September 15, 2006 6:21 AM

You mean...God isn't a Republican??

Evangelical Author Puts Progressive Spin On Traditional Faith

Progressives, who range from 11 to 36 percent of all evangelicals, according to various polls, are still overshadowed by the Christian right among evangelicals. But the steady popularity of [Brian D.] McLaren’s books over the past eight years signals an expanding diversity of thought in this important political constituency. McLaren, 50, offers an evangelical vision that emphasizes tolerance and social justice.

I am sick to death of listening to Right-wing Evangelical Social Conservatives claim the imprimatur of the Almighty…as if God votes Republican. Frankly, I think God has enough on his hands without passing out endorsements to every intolerant, self-righteous demagogue and nutjob who happens to show up in church on Sunday mornings.

This attitude is an insult to Christians everywhere, most of whom are good, honest, and decent people who can think for themselves, thank you very much. I should know; I’m married to one. The idea that being a Christian means that one automatically endorses an autocratic, repressive Right-wing social agenda is absurd on its face.

Along with such other progressive evangelicals as Washington-based anti-poverty activist Jim Wallis and educator Tony Campolo, McLaren is openly critical of the conservative political agenda favored by many evangelicals.

“When we present Jesus as a pro-war, anti-poor, anti-homosexual, anti-environment, pro-nuclear weapons authority figure draped in an American flag, I think we are making a travesty of the portrait of Jesus we find in the gospels,” McLaren said in a recent interview.

Indeed. You’d think that some of the American Taliban zealots would recognize this, but for these knuckle-draggers it’s all about power (they want it) and control (they think they are blessed by God and therefore entitled to it). Of course, when you firmly believe that your beliefs make you one of the Chosen, tolerance and diversity seem like so much pointless Liberal crap.

Scot McKnight, a professor of religious studies at Chicago’s North Park University who has studied McLaren’s career, said that “he wants there to be greater cooperation among Christians, and he thinks evangelical Christians have aligned themselves too closely with the Republican Party. He wants to see Christians…pursue what is right, regardless of the political party’s platform.”

What a novel concept; Christians doing the right thing because it IS the right thing, regardless of political considerations. To be fair, most Christian I know DO live their beliefs. They’re fair, honest, and representative of the good things about Christianity. They really DO want to live Christ-like lives. They’re not ideologues, they’re not intolerant, and their religious beliefs are not the filter through which they view and judge everyone and everything around them. No, they aren’t all Liberals, and in fact some are quite Conservative, but that’s fine. I don’t expect everyone to believe as I do (or don’t)…and I don’t particularly WANT everyone to think and believe as I do. I know that I don’t have all the answers, but I also don’t want someone using their narrow religious/ideological/political beliefs to define and or marginalize me.

Here’s a novel idea: believe as you see fit. Just remember that your beliefs are ONE way of thinking, not THE way of thinking. If only the American Taliban zealots could see their way clear to recognizing this reality, they might find that we have more in common than they might think. Remember, many of the Founding Fathers came to these shores in an effort to flee religious persecution. When you think that you have the right to impose your narrow beliefs on the rest of us, you might want to remind yourself of this oft-ignored historical reality.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Technorati

Technorati search

» Blogs that link here

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on September 15, 2006 6:21 AM.

If it could be Clinton's fault...it is Clinton's fault was the previous entry in this blog.

OK...so God isn't a Republican. He is an American, though.... is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Contact Me

Powered by Movable Type 5.12