I don't believe that a case can be made, philosophically, ideologically and especially spiritually, that links the practice of Christianity by Caucasian Americans to the political right. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was a theocracy, believing themselves to be called and commissioned by God to reveal his existence and presence to the world. But in the New Testament, the record of the "new covenant," Jesus clearly made some changes, noting "My kingdom is not of this world," and also making it quite clear that while the Jews expected a political "messiah" to restore the glory of their nation, Jesus was building a spiritual empire to focus on God's glory. The Christian gospel took faith and belief in God out of a political realm and built a church on faith, not politics or military might.
"We're Right and Everyone Else is Wrong"
The political involvement of Evangelicals has involved wrapping much of their doctrine around political perspectives, creating a position in which a rejection of a political point is considered rejection of the faith. This is a completely false perspective, a complete corruption of the gospel of Jesus Christ itself, a heretical departure from Christian faith as it has been traditionally interpreted.
Some of that is due to misinterpretation of the historical context of Old Testament passages that pertained to the theocratic government of Israel and their literal mis-application to the relationship between the Christian church and government. And some of it is rooted in the general belief held by many Evangelicals that their particular brand of Christian faith is accurate, and that other branches of Christianity are in error. It is very common among more conservative Evangelicals to reject other Christian groups who don't emphasize or share their particular "distinctives." So, when a particular political perspective is linked or tied to a doctrinal or theological perspective, a difference of opinion is considered a rejection of truth.
So much for freedom of conscience, huh?
For example, while the common goal might be to slow down and reduce the number of abortions being performed each year in the United States, the only Evangelical perspective on this subject is to elect politicians who are committed to overturning Roe v. Wade. Advocating for health care support among those living in poverty, and without much in the way of access to medical care, which occurred during the Obama administration, would not be considered the correct approach, even though the evidence is clear that those programs brought the actual number of abortions down considerably. The same goal is achieved, but if the method doesn't agree with the overturning Roe perspective, it's considered wrong.
Defending Constitutional Rights is More Than Just Defense of Religious Freedom
As a Christian, my conscience and lifestyle is influenced by my faith. Being Christian is more than just a ticket into the pearly gates. The very words of Jesus himself, recorded by the writers of the gospel, make it very clear that the essence of Christian faith and practice is tied directly to the way a Christian treats other people.
Many Evangelical Christians condemn even their fellow Christians for lack of ageement on certain doctrinal and theological distinctives within its various sects. Most conservative Evangelicals do not believe Catholics, Orthodox Christians or members of some branches of Mainline Protestantism are "Christian" and are rejected by God because their doctrine and practice differs significantly. Some of the more conservative Baptists, Pentecostals and groups like the Churches of Christ, teach that God only recognizes their particular group as having authentic faith, while the others are "apostate," or have departed from true faith and therefore their members are blinded to the truth and will be sent to hell when they die.
Among these conservative branches of Evangelicalism are some extreme "worldviews" in which the adherents believe that they are destined by God to bring truth and light to the world, and those who oppose them are the enemies of God. So, even though we all live in a constitutional republic where individual rights are guaranteed, these people do not believe it is "God's will" for those they consider to be outside the faith to have rights at all. They believe it is their mission and calling to take over the government and impose their religious views on society, extending individual rights only to those who profess the same faith as they do in the same way.
It is that mentality, that "worldview," within the conservative side of Evangelicalism, that is dominating Republican party politics right now. It has been given several labels, "Dominionism," "White Christian Nationalism," "Christian Fascism," but that's the prevalent Evangelical-political view in the GOP. It's why they are able to hypocritically set aside Trump's immoral, worldly lifestyle and embrace his politics, uniting around him in a way that they won't unite around the teachings of Christ.
It is a perspective that limits the protections of individual rights only to those deemed worthy by their adherence to a specific set of Christian doctrines. It is belief in an extension of the prohibition of rights and privileges to those who don't share the same beliefs. For example, there are many Evangelical churches and denominations on the more conservative side of that branch of Christianity that do not offer communion, or the Eucharist, to individuals who are not members of their own body. So they also believe that the founding fathers actually reserved the protection of individual freedoms only for those who were of a particular racial, ethnic and religious background and did not intend for those rights to extend to other people, like native Americans, black slaves or immigrants who came from predominantly Catholic or Orthodox countries of Southern and Eastern Europe.
Those restrictions have now extended, along the course of a social agenda within this particular philosophical and political group, to individuals whose personal lifestyle is not based on conservative Christian faith.
That is neither true Christian faith and practice, nor is it true American idealism and patriotism. And that's why I won't support Republican candidates for office who identify with this particular perspective.
There Are Risks With an Inclusive Worldview
As a Christian, I have a set of convictions and beliefs which govern my behavior and which affect the way I live my life. Those convictions and beliefs are based on precepts which are found in the Biblical narrative, particularly the New Testament which was written mostly by the Apostles who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' teaching and preaching, and interpreted through centuries of church history. Those texts have been interpreted and practices through centuries of Christian history by church leaders who had a major impact on the development of the church and spread of the gospel of Christ, the combination of which has produced a rich deposit of doctrine and theology for us in this century.
The core values of Christian faith are found in a short narrative in Matthew's gospel at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5, verses 1 through 16. These are not values that can be imposed by political edict. They are taught by example and influence, as Jesus makes perfectly clear at the end of this narrative. They are values which cannot be subdued or silenced even in the face of the most severe persecution, as the Christians in the Roman Empire of the first through third centuries demonstrated. Because they must be adopted by conviction, they cannot be imposed without losing their character. The history of the state-controlled church is one of the corruption of its mission and purpose, and its leadership and membership as it is used to achieve political ends that contradict its values.
The issue of the legality of abortion provides an excellent illustration of this point. Christian doctrine relies on a few passages of the Bible which indicate that life begins at conception. There is also a fairly clear teaching that the act of having a child is one that blesses a marriage union and should be considered with the serious nature of the responsibility that accompanies it. So I believe that having a medical procedure performed which ends a pregnancy is morally wrong.
There are several notable Democratic politicians who share a similar conviction, and that list includes former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Cory Booker, Senator Mark Kelly, Vice-President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. How do I know this? I've read the comments they have made on this issue. But they are all opposed to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and believe that the decision of whether or not to have an abortion does not belong to government, it belongs to the individual making it.
That does not make them "baby killers," as the opposition likes to claim. It simply means that they recognize that the belief that life begins at conception is exclusively a religious belief, rooted in the Christian conviction that there is enough Biblical evidence to confirm it. And they recognize that one of the constitutional limitations on government is that it can make no law "respecting an establishment of religion." Almost two thirds of Americans have, over the past three decades, expressed a different view.
That does not prevent Christians from acting on their own convictions, nor does it stop them from finding ways to prevent abortions by expanding their evangelistic outreach or their ministry to those considering abortions because of circumstances beyond their control, mainly poverty. In proportion to the amount of money and effort the conservative/political right spends on campaigning, the amount of resources they commit to actual ministry that would deal with the root cause of abortion, whether spiritually or physically, is a pittance. Those few church and denominational ministries that do address the root problems find success.
On the other hand, when Democrats have tackled the issue of poverty, especially when it comes down to providing pre-natal care and economic stability for women who consider abortion because of their financial situation, the number of abortions performed in a year drop. The most significant drops in abortion numbers since the Roe decision occurred during the Clinton and Obama Administrations, because of their women's health care and prevention initiatives. Nothing, except an aversion to helping people in need, keeps the same thing from happening under Republican leadership.
Social Issues Come From Cultural Issues
In the United States, we have always had a significant proportion of the population that is not Christian in its religious convictions. Christianity has been a major influence in the formation of this country and throughout its history, and it continues to be so. But in order for Christians to have the "free exercise of religion" the constitution must permit all other religious beliefs, and all of those who do not practice any religion, equal protection under law. We have always had the adherents of different world religions present in this country from its earliest days, the only difference is that it has taken years of application of the law by the courts to recognize their religious freedom and define where the boundaries are located to avoid infringement on the rights of others.
Christianity is free to compete in the marketplace of ideas without restriction, as is any other religious belief. I believe trying to tilt the playing field in its own direction, using politics and government to give it an advantage, is counterproductive. The Evangelical branch of American Protestantism is seeing sharp, rapid declines in church participation and membership as some of its more prominent leaders have ramped up their partisan political preferences and push and endorse candidates, especially those who do not reflect Christian values and convictions at all, like Donald Trump. The largest, and one of the most exclusive, Evangelical denominations in the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention, has seen the number of conversions drop in half since 2016, and has lost more than two million of its members since then. It has become embroiled in bitter, vicious controversy as some of its leadership abandon Christian values for more worldly interests at Trump's prompting.
Supporting Democrats doesn't require party or political loyalty. There's a bigger interest in helping people over helping millionaires, which is a Biblical value whether they admit it or not. What Republicans falsely label as "socialism," Democrats consider helping people who need it. And it's pretty clear that the Democrats are the party that supports representative democracy and the rule of law under the Constitution. They didn't interfere with the peaceful transfer of power or try to pull a coup on January 6th. There's plenty of room for my "worldview" and the convictional practice of my faith in a party that respects and believes in individual rights. In the Evangelical-Political right, there's no tolerance for dissent or disagreement.
No comments:
Post a Comment