Squires: Macy Gray found out that the false religion of 'woke' is long on vengeance but short on mercy



Macy Gray has had a tough month. By now everyone has seen her public about-face on the definition of womanhood. She went from describing some of the physical differences between men and women during a conversation with Piers Morgan to declaring that anyone in the LGBT community is a “hero” and “being a woman is a vibe” in an appearance on the "Today Show."

Many people see Gray’s reversal as the public humiliation ritual it appears to be on the surface.

I see a powerful spiritual lesson about the grace and mercy of God, personified in Jesus Christ, contrasted with the vengeance of our culture’s false idols.

One of the most unpopular aspects of Christianity for people who reject it is the notion that wrath is a part of God’s definition of justice. This is a throughline in scripture, starting in the Old Testament, where death was listed as the punishment for a multitude of sins. It continues into the New Testament, where the Apostle Paul writes this in Romans 1:18:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

Paul goes on to define “unrighteousness” for his readers further in the chapter and includes everything from murder and malice to envy and disobedience to parents. The message is clear: No one is truly righteous of his own accord, and God’s wrath is the just punishment for all sin.

This is why I reject any ideology that links humanity’s sin nature with skin color. We have seen this play out in America through historical stereotypes about the savageness and promiscuity of black people as well as the current framing of “whiteness” as rooted in theft and genocide. It is possible to have honest discussions about crime and injustice without attributing people's individual actions to their nature or ascribing them to their ethnic identity. The Bible is clear that no person or group is inherently evil or righteous. The same acts of evil may not be as prevalent among every group or within every nation, but that does not mean anyone has a monopoly on either vice or virtue.

The punishment for mankind’s depravity is pretty bad news. Thankfully the story does not end there.

In the Christian faith, the good news is that a person is made right with God (i.e. “justified”) by turning from sin and believing that Jesus Christ took the punishment for the person's unrighteousness on the cross. Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection complete a cosmic transaction for the true believer: Jesus takes on our sins and we take on his righteousness. All of this is a function of God’s grace and mercy, which means no human can boast about any part of the process.

It is the ultimate act of restorative justice.

America’s new civil religion is a cheap copy of a perfect original. Whether you call it social justice or “wokeness,” it includes the intense desire to right all historical wrongs, eliminate all disparities between groups, and liberate all groups oppressed from their oppressors. It has some of the same elements as the Christian faith: sacred texts, prophets, teachers, and evangelists, as well as a definition of justice that repays sin with vengeance.

One thing this faith doesn’t have is mercy or grace for the unrighteous. It also lacks any sense of full and final payment for one’s sins, which distorts the nature of good works. For Christians, moral behavior is the fruit of salvation, but within the woke church, it is the root of salvation.

In this false religion, repentance and belief (in lies) only lead to more sacrifices, more apologies, more commitments to “do better,” and more shame. There is no assurance, only perpetual insecurity regarding one’s faithfulness. Macy Gray found this out the hard way, as have countless others who have issued multiple apologies and pledged to support LGBT organizations after upsetting the gods of sex and sexuality.

Christians can have peace because we know that our faith rests on the only one who is truly righteous. Jesus was flogged publicly for the sins of all who believe in him. Macy Gray was flogged publicly for affirming God’s design for men and women. God gives Christians the spiritual weapons to fight our sin. False gods demand that their followers fight the truth.

Prophets and evangelists in the Bible declare God’s wrath and love – rooted in His holiness and justice – to spur the ungodly to repentance. The false prophets of social justice use fear and manipulation – rooted in lies – to force people into conversion. They know that the average person would rather bend his knee in submission than be publicly nailed to his own cross.

This is why pastors who advise believers to practice “pronoun hospitality” with the gender-confused or Christian social commentators who believe drag queens reading to children are a “blessing of liberty” are guilty of spiritual malpractice.

A good shepherd leads his flock to green pastures for their sustenance and drives off wolves for their protection. Encouraging the sheep to eat synthetic grass or advising them to be more winsome toward those who wish to devour them are signs of a shepherd who is ill equipped to carry out his vocation.

We live in an age where the social, medicinal, and surgical “transition” of people who are confused about their gender is official federal policy. No amount of gentleness or compromise will satisfy those who see rejection of transgenderism as the ultimate act of blasphemy.

This is why the Bible forbids idol worship and warns Christians not to be controlled by the fear of man. God knows how easy it is to draw our affections away from Him and toward other loves who will never love us back. Every other religion tells its followers all the things they must “do” to be made righteous. It is a list that has no end. The Christian looks at the cross and hears Jesus say his work on our behalf is “finished.”

Only one of those sounds like good news to me.

Squires: The COVID religion is forcing the left to abandon its false gods of Tolerance, Resistance, and Disobedience



COVID has become the center of a new religious crusade on the left. Their Road to Wuhan experience has caused Democrats to adopt radically new beliefs, abandon some of their most important principles, and discard many of their favored groups.

Such is the life of a converted Covidian.

Liberals are typically accepting of whatever lifestyle choices people want to make and reject the use of shame as a tool for behavioral modification. They resist fat-shaming, slut-shaming, and body-shaming. They also reject attempts to stigmatize people with drug and alcohol addiction, even when their behavior causes them and others harm. They have even taken steps to reduce criminal penalties for people who knowingly expose others to HIV/AIDS, despite the past belief that a positive diagnosis is a death sentence.

COVID made them see the light.

Now public shaming and ridicule are completely acceptable. It started last year around Memorial Day when restless Americans left their homes to enjoy the warm weather and breathe fresh air. Advocacy media reporters chastised them on air for gathering outside and not wearing masks. There is also an entire genre of Covidian journalism dedicated solely to people who died after claiming COVID is a hoax. These articles serve as stark warnings for unbelievers, especially because the vast majority of the people who died did not vote for the current president.

COVID also made the left change perspective on public compliance. For years liberals pledged to "fight the power" and saw any act of resistance to the government — especially the police — as morally justified. They made Jacob Blake into a racial justice icon when he was shot after fighting with police. That Blake was armed with a knife, allegedly sexually assaulted the mother of his children, and had a warrant for his arrest were irrelevant details. He had a right to resist, and anyone who suggested physical force was justified for non-compliance was a heartless racist.

Democrats now see the error of their ways.

The born-again Covidians now see resistance as a sign of serious moral failing. Parents who disagree with mask mandates in schools are regularly mocked on CNN and MSNBC. The liberals who typically want fewer police interactions with citizens react with glee when the maskless get tased and arrested for disobeying mask orders.

The Covidian response to vaccines has been an even greater example of the left's religious conversion.

Democrats have been the party of "my body, my choice" when it comes to defending unfettered access to abortion. The party went from wanting abortion to be safe, legal, and rare to passing abortion laws that legalize it up until the point of birth.

That was their position B.C. — before COVID.

Now Democrats think everyone should be vaccinated and support mandates from every level of government, corporations, and schools. They believe bodily autonomy covers the ability to kill a child in the womb but not the ability to decline a vaccine.

Kathy Hochul, Andrew Cuomo's replacement as governor of New York, went to a Brooklyn mega-church to ask the congregation to become her COVID apostles and spread the gospel of vaccination. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that people can be forgiven of their sins and spend eternity with God in heaven. I don't think boosters every six months in perpetuity have the same impact.

The left's views on the working class have also changed. In the struggle between big business and organized labor, Democrats have been reliable allies of teachers, nurses, and first responders.

Suddenly the party that is home to a growing contingent of socialists and activists who support corporations firing working mothers in the middle of a pandemic. Last year nurses were celebrated as heroes on the front lines who risked their own health to save lives. This year, the ones with the audacity to think they can decide what medicine goes in their bodies are regarded as selfish heretics who want to kill senior citizens. Even major labor unions have sided with the Biden administration and mandate-compliant corporations. The AFL-CIO has been more vocal in support of Netflix employees upset over Dave Chapelle jokes than airline pilots or teachers in danger of losing their jobs over vaccine mandates.

Covidianism is a syncretic religion, so even the left's race prophets have been part of this spiritual rebirth. People like Joy Reid have no problem extolling the virtues of rappers like Nicki Minaj until they dare question the core tenets of her Covidian beliefs. Minaj told her followers to pray and resist anyone bullying them into taking the vaccine. Reid publicly chastised her on MSNBC. Roland Martin did the same to Busta Rhymes after the rapper went on an anti-mandate, pro-freedom rant at a performance in June. The black leadership class has defended the violence and misogyny in hip-hop for decades. Rapping about murdering black men and treating black women like walking semen receptacles is acceptable to them. Expressing unapproved thoughts about vaccines and masks is not.

The same can be said for some of the most influential black voices in sports. Jemele Hill supported Colin Kaepernick when he engaged in political protest on his organization's time and dime. Now she mocks Kyrie Irving when he says his resistance to vaccine mandates is his way of speaking for the millions of Americans facing similar pressure on their jobs. It is also striking to see people who always back players in their disputes with management do a complete 180 when it comes to mandates. Such is the nature of a true convert. He will abandon all he used to hold dear and cling to his new faith.

I'm not against vaccines or people who want to wear masks at all. I am thankful vaccines are available to everyone who wants them. I do, however, have serious reservations about the government partnering with corporations to force citizens to decide between a vaccine they don't want and their livelihoods. I do believe the blatant politicization of the virus has undermined the credibility of the scientific community. You can't condemn people for walking on a boardwalk with the family one week and then write a letter in support of BLM protests in cities all across the country the next week. You can't forbid churches to meet outdoors but permit activists to crowd the town square.

That type of behavior feels a lot more like religious dogma than science. The conversion is complete. Resistance is out. Total compliance is in. Uniting workers of the world is out. Obeying corporate overlords is in. Bodily autonomy is out. Mandating vaccinations is in. Everyone doing what seems right in their own eyes is out. Public shaming and harassment for the sin of rebellion is in. I don't think I've ever seen people abandon their principles so quickly. Only time will tell whether this new faith will last.