I believe a Christian reformation in American Evangelical politics is desperately needed--not only to save my beloved faith, but to save the country. Nathaniel Manderson, Salon, July 7,202I
If you've read this blog much, most of its readers and followers coming from posts on Democratic Underground then you know that one of the major themes of my writing is the departure of white, Evangelical Christians from what I call orthodox, Biblical doctrine and theology in favor of the worldly power of secular, right wing politics. As wihte, conservative Evangelical Christians gained a place at the table, and then a position of dominance, in the Republican Party, they abandoned any pretense of depending on the power of God's Holy Spirit in achieving their mission and have turned to the secular power of government to get things done. What they preach, politically, is not consistent with the Christian orthodoxy to which they lay claim.
Dependence on secular politics achieves a conservative agenda when conservatives are in power, but it doesn't do a thing to help churches with Christ's "great commission" which defines the purpose of the local body of Christians known as the Church. Nothing characterizes the shift more than selling out to Donald Trump, who, in exchange for the votes that a group of Evangelical leaders could deliver, promised to put their political agenda near the top of his priority list, along with making the rich richer by taking what little wealth the working class owns.
Manderson does an absolutely excellent job of putting into words exactly what I have been thinking and feeling for quite some time, as well as helping to vent some of the frustration that is the main purpose of this blog, to vent and blow off steam by writing. I also hope to find others who think the same way. I'm a 'let's do something" kind of guy and I believe that I can make a contribution to the Democratic party beyond the money I give and the words I write. I believe that those of us who have an intimate knowledge of Evangelicalism can, as Manderson suggests, find ways to break the political power of the right.
This is Not a Comfortable Position
I learned, from my experiences at a university that was operated by the Evangelical denomination in which I grew up, and at one of the same denomination's seminaries, that what is widely accepted, taught and practiced in the churches bears little consistency with an interpretation of the Bible reached by studying it in the original languages and in its historical setting. There are not many churches where you can apply what you learned to your career, if it is in Christian ministry, less so today because of the growing intensity of the politics.
As an employee in an executive position for a Christian ministry organization I have been reprimanded for making comments on social media (Twitter and Facebook specifically) critical of Trump, specifically, critical of his immoral behavior and incessant lying. I've been told, by others in ministry, including a pastor, that the were completely aware of Trump's depravity, one of them even laughed about how "fortunate" Trump was to be able to pull it off, but they voted for him anyway. Because I value my position and the work that I do, I have to post anonymously. I am not free to speak my conscience because even though my faith is based on Biblical truth, I'm a progressive Democrat politically, largely due to my Christian beliefs and faith. Yet, it doesn't matter how well you do your job, or how orthodox you are, these days, if you don't agree with the political conservatives, they don't let you in their club.
I've daydreamed about being able to work in a place where I could open up and not only express my political perspective, but use it to move progressive Democratic party values forward. Those of us who have this kind of educational and career background and experience as Evangelicals, can be experts in helping to break the power of religious right politics. But my resume doesn't help me out. It's taken a phone conversation and a morning meeting at a coffeehouse for my state representative, who is also the chair of the progressive caucus, to trust that I'm not some wild-eyed, right wing nut job.
It's really only been during the last decade that the politics have created this hostile, intolerant atmosphere. Oh, there are still a few people who won't speak to me because of what they heard me say or saw me post about Bush. I got a lot of silence and sullen looks from fellow employees because I put a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker on my car. But it's different now. I didn't let anyone I work with know that I went to Obama's second inauguration.
I still have ways to express myself. I contribute monthly to the DNC, I vote in every election and do my homework so that even when voting for school board, I won't support a Trumpie or a Republican, I visit with and encourage my Congressman, my Senators and my State representative, I post here and I carry myself with dignity. In 2020, because Biden had a big lead in my state, I went to Wisconsin every weekend to knock on doors and help with phone banks. And I keep hoping that I'll run into like-minded people in similar circumstances so that we can encourage each other and work to help people know the truth.
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