The Cheap Grace of David Fucking Brooks

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Mr. David Brooks of The New York Times refuses the give up on his ridiculous fairy tale that just below the surface of his Republican Party of Bigots and Imbeciles there exists a vast but hidden wellspring of decent, honorable Republican lawmakers.

They are led by Tom Cotton, they are always right on the verge of remaking the Republican Party in David Brooks' image (David Brooks from November 5, 2014) --

The big Republican accomplishment is that they have detoxified their brand. Four years ago they seemed scary and extreme to a lot of people. They no longer seem that way. The wins in purple states like North Carolina, Iowa and Colorado are clear indications that the party can at least gain a hearing among swing voters. And if the G.O.P. presents a reasonable candidate (and this year’s crop was very good), then Republicans can win anywhere. I think we’ve left the Sarah Palin phase and entered the Tom Cotton phase. 

-- and their good works are being thwarted by one and only one bad actor named Donald Trump (David Brooks from January 12, 2018)

 And there are decent, normal human beings and admirable people like Senator Tom Cotton who wants to sharply cut immigration. And they think they can divide their views on immigration, which are purely policy views, from the white identity, racial undertones that Donald Trump has now permanently — or not permanently — but has taken into this party.

And that is not possible. If you want to restrict immigration, which is a legitimate point of view — I disagree with it, but it is a legitimate point of view — somebody like Tom Cotton has an extra burden to rise up against what Donald Trump said, to show, hey, restricting immigration is not synonymous with bigotry...

Got that?

According to Mr. David Brooks, his Republican Party was doing just fine until Donald Trump took  "permanently -- or not permanently" white identity, racial "undertones" into it.

And because Mr. Brooks' career depends on propping up this gigantic lie no matter what, Mr. David Brooks has become an indispensable go-to dispensary of what one wag once called the ouchless redemption of Mr. Brooks' Church of Lyin'tology:

Mr. Brooks' new church for unrepentant cowards and con men: a church which purloins the language of morality and humility from honorable faiths in order to cobble together an infinitely flexible dogma of ouchless redemption without confession or atonement for Mr. Brooks and the rest of our loathsome media elect. 

And what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called, in a different context and a darker time, "cheap grace":

From The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945):

...

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing….

Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian ‘conception’ of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure remission of sins…. In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God.

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. ‘All for sin could not atone.’ Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin….

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance,1 baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate...

So no, Mr. Brooks. 

And no, to the so-called Never Trumpers who want us all to be pals now.  Who want cheap grace and ouchless redemption poured out for them despite the fact that, up until 18 months ago, they were only too happy to go right on straightening the very long, wide, filthy path of Republican racism, rage and paranoia down which Donald J. Trump strolled into the White House.

Confession first.

The Left has been right about the Right all along.  

Repentance first.

I am heartily sorry for spending most of my adult life supporting this mob of bigots and imbeciles and lying to excuse or mitigate their atrocities.  

Atonement first.

Having made a fortune preaching toxic bullshit and being wrong about everything since forever, I will work just as tirelessly to drive the Republican Party to extinction as I worked creating this hellbeast that is wrecking my country.  I pledge to go work with my sleeves rolled up to help the people my party's actions have hurt.  Furthermore, I ask that someone who has not been a Republican shill for the past 30 years take my place in all the places of influence where I now enjoy a permanent, reserved seat.

Then and only then comes forgiveness.

Behold, a Tip Jar!