There is a technique that I call “Humptyism” which features much in current conversations and news reporting. This technique is featured in the story “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carrol, where Alice has a rather postmodern conversation with a talking egg called “Humpty.” In the conversation, Humpty resorted to a technique whereby he changed the meaning of common words in his conversation with Alice. Here is a part of the dialog...

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

Well, at least Humpty was honest in this regard. The redefinition of terms was for the purpose of controlling the conversation. In our postmodern times, there are some who would find nothing strange with Humpty's behaviour. Humpty was a true postmodernist much ahead of the times. Coming to think of it, there have been Humptys, who were changing definitions for the sake of control, right through the ages all the way back to the garden of Eden. Only it was a snake (the Devil) and not an egg that changed definitions there!

Humptyism is used to take control of honest debate. A person is labelled racist, sexist, homophobic or Islamophobic to avoid answering serious questions. A variant of this device is the coining of new words with slanted meanings. Humptyism has brought out new categories. We can now have a polyamorous lesbian or an androgynous genderqueer asexual. Camouflaged behind “social justice” there is an extremely vocal subgroup of Humptys, who are only concerned about protecting vested interests and furthering group agendas.

How did things get here? Author Jimmy Long has some insights into this that will help us understand our society and help us respond to its challenges. He gives us an illustration where there are three umpires and their rationale for judging throws, in his book “Generating Hope.'“Recently I heard a story of a group of umpires who got together and compared notes on how they decided to call a strike or a ball. The first umpire said, “I call them as they are.” The second umpire disagreed and said, “I call them as I see them.” The third umpire told the other two, You are both wrong; they ain't nothing until I call them.” And so the strike zone slid down1.”

Jimmy Long describes the three philosophical perspectives that are exemplified by these umpires like this.

THE REALIST: Things are exactly what they appear to be.

THE RELATIVIST: Things vary from day to day depending on one's feeling.

THE VIRTUAL REALIST (Postmodernist): No Truth or Falsehood, only choices.

To understand how thinking has changed Jimmy Long writes...“The premodern period was characterised by faith in God and knowledge based in authoritative tradition. Anselm captured the period with his phrase “I believe in order that I may understand.” ... In the modern paradigm, the emphasis was changed from faith in God to human reasoning. Descartes summed up the era with his phrase “I think, therefore I am.” Divine revelation was replaced by human reason and people searched for certainty. In the postmodern period ... we are moving away from reason ... towards relationship in community. If the postmodern era has a catch phrase, it may be “I belong, therefore I am.2” Generation X, and later, now belong partially to the postmodern way of thinking. I say partially because, outside of a mental health institution, one cannot find a total postmodernist who differs on the definition of everything. Postmodernists of our times, reserve postmodern thinking to matters relating to ethics, God and politics and behave like realists in all other matters. Even Humpty changed word meanings of only a word or two and not everything!! Let us look at a radical Humptyan redefinition namely “Planned Parenthood.”

Murder of babies is called “planned parenthood.” In justifying this murder, the act is carefully camouflaged behind the respectable term “parenthood.” Lets do a fact check on the word “Parent.” It has two meanings according to Merriam Webster's Dictionary. They are; a: one that begets or brings forth offspring, b: a person who brings up and cares for another. So the meaning of the term is “someone who gives birth (or brings to life) an infant and nurtures and cares for the same.” The very opposite of abortion. Abortion is a decision to murder the newly formed life and a decision to refuse nurture to the same. So if “parenthood” is to be associated with abortion, the terms should actually be 'a planned abdication/betrayal of “parenthood”' and NOT “planned parenthood.” Using this technique any term can be whitewashed.

Unfortunately for Humpty, redefinitions based on different Humptian agendas can get shot down by other Humptys and plain folk. Take for example the word “Woman.” This innocent term, beleaguered by SJW's, was jettisoned by some and replaced by a new one “Womxn” to make it more “inclusive.” Womxn includes “trans women and black women.” The term was immediately slammed as "ridiculous" by feminists and "racist" by women of colour. Objectors point out that the word “Woman” does not need a new word to accomplish the purpose that the activists are seeking to establish3!!

Humptyism is found in the theological realm too. “Grace” means “licence to do anything.” The “Word of God” is merely the “word of man,” “Worship” has become “Entertainment,” the “hope of the gospel” equated to “the hope of financial prosperity” “Holiness” means “Legalism,” “Warning someone” becomes “Being Judgmental,” “feed my sheep” has become “fleece my sheep,” “Have Thine own way” has become “Lord do things my way.”

In the gathering darkness before the final dawn, we see less and less space for Truth and free speech. In places where Humptys are in control, there is a gag order on opposing narratives. Using terms like “political correctness” and “safe spaces,” there is a resistance to anyone voicing facts that confront Humpty's agendas be it social, political or theological. But over and above all these attempts to obfuscate the Truth, the light of God's Word shines brightly still. The Sovereign Creator reaches out still and His cry "Adam, where are you? I love you. Turn around and be reconciled through Jesus before the awful day of accounting for sins," is drowned out by the strident voices of our times.  He who has ears to hear, hears and whoever seeks finds. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

1 Jimmy Long, Generating Hope: A Strategy for Reaching the Postmodern Generation (IVP 1997) p 56

2 Jimmy Long, Generating Hope: A Strategy for Reaching the Postmodern Generation (IVP 1997) p 61

3 https://www.dailywire.com/news/38924/we-should-say-womxn-not-women-be-in...