Elon Musk: The Golden Calf
I think Elon Musk is a brilliant, once-in-a-generation businessman. He has accomplished impossible things with his electric cars at Tesla as well as previously unthinkable engineering feats at SpaceX. He’s invented some cool toys, like the personal flame thrower at the Boring Company. He is highly intellectual, and he has vision that he puts into action.
Before I jump into the deification of Elon Musk regarding his commitment about “unbridled free speech” and his purchase of Twitter, there’s something that needs to be discussed. I’m skeptical of someone who has been blessed in such an incredible manner, while being a committed atheist. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
I spent several years being mentored by a NASA nuclear scientist and I consider him one of my spiritual fathers. During that time, we discussed how he became a Christian BECAUSE he saw ‘outer space’ and could come up with no scientific conclusion for what he saw. He told me that “only God could have designed the universe the way it is.” He shared that many of his colleagues were outright atheist or agnostic until they couldn’t come up with any scientific reasons for what they witnessed other than God.
About a year ago, I met an incredibly brilliant surgeon in Southlake, Texas who performed my hernia surgery a few weeks ago. This woman, with her impeccable resume and distinguished career, challenged me to look beyond this purchase of Twitter and asked me to reexamine the pop culture (and even Christian!) response. As the result of her Godly wisdom, I’ve come up with the following thoughts:
It concerns me that we see so much conservative Christian support for Elon Musk buying Twitter.
Don’t get me wrong: I get it. There are very few things that I get more enjoyment out of than watching the socialist democrats literally lose their minds over an individual buying the world’s largest news platform and eliminating the oppressive attacks on free speech that the current Twitter leadership subjects us to.
For your enjoyment, here is a short video of just a couple of the lunatics melting down:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CcNqpLqGD8M
Mind you, these are just a couple of the millions that are currently scheduling appointments with their therapists (not that there is anything wrong with having a therapist) to deal with their never-ending ‘anxiety’ and permanent unhappiness.
There is some sweet satisfaction knowing that, after censoring conservative voices from President Trump all the way down to lowly, lil’ ole’ Tim Barry, someone came in and bought the most used platform in the world because he got sick and tired of the one-way manipulation of information and opinions. I think it is pretty cool.
But I also want to help conservative Christians to ZOOM OUT and take this all with a grain of salt. I’ve been witnessing “an irrational exuberance” (to quote former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan) of people elevating Elon Musk to almost Savior-status.
I promise you, he is most certainly not.
Zoom out with me and remember that there is only ONE way out of this mess. Even the purple-haired lunatics with Lesbian Dance Theory degrees that can’t figure out if they are a boy or a girl STILL NEED OUR HELP! They are NOT our enemy! Rather, they are confused! They are lost. They are mentally broken. Many are mentally ill. They are victims of a system that forced them to de-couple their Identity from Christ and reattach it to fallible, movable and manipulatable ‘feelings’ or ‘causes.’ In summary, our Identity is defined as “who we are” stripped of all our various roles. Someone with a strong Identity has who they are anchored to something that doesn’t move. For me, mine is anchored knowing that I am a son of the Risen Jesus. That means that, while in any given role (husband, father, son, friend, businessman, etc.) I can fail spectacularly, my identity is protected because I know that God don’t make no junk! So, I can dust myself off and do better in the role the next time.
When one has eliminated Jesus as the anchor to their Identity, they clamor to anchor it to anything: feelings, emotions, empathy, social justice, gender, etc. And guess what? Those things change and shift with the wind, so those people will go sky high one minute, then crash into the depths of hell the next because their Identity is anchored to the wind.
It's hard to believe I am even saying this, but as a Christian, it is our job to engage these lost souls and deliver some fantastic news to them: Jesus loves them too.
Only God knows how He can love someone like me. I may be intelligent, dress well, been blessed with a good life, wife, kids and career, but to be sure, I’ve sinned with the worst of them and deserve death. Were it not for a God who continues to love me and challenge me to be a better man, I’d be lost…like the purple-hairs.
So yes, I am celebrating a win for free speech (and gloating a little bit while the purple-hairs are melting down), but don’t lose focus on the fact that our work is far from done. Just like God used the ancient Babylonians to reprimand the Israelites (read the fascinating three-chapter Old Testament Book of Habakkuk below), God can use Elon Musk to re-introduce ‘free speech’ to a small part of the internet. It’s not even a super meaningful part of the internet, but rather one small part. It doesn’t mean we begin building Golden Calves to Elon Musk, rather that we look at how we honor God and figure out how to help the very lost souls that are currently losing their minds over him.
The End.
P.S. For your enjoyment, I present the Book of Habakkuk. The reason I love this particular book so much is that Habakkuk is arguing with God…AND GOD ANSWERS HIM! It’s incredibly cool! Check it out (for my summary translation, see the very end):
Habakkuk’s Complaint
1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. 2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! "Violence is everywhere!" I cry, but you do not come to save. 3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.
The Chaldeans Will Punish Judah
5 The Lord replied, "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it. 6 I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands. 7 They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like. 8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs and fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their charioteers charge from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey. 9 "On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand. 10 They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against their walls and capture them! 11 They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god."
Habakkuk Remonstrates with the LORD
12 O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal- surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. 13 But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? 14 Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader? 15 Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate? 16 Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them. "These nets are the gods who have made us rich!" they will claim. 17 Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?
HABAKKUK 2: 1-20 (NLT)
1 I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. 2 Then the Lord said to me, "Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. 4 "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
5 Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.
Woes on the Unrighteous
6 "But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, 'What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You've become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?' 7 Suddenly, your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, now all the survivors will plunder you. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. 9 "What sorrow awaits you who build big houses with money gained dishonestly! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your family's nest beyond the reach of danger. 10 But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives. 11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint. 12 "What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption! 13 Has not the Lord of Heaven's Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! 14 For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord .
15 "What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on them so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness. 16 But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the Lord 's judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame. 17 You cut down the forests of Lebanon. Now you will be cut down. You destroyed the wild animals, so now their terror will be yours. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. 18 "What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation- a god that can't even talk! 19 What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, 'Wake up and save us!' To speechless stone images you say, 'Rise up and teach us!' Can an idol tell you what to do? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. 20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him."
HABAKKUK 3: 1- 19 (NLT)
Habakkuk’s Prayer
1 This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk : 2 I have heard all about you, Lord . I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.
3 I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. 4 His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. 5 Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. 6 When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One! 7 I see the people of Cushan in distress, and the nation of Midian trembling in terror. 8 Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation! 9 You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows. You split open the earth with flowing rivers. 10 The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands in submission. 11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed. 12 You marched across the land in anger and trampled the nations in your fury. 13 You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones. You crushed the heads of the wicked and stripped their bones from head to toe. 14 With his own weapons, you destroyed the chief of those who rushed out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be easy prey. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high.
16 I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord ! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)
Tim’s Summary of the Book of Habakkuk:
Habakkuk: Yo God! What’s up with all this mess? There is wickedness everywhere here in Israel, violence, just some crazy smack happening, God? Where you at? This ain’t right!
God: …uh….Yo? H, you gotta chill man. Sit down son and watch me lift up the Babylonians to mete out my justice on Israel. They are gonna be HORRIBLE, BRUTAL, VIOLENT and UNMERCIFUL. #NoBuenoForIsrael.
Habakkuk: Wait! WHAT? Holy smokes, God! You can’t use Babylon to give us the beatdown! Those people are NASTY! Wait! Wait! Wait!!
God: Sorry H, but I’m gonna get attention somehow and today, I’m gonna use someone you don’t agree with, but who the heck are YOU to question me and my plan? Sit down, Boy!
Habakkuk: Whoa! OK, ok, ok. Lemme think about this for a second. (3 hours later….). Yo, God! I GET IT! It makes perfect sense! Now Imma sing you a song because you are a total genius and I love you! I am so amazed by you that even though I am tone deaf. I’m pretty sure a couple of birds are gonna fall out the sky when they hear me sing, but Imma do it anyway.
The End – New Tim International Translation