"It really, really bothers me that Republicans and Conservatives hold the rights to Christianity in America. It bothers me more that Christians who should have an understanding of the character of the God they follow don't see any discrepancy between who their God is and how the right portrays him."
The statement was in direct response an article discussing Michele Bachmann and how she embodies "evangelical feminism" in America, but could have been triggered by any number of other things. It's no secret that I'm a "liberal". I favor socialism. I support equal rights for all people regardless of their identity differences. I believe in social responsibility. My bend towards these things makes me sensitive and adverse to people, policies, and ideas which aren't similarly focused. Hence the reason I responded so critically to the article.
A friend of mine asked me to elaborate on the comment I'd made. Specifically, I was prompted to elaborate on the "character of God" and what are the discrepancies between that character and the caricature of that character promoted by the political right in this country. I didn't respond immediately because I didn't want to respond hastily when something as immense and immeasurable as the character of God was in question. I also didn't want to make it seem like I was criticizing the right as being out of touch with God in a way that the left wasn't also disconnected to God. Truthfully, I think that both sides of the practical political spectrum in our culture bastardize and marginalize the Truth in the pursuit of their preferred political platforms.
Let's start with the first part of my statement - "It bothers me that Republicans and Conservatives hold the rights to Christianity in America". There's really no question about whether or not the Republicans have been crowned as the American political party that God likes best. Republicans don't have to prove their faith in God to the general public. It's assumed that they're aligned with God by the nature of their Republican identity. They're given a religious pass that Democrats and others don't have. And, given that faith in God cannot actually be measured by how someone votes for gun control or tax reform, it's a pass that's frustrating and, in my opinion, incorrectly assigned. Conservatives should not have exclusive rights to claim Christ in America when there are liberals whose faith is equally present in their political and social lives.
We miss the point when we assert that God would vote this way or that way. Before we invest ourselves too fully in trying to determine God's chosen party, I think it's best to question whether or not the God in which we believe is so small as to be limited and defined by the human concerns we fit together to make a political party's platform. Beyond that, I think it's important to evaluate our individual identities as Christians and political people. Does your faith in the author of all things make you want to influence creation with your chosen political ideology? Or has your presence in a politicized society influenced your understanding of the Truth?
I would argue that the vast majority of politicians and political people who identify as Christian use God as an accessory in their arguments for their chosen policies and pursuits. In politics, the whole and true character of God is not an agenda in and of itself. It's reduced and made to be a piece of a larger agenda encompassing lots of human characteristics that are not Godly in the least. And, in being made an accessory in this way, it is undercut, perverted, and misrepresented.
If your faith in God truly inspired you to influence your surroundings in a political way, you would not reduce God to be the champion of one or two select political issues. If God was your true inspiration, your entire political platform would reflect the whole character and will of God that's been gifted to us in the Word.
So what does that look like?
To start, we should probably admit to ourselves that the character of God is bigger than we're able to grasp. If we struggle to understand the emotions, virtues, motivations, and behaviors of humans, it is with great hurbis that we say we're able to understand the intricacies of those things in God.
At the same time, however, I believe that we are able to know and understand some of the most basic and definite attributes of God's character. While God has shown a wide range of emotional responses and motivations in His interaction with creation throughout our measured history, I think it's fair to say that love, grace, compassion, and justice are central to the character He's shown us to be True. And I think it's fair to say that it we believe in Him as Truth, then it's appropriate to assume that we behave according to the character He's revealed to us. After all, the Christian life should be about bringing glory to God, right? Isn't it impossible to do that if we're not at least attempting to emulate the sort of behavior and mindset that He's shown to be Right?
From my perspective, this is where the conservative/Republican train goes a little bit off the tracks.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that their political agenda is anti-Christian. I just don't understand how the character of God is actually made manifest through the American conservative platform.
I don't understand how principle of the "profit motive", which is central to the sort of free-market capitalist economy preferred by the right, reflects any measure of charity and social compassion.
I don't understand how prioritizing military spending over all other functions of government makes us more peaceful and gentle people.
I don't understand how dismantling social welfare systems such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaide will help us better take pity on the poor, weak, and needy.
I don't understand how vilifying and restricting labor unions will help to make the meek strong.
I don't understand how focusing on oil, coal, and nuclear power as continuing to be our primary sources of energy will help us to be proper stewards of the creation we've been given.
I don't understand how supporting capital punishment makes us more merciful.
I don't understand how putting America first respects the great commission and our equal responsibility to all nations and peoples.
I don't understand how we're supposed to be a light for the world if we want to close our borders.
I don't understand how our moral obligation is to pass legislation against gay marriage but not pass legislation rescinding divorce as an option for heterosexual marriage (except in the case of adultery, of course). If our obligation is to protect marriage, shouldn't we start with all of the marriages we already have going?
Issue by issue, it seems (to me) that the "party of Christ" in America doesn't have any real understanding of what Christ actually calls us to do, say, or be.
That's what I mean when I say that there are discrepancies between the character of God and how the right portrays Him. God is bigger than abortion, gay marriage, and focusing on our families. He is in all things. He is economic as well as social. He is personal as well as communal. Focusing on either end of the spectrum while not respecting the fluidity of God to move in immeasurable ways paints you into a corner so distant and removed from the reality of God that you can no longer accurately portray Him.
There should be no agenda in Christianity.
There should be only God.
Stay Gold.
MMK
1 comment:
L.O.V.E. this article. took the words out of my frustrated heart.
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