America suffers from a collective identity crisis. We have forgotten who we are as a people, what it means to be an American. Apostasy and moral decline erode contemporary society, fostering a national amnesia about God and the values upon which our country were founded. Obama Meets the New World Order speaks to the American psyche, asking: Who are we? What have we become? And what direction are we headed? The artwork juxtaposes American pop culture iconography, at right, with a dreamy, spiritual world, at left, in a message that is part political indictment, part abstract aesthetics, and part call to repentance. My personal interpretation follows.
I say America has a collective identify crisis because we have lost our way, strayed from the Christian values upon which we were established. The captions “double vision” and “Look twice” communicate this identity crisis. A man holds up a magnifying glass, examining a black-and-white photo. At first glance, the photo appears to be Albert Einstein. But viewed from a distance, the picture defocuses into the semblance of Marilyn Monroe. So too it is with American culture. From a distance, we appear to have one set of values, but up close, we practice another. Under the scrutiny of a magnifying glass America is not as she would seem, often self-righteous and hypocritical.
The U.S. flag’s red and white stripes paint the background of the right half of the artwork, the side representing American culture. Under the double vision photo appears a woman’s mouth. Her face is conspicuously absent, replaced by the nothingness of white light. Her lips and teeth are visible, the last vestiges of a former golden identity, her virtue slowly erased by spiritual decadence and moral decline. The caption “American identity crisis” belongs to both this woman and the black-and-white “double vision” photo of Einstein and Monroe, both American icons.
Freedom, baseball, and apple pie communicate concepts of the American identity. These are variously portrayed at right. The motorcycle rider symbolizes that rebellious freedom that is distinctly American, the type of nonconformity that prospered cult classics like Easyrider. The images of baseball and apple pie represent the culturally enshrined pastimes branded into our collective consciousness. Even if we cannot tangibly define what it means to be American, we mysteriously ascribe special meaning to a sport and a dessert.
Immigration and diversity are hallmarks of the American identity. We are a people of various ethnicities, religions, and subcultures. This is pictured by the cluster of individuals at right. The group is comprised of young and old; Black, White, Asian, and Hispanic. The group appears preoccupied in their materialistic pursuits, consumerism being the unifying principle that transcends their diversity. In America, class and social stratification are taboo topics. We hide our spiritual poverty and esteem wealth and financial success above character and virtue.
These misplaced priorities have brought about the progressive degeneration of our society. We have become a God-less culture, a “me-first” generation obsessed with self and instant gratification. We do not Love our neighbor, but rather, seek to exploit him for our own gain. We have become enslaved to the very rat-race capitalist system we created. The caption above the diverse group portends the slavery of the New World Order to come: “Barring some cataclysmic Biblical event, the laws of the market dictate that we should own you now.” In the New World order, tribulation will become so bad that a day’s food shall cost a day’s wages: “he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day” (Mat 20:2); “a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny” (Rev 6:6).
The future shall see government consuming greater percentages of individual wealth. Higher taxes and an insurmountable national debt will leave the country bankrupt. Without God, the people will look to government and politicians for a savior. The people will surrender individual liberty in exchange for a false sense of security. But government and politicians will be powerless to return the American dream to the people, for the erosion of wealth and opportunity is a reflection of moral decay. The problem is not systemic or environmental but pertains to national character. The only real solution would be a national pivot toward God, a spiritual revival to heal the land.
Uncle Sam saws a gold bar at top right, a picture of higher taxes and government confiscation of property. The adjacent caption alludes to the New World Order: “On course toward a new world.” But the government does not operate alone. A woman sits on Uncle Sam’s shoulder, whispering in his ear. This signifies that, though faintly perceptible, worldly governments serve as instruments for supernatural governments. Whether they execute justice or act as vehicles for tyranny, governments reflect the supernatural warfare between Christ and Lucifer. They operate to either protect individual liberty or oppress the citizens through despotic regime.
A God-less society looks to politicians for a savior. President Obama portrays the Christ pose at top right. His head is surrounded by a nimbus, a star pasted to his heart. His right hand mimics Christ’s, but he holds a cigarette between his fingers. The cigarette is lit from a skull lighter. The flame burns the U.S. Constitution above, which is fed through a shredder. These images symbolize America surrendering freedom for security and a false Christ.
The American Idol judges appear above Obama, adjacent the Capital and Statue of Liberty. How fitting the name “American Idol” written across Obama’s nimbus. God’s Word states: “Do not turn to idols… I am the Lord your God” (Lev 19:4). But in our modern culture, we have glamorized idols. We choose politicians as our saviors. Elections have become sound-byte popularity contests based on who can tickle our ears most eloquently. The erosion of our education system and the general ambivalence of the American public has transformed election cycles into beauty pageants. All the while, liberty continues to disappear and our national debt climbs.
The left side of the piece is more dreamy and abstract, a picture of spiritual revival. The background is a montage of various photos and artworks from around the world. The sun and moon are set above a king and queen who sit on makeshift thrones. This represents unity and balance in masculine and feminine archetypes. The sun and moon are a heavenly marriage, the king and queen are the joining together of active and passive principles on earth. The moon appears above the king, and the sun is set above the queen. This implies an alchemical marriage between heaven and earth; that which is above is joined to that which is below, creating an entirely new substance.
The yin-yang Tao appears between the king and queen, reinforcing the theme of balancing the masculine and feminine. The inscribed text around the Tao reads: “God-Centered… Kingdom-Oriented.” This refers to Christ’s Kingdom which is both born in the hearts of men and shall one day manifest with His physical presence on earth. A school of fish—another symbol of Christ—circumscribe the Tao in a concentric circle, and Baby Jesus and Mary appear at the top center, adjacent Uncle Sam.
The New Age movement plays a prominent role in the coming New World Order. This movement shall help unify the world’s religions and pave the way for the great peacemaker, the antichrist. The Buddha figure above the Tao draws influence from New Ageism. The adjacent caption about a shift in consciousness is a central tenet of the hodgepodge collection of New Age beliefs. The caption “Honor the Power Inside You” refers to both Christ in the heart and the self-worship doctrines espoused by much of the New Age. Although many spiritual truths are found in New Age philosophy, the movement is under girded with the teaching that every person is their own god, a corruption of Biblical truth.
The dog and red-headed fairy tale woman portray the Beauty and the Beast motif. Just as the docile and harmless Beauty captivates, enchants, and eventually destroys the wild and unruly beast, so too does the higher nature tame the lower nature through Love. Beauty, portrayed by the red-headed woman, represents that regenerated spiritual creation resurrected in the heart. She sits dreamily upon the carpet, adorned in a white lambskin dress.
The dog represents the Beast, the lower nature, the self or body we are physically born with. Just as an obedient dog lives for its master’s pleasure and purpose, so too do we live for our Master’s pleasure and purpose, sacrificing our bodies to His service: “…that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom 12:1). The canine in the artwork stares attentively at the king, a picture of disciplining the lower nature for Christ. The Love of the higher nature, personified by Beauty, eventually consumes and destroys the Beast of the lower nature. We ourselves must decrease, while Christ within us must increase.
Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Tomato Soup painting, depicted right, portrays consumerism and the beginnings of pop art in twentieth century America. Today, I take pop art in a different direction, using it as a medium for gorilla evangelism, a forum to communicate the Gospel message. Instead of Campbell’s Soup and consumerism, I present Eden Organics, a name symbolizing a return to purity. In place of soup flavors, the individual cans are labeled with one of the fruits of the Spirit in a row across the bottom: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal 5:22-23). Each believer is a branch and Christ is the vine. We produce spiritual fruit as Beauty tames the Beast, as our higher nature subdues our lower nature through Christ.
Finally, the root of our American identity crisis and our national decline is our spiritual apostasy. The solution is a collective pivot toward God, a call to repentance. This may seem implausible, but let us not limit the power of God. This author believes in miracles, and in fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast. Let us as a country stand upon the promise of God that states: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron 7:14). May the Lord bless you and reveal His Love and purpose for your life. Amen.
Larry Word
No comments:
Post a Comment