, it now seeks only to win souls, hold little Prayer Groups and Bible Studies. Vishal says that Billy Graham won tons of souls and lost America. The next four years can be a season for winning America back. The Church must do it, not the government.
My own thoughts: If Modernism degenerated into Postmodernism, now that Wokeism is dying, where are we now in the West with the obvious paradigm shift and new sense of optimism? Do we move back up the descending chain to Modernism or do we make our awakening nations great again? What makes a nation great? Again, as Vishal says, “that which holds to God’s justice and law.”
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