Some Thoughts on Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Announcement that She’s a Christian (HEY! This is my 800th post!)

Yesterday morning, I came across this short article by Ayaan Hirsi Ali in which she has announced that she has now become a Christian. Within the last day, it seems this announcement has garnered quite a lot of attention on reactions on social media. Ali grew up in a Muslim in Somalia and eventually Kenya before seeking asylum in the Netherlands to escape a forced marriage in 1992. She became a well-known activist speaking out against Islamic extremism, and by the early 2000’s declared that she was an atheist, aligning herself with the “New Atheist Movement” championed by the likes of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens.

Now, though, she has announced that she has become a Christian. As you can read in the article, she knows firsthand the dehumanizing effect that extreme Islamic ideology can have, both on individuals and societies. Her embrace of the “New Atheism” over the past twenty years was rooted in the belief that the rationality and reason championed by the likes of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens was the best way to fight against Islamic extremism. She has come to realize, though, that ultimately there is nothing at the heart of atheism. On top of that, she has come to realize that the New Atheists were really good at, as she says, failing to see the forest for the trees. They would zero in on and amplify certain specific failures in Christian history, but then fail to realize that the entire civilized Western world owes its very existence to Christianity.

As Rodney Stark conclusively shows in his book The Triumph of Christianity, (and as I try to argue in my own way in my book Christianity and the (R)evolution in Worldviews), Christianity has had a historically positive influence on our world today. This is something that Ali has come to realize, and it is the reason why she has become a Christian. Simply put, she realizes just how vital the Christian faith and worldview to the world and civilization. In particular, she holds that both radical Islam and the current woke ideology are existential threats to civilization—a civilization that is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

It has been interesting to read various online responses to her announcement. While many have welcomed it, many others have mocked it or expressed skepticism, saying it only seems she’s embracing Christianity in order to fight certain cultural ideologies. Some call it a very utilitarian view of Christianity. Others have equated her conversion to the Vikings’ embracing of Christianity, “Your God seems to be more powerful than ours, so we’ll join your side” sort of thing. Still others said she sounded like a Christian nationalist. Now, when I first read her article, I did think that her reason for becoming a Christian was a little odd at first. It did, after all, seem a bit utilitarian—as if it boiled down to this idea that Christianity is the best weapon against the dehumanizing ideologies of radical Islam and wokeness. I mean, there is more to Christianity than that!

But as the day went on and I read more and more somewhat hostile reactions to her conversion, it got me thinking about the intersection of faith, society, and civilization. That is quite an immense subject, but I want to just throw out a few thoughts here…

Christian Societal Fruit
I grew up in a rather conservative Evangelical culture in which “accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior” was paramount. Christianity was highly individualistic. The older I got, especially after graduate school, the more I became aware of a more liberal Christianity. The message coming from that came often amounted to a criticism of that individualistic conservative Evangelical brand of Christianity, and its tendency to argue over every minutiae of theology at the expense of actually sharing Christ’s love to the greater society.

To be fair, I think both “conservative” and “liberal” brands of American Christianity have their pet theological stances they go to war over. Still, it is true across the board that if Christianity doesn’t have a positive impact on society that stems from a sincere commitment and love for Christ, then something is wrong. Jesus says in John 13:35, “They will know you are my disciples by your love.” He also says in Matthew 7 that you will know people by their fruit. The testimony of the entire New Testament is that the love of Christ transforms lives, and if you tease that out, those individual transformed lives are going to, in turn, transform their societies, not by force or coercion, but by their witness to Christ, their self-sacrifice, and their loving their neighbor as themselves.

Simply put, ultimately, if Christianity is true, it is going to be reflected in a more just and civilized society. That is what Ali seems to be realizing now. For all the problems and flaws we in America and the West have, has there ever been a civilization in human history in which there is so much freedom, opportunity, and prosperity? Sadly, we in the West have become quite complacent and ignorant of history and the contemporary world, and we don’t realize just how special and fragile a thriving civilization is. Anyone who has suffered under Communist regimes, or groups like ISIS, the Taliban, Hamas, or any dictatorship, knows full-well the darkness of the human heart and what savagery human beings are capable. Such places are ultimately godless and lawless, and the result is the dehumanization of human beings.

Ali is seeing that the “fruit” of civilization—things like human dignity, rule of law, and freedom—have their roots in the Christian worldview. So, for those who scoff at her for becoming a Christian because she sees that “it works” on a civilization level, I ask, “What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with an unbeliever recognizing the positive impact Christian love has on society and then wanting to become a Christian?”

Christian Nationalism?
That leads me to consider something else. Recently, there has been a lot of stink being made over “Christian nationalism.” Just last month, I wrote a blog post mocking the Christian nationalists who held a convention at Ken Ham’s Ark Encounter. And yes, when one looks at what the hardcore Christian nationalists believe and want, it’s both laughable and scary. But we really should be clear about something: Christians wanting to impact their society and make it more of a Christian nation in its values is not a bad thing. Here in the United States, we are not ruled by a king. We have a Constitutional Republic in which, ultimately, the people are responsible for the government and how it governs society.

For example, if a Christian believes abortion at any point is wrong, that Christian should make the argument and try to convince the public to the point where, if a majority/consensus is convinced, changes can be made to the law. If someone believes it should only be allowed in the first trimester, or there should be cases for exceptions, or that government shouldn’t interfere at all, that person has the right to make their case and try to convince the public to where it eventually becomes law. The same applies for any social issue. A Christian being involved in politics and making his/her argument on any given social issue is not “Christian nationalism.” It is the way our Constitutional Republic works.

Trying to force the Christian faith on a society and somehow make it the “official religion” to where others are subjugated is wrong and, well, unchristian! But arguing that Christian values are the best thing to promote human dignity and a healthy and just society is what Christians should be doing…and living out.

The Limits of Multiculturalism…and Colonialism
Finally, in wake of the current protests over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ali’s warnings about how dangerous radical Islamic ideology is take on deeper significance. As always, no one should conflate Islam as a whole with groups like the Taliban, or ISIS, or Hamas. But after watching the massive and intimidating antisemitic protests around the world, from Ivy League campuses in America, to London, to Australia, I just can’t help but think that there are limits to “multiculturalism.”

Yes, America has always been known as the “melting pot” in which people from different races and cultures around the world can come, be free from religious persecution, and have the freedom and opportunity for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But the fact is that in any society there will always be some sort of cultural framework on which that society is based. Traditionally, the United States, although not an officially “Christian nation,” had its roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition. That is just a historic fact.

Now, though, I really do think that the United States, at a societal and cultural level, has strayed away from that Judeo-Christian tradition—not completely, mind you, but still significantly. And the fact is that when that cultural framework fades away, another one will take its place. In my lifetime, I’ve come to see that new framework is largely one of commercialism. Just watch TV and pay attention to the advertisements. What do you see? Multiculturalism and Wokeism—people of all different races and alternative lifestyles…united in their love for a particular vodka, or fast-food restaurant, or sports team merchandise.

That kind of “culture” is thin as it is plastic. It is a culture of a people with no real convictions or values. It is a mindset that ignorantly believes that we can just allow massive and immediate immigration from around with little or no vetting because “multiculturalism” has become the new unquestioned tenet of a commercialized culture. If the people coming into “the West” do not share its values, if there are openly hostile to “the West,” if their stated goal is to tear down Western civilization, we are opening the door to our own would-be cultural murderers. We are fools if we think that our current cultural framework of commercialism is strong enough to withstand such attacks. And make no mistake, such attacks are a different kind of colonialism.

I admit, these thoughts might seem a bit rambling, but it is what I’ve been thinking about lately. The Ali article just got me to sit down and write them out. I do want to live in a nation that reflects Christian values. I do think that a society that lives by Christian values will be a loving, just, and healthy civilization. I don’t want to force or impose Christianity on others, but every Christian in America has the right and moral duty to argue for what he/she thinks is right. I also think that there are some cultures and ideologies that are tyrannical, dehumanizing and a threat to human freedom and dignity. Ali is right to see that Christianity is at the root of so many good Western values and our traditional Western civilization. I wish her well on her spiritual journey, and I hope more people see what she has realized.

And oh, I found out that Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s birthday is tomorrow: November 13th, 1969. I guess that means I’m two days older than her! Happy birthday!