Posted on 07/09/2006 10:46:07 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
After spending 30 years in the wilderness the "Christian left" is making its voice heard. From Washington, D.C., to Dallas, large conferences have been held in an attempt to politically mobilize these "progressive" Christians. Much can be said about this burgeoning movement, and much will be said in the coming months.
For now, let's start with this: as fellow believers, we should not be afraid to engage the evangelical left's ideas in a spirit of love. It would be a mistake, as we begin this dialogue, to view these men and women as "political enemies" rather than fellow members of the body of Christ. From the outset, we should insist that our discussions be grounded in our mutual love of Christ rather than our differing political commitments. Let Christ be the foundation upon which we all stand.
Many liberal evangelicals claim that the church, in its political thinking, has neglected a major aspect of Christ's concern: the poor and vulnerable. Their most cherished phrase is "social justice," and they say we conservatives have neglected it. Again, let's not dismiss this criticism out of hand. As I have written in the past, the Bible is unequivocal about our responsibility toward the poor. As Christians, we should not be shy about discussing our responsibility toward the "least of these," and we should think creatively about different ways in which we can serve them.
On the other hand, we are not simply talking about the responsibility of the church, but we are debating the role of government in crafting public policy solutions. As conservatives and liberals, we doubtless will find that our solutions to problems differ. When those substantial differences arise, it is the perfect opportunity to practice Christian charity as we calmly and thoughtfully explain the reasons for our differences. In the partisan and divisive political atmosphere of Washington, D.C., let the whole world see how the Christians love each other despite their differences. Let the whole world see how we reason together, mutually striving to know the Truth in all things.
Perhaps liberal evangelicals will help remind the body of Christ that our greatest obligation is not to be financially successful or politically triumphant, but to love our Lord and our neighbor, even in public life. Perhaps they will also encourage us to develop new political solutions to the timeless problem of material poverty. As conservatives, our policy proposals probably won't include lots of major federal programs because our experience shows that solutions rooted in the expansion of governmental bureaucracy often do more harm than good. However, we must not fall prey to the rhetoric of secular conservatives who put worldly financial concerns above all else. As Christians, we have a duty to address the needs of the poor, and it would be wrong for us to fall prey to a radically individualistic mentality. "Dog eat dog" is not a biblical phrase and "the survival of the fittest" is not a Christian concept. Our priority is the common good, with a special concern for those who have the least.
At the same time, perhaps there are ways in which we can help progressives look at things differently. For example, there was recently a meeting in Dallas called the National Conference and Revival for Social Justice in the Black Church. Speakers included Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. While these pastors actually said some things with which we agree, they also made some unhelpful remarks.
Al Sharpton's speech is a perfect example. He criticized the black church for being too worried about what he called "bedroom issues"—marriage and abortion. He thinks they should mobilize on social justice issues rather than be distracted by abortion. On something like this, we have an obligation to vigorously defend the unborn. Perhaps we can help progressive Christians like Al Sharpton understand that abortion is the greatest social justice issue of our time. Unborn babies really are the least among us—undeniably alive, undeniably human, and tragically exploited. When innocent children are dying, we cannot close the bedroom door and pretend that it does not concern us, that it is a private matter. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." As Christians, we have an obligation to protect the weak and defenseless—born and unborn.
The emergence of a progressive evangelical movement affords a wonderful opportunity to foster a public discussion about the role of faith in civic life. Sometimes, it must be admitted, we get lazy in our political thinking. We know that at some point we thought through the reasons behind our positions, but maybe that was years ago. It is always helpful to remember why we believe what we believe, reviewing our old arguments to see if they are still strong. Even worse, sometimes we allow others in the "conservative coalition" to do our political thinking for us, even when they come from very secular starting points.
Liberal evangelicals help us because they share our foundational commitment to Christ, yet they see political questions in a different light. As we actively dialogue with them about our political positions, hopefully both sides will benefit. Most importantly, let us pray that Christ will be glorified in the way we conduct our conversation.
"Center for a Just Society," judging by its name, sounds very centrist and confused, as does Mr. Connor. It is pathetic that the Family Research Council chose him as its president. If he's a good lawyer, use him, but in legal cases, not for leadership. We are at war with the Left, and we need warriors, not sissies.
It seems to me that leftists and liberals do not fully understand Christianity; that if they did, they would be at least centrists, if not conservatives. They would not favor abortion, but they might be "pro-choice." They would not favor gay marriage, but they might not oppose it. Therefore, some people who fully understand Christianity are still vulnerable to leftist propaganda, because they don't think clearly about its implications in politics.
In addition, there are genuine Christians (who believe in sin, that Christ died for them, etc.) who simply do not understand the full meaning of Christianity, let alone its implications in politics. In short, there are two layers of ignorance among genuine Christians, in addition to the fact that many liberals who claim to be Christians aren't.
always remember this: Marxists will never destroy already established conservative organizations. They infiltrate them, water them down, and turn them into socialists establishments. Afterall, why waste good buildings?
"Forgive me, but isn't "Christian Left" sort of an oxymoron?"
No, is the short answer. In Britain it's said that the formation of the modern socialist party owed as much to Methodism as it did to Marx. I can believe it too - its all that "social justice" aspect. To be fair, at the time it was frankly neccesary.
The real answer, of course, is that Christianity should be above party politics. Oh to be sure, there are certain political viewpoints that a Christian should not subscribe to (such as classical humanistic John Stuart Mills liberalism for example) but Christian identification with a single political party is not a good thing. We should be identifying with Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
"It seems to me that leftists and liberals do not fully understand Christianity; that if they did, they would be at least centrists, if not conservatives. They would not favor abortion, but they might be "pro-choice." They would not favor gay marriage, but they might not oppose it. Therefore, some people who fully understand Christianity are still vulnerable to leftist propaganda, because they don't think clearly about its implications in politics."
I'd go along with that...
they want to destroy every traditonal aspect of life....from what constitutes "life" to the "mercy" of killing the dissabled, to enabling homosexuals to adopt little children and to "marry" .....
just wait and see.....abortion will become forced abortion, contraception will become forced contraception, "mercy" killing will be forced death, homosexual rights will also be awarded to pedophiles and animalists....this will all be done in the tone of "loving your fellow man" ..
I see no moral foundation in anything that leftist "Christians" do....at least not a lot of them.....I think many of them act only because they seek to destroy the moral fiber and values of normal Christians......their tax policies destroy the middle class and the working class and do nothing but take my money and hand it freely to those not deserving....mind you, it doesn't help the poor really, but it makes the leftist "Christians" feel good about it, and it protects the limosine liberals from all that guilt..
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