By Dave Doveton, Anglican Mainstream.
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder, you covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. James 3:1,2
I was recently struck by a report that I came across concerning a forthcoming musical play, based on Jesus Christ Superstar. I remember the original well – as a teenager, I hummed the catchy tunes and debated with friends how far it reflected the real Jesus of the Gospels. The report briefly highlighted a new take on the original play:
“A bisexual and queer actress and singer, Cynthia Erivo, has been confirmed to take on the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, prompting accusations of blasphemy”[i].
This may just be Hollywood being Hollywood – pushing the boundaries of sensationalism and attention seeking. On the other hand, it’s possibly a poke in the eye of what is seen as neanderthal conservatism by the elite in the entertainment industry, but just how far has western culture been influenced by the ‘woke virus’?
A GALLUP poll newly released shows that the number of adults in the United States as a percentage of the population who identify as LGBTQ has almost doubled in the last five years and almost tripled in the last nine.
The poll showed an explosive growth of young people who identify as LGBTQ. More than half of the so-called GenZ (59%) and millennials (52%) identified themselves as bisexual.[ii]
Compare this with the fact that
“Each older generation of adults, from millennials to the Silent Generation, has successively lower rates of identification, down to 1.8% among the oldest Americans, those born before 1946.”[iii]
Gallup Poll Table[iv]
It is blindingly obvious that a gigantic shift is happening in self-identification regarding ‘sexual identity’ and an exponential growth in those identifying as ‘non-heterosexual’ over time, at least in the USA. Statistics[v] in Britain show similar trends, if not as pronounced. The likelihood of younger people identifying as LGB in the 2023 survey was massively greater than older people (more than 1 in 10 (10.4%) of those aged 16 to 24 years identified as LGB, compared with less than 1 in 100 (0.9%) of those aged 65 years and over).
But are these increases just due to the social acceptance of non-heterosexual ‘identities’ and behaviour?
René Girard literary scholar and social anthropologist, believed that human desire was not just driven by personal internal affections and temptations, but that our desires are also learned from others. He called this ‘mimetic desire’. George Boreas outlines his theory –
“René Girard’s mimetic theory states that human desire is learned from another human – a model. Once our animal needs are satisfied, we seek a higher state of being. This need cannot be avoided. The higher state is believed in and yearned for by all. Looking for it, we will look to other individuals who seem to enjoy such a blessed state, and we will imitate them. We’ll imitate their likes and dislikes, and we’ll imitate their desires.”[vi]
In short, our desires are powerful influences on our choices – but desire is not merely innate to each human being, it is also learned. In other words, we are not autonomous human beings – we are powerfully influenced by others (perhaps subliminally as well), both people we hold up as models to imitate, and our peers whom we both envy and want to impress.
Consider the impact of social media with its instant connectivity and our consequent ability to be exposed to the opinions and desires of countless people all over the world. The rise of the ‘influencer’, the media personalities of television, film, music and those who are just famous for being famous. We live in a culture where celebrity has become elevated to unimaginable heights. These social influencers of all persuasions often have millions of ‘followers’ – we could say their followers are a kind of disciple, because they are in a sense inspired by these influencers and wish to emulate them. This is an ersatz discipleship dynamic, because the online cyber relationships are not fully ‘real’ human relationships with all that involves in face -to-face interaction, but nonetheless the follower is influenced – especially in an aspirational way. Desire begets desire.
Several points can be made regarding mimetic desire in our contemporary culture:
- It is possible that Girard’s theory can illuminate an episode in the Old Testament. The story of the two angels’ visit to Lot in Sodom contains a remarkable assertion – “…the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house (of Lot)”[vii] . This may not be an estimation by the writer, or literary device, but a plain statement of fact illustrating the consequence of unchecked desire in a society. The turning on Lot by the men of Sodom may also illustrate Girard’s observation that rivalries will always tend to spread through society and eventually culminate in a ‘mimetic crisis’ where it reaches such a high level that there is a massive breakout of violence. Traditional societies dealt with this threat to the social order in a ritual way such as by sacrificing an innocent person[viii]. This is a portent for a future social collapse of cataclysmic proportions.
- The power that role models have all shows the vital necessity for Christian churches to rediscover the art of discipleship and put it into practice. Christians can be influencers too – for the good.
- A powerful antidote to unchecked desire fulfilment is the witness of those who choose a life of purity and also those who embrace a life of celibacy.
- We are reminded that the struggle against false teaching promulgated by those who call themselves bishops is a never-ending one. Consider this statement from the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, seemingly in response to the new US administrations’ directive that only two genders (male and female) will be recognised on all official documents, and who is obviously totally captive to the confusing and anti-Christian doctrines of gender identity.
“In this challenging time in our nation’s history, we write to reaffirm this fundamental truth: transgender and non-binary folk are beloved by God. No earthly power can separate them from that love and their gender identity and expression are sacred gifts to our church, our nation and our world….We believe it grieves the heart of God when human beings make the mistake of projecting their binary understanding of gender onto the complex, beautifully diverse continuum of humanity which God created and we are still learning to understand. .”[ix]
Western culture is saturated with false and ultimately destructive ideas around sex and human relationships. Administrative decrees against this tide of chaos may have results in the short term, but only a deep revival of Christian faith and values in the culture will have any lasting effect.
[i] https://www.christiantoday.com/news/cynthia-erivo-jesus-christ-superstar
[iii] https://news.gallup.com/poll/656708/lgbtq-identification-rises.aspx
[iv] https://x.com/Gallup/status/1892712736758304856
[v]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/sexuality/bulletins/sexualidentityuk/2023
[vi] George Boreas, René Girard IV: Totalitarianism and Differentiation. Retrieved at https://www.georgeboreas.com/blog/totalitarianism
[vii] Genesis 19:4
[viii] Genesis 19:7-9.
[ix] The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor, VII Bishop of Los Angeles, Retrieved at https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Standing-in-solidarity-with-transgender-and-non-binary-people—En-solidaridad-con-las-personas-transg-nero-y-no-binarias.html?soid=1101307179673&aid=S35JzMsVCoo