Op-ed: We just reached the “Nazi tattoos are authentic” stage of moral decline

One of the more subtle twists in our culture's moral decline is the way "authenticity" has quietly become a substitute for goodness. Wisdom, virtue, holiness, and integrity are now routinely sacrificed at the altar of unapologetic self-expression.

Take The Bulwark, the anti-Trump publication whose moral compass seems permanently calibrated around opposing one man, which actually wrote:

Yes, Maine Democrat Graham Platner may have had a Nazi tattoo, but he's "authentic."

It's too much, really. I know Bulwarkians like Sarah Longwell, Bill Kristol, Tim Miller, et al, are very impressed with themselves, and are convinced that all sophisticated people are too. But watching political automatons who have spent the better part of a decade accusing every one of their ideological opponents - Trump, Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk - of being Nazis, now defending an actual, self-inscribed Nazi just because he's a Democrat is peak humor.

It's a sign of the times that this even needs to be said but "authenticity," by itself, is not a virtue. A person can be:

• Authentically cruel

• Authentically selfish

• Authentically hateful

• Authentically immoral

• Authentically depraved.

Author Jonah Goldberg, himself routinely positioned opposite the world of MAGA, responded bluntly:

Authenticity is not necessarily a morally positive quality. People can be authentic ***holes.

Crass, but accurate.

For our part, Christians have always known that the self, left untouched, is not inherently good or trustworthy. Quite the opposite, in fact.

'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?' - Jeremiah 17:9

Scripture consistently warns humanity that our natural impulses are not reliable moral guides. The Apostle Paul describes humanity apart from God as "suppressing truth," "exchanging good for evil," and "following the desires of the flesh" (Romans 1).

The problem with humanity is not that we fail to express ourselves honestly enough. It's that we often do, and that our "self" is fallen. That's why as modern culture increasingly treats self-expression as sacred, Christianity counsels the opposite - self-denial - as necessary.

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23), not, "Express yourself."

Scripture repeatedly speaks of transformation:

• Putting off the old self (Ephesians 4:22)

• Being renewed in our minds (Romans 12:2)

• Crucifying the flesh (Galatians 5:24)

• Becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The assumption behind all of those commands is that our untouched, unchallenged "authentic self" is not morally sufficient. In fact, left unchecked, it can become warped, evil, even monstrous.

That's why the tattoo itself almost becomes secondary to the deeper absurdity here. Imagine trying to explain to previous generations that public discourse would someday arrive at:

"Yes, the Nazi imagery is concerning … but have you considered that it makes him seem genuine?"

Far from moral seriousness, that is cultural exhaustion masquerading as sophistication.

Honesty about vice does not transform vice into virtue. A man proudly displaying hatred is not morally elevated simply because he does it openly. A sinner admitting he sins is not the same thing as him repenting. And authenticity without atonement is simply rebellion with better branding.

This confusion exists because modern culture increasingly lacks any transcendent moral standard outside the self. Scripture repeatedly warns us that hearts untethered from God do not drift toward righteousness naturally. They drift toward destruction.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.