I suppose this is one of those boring "meta" posts that annoy people, but I think it's necessary, so there you are.
Of late, I have been engaged in various discussions about how to read the Bible, who is and is not a false teacher, and other such religious and theological topics. All the while I have been keeping track of the abysmal state of current affairs. I often wonder if people see any relationship between the two. Sometimes, I wonder that myself. In the case of various religious controversies, the issues often cut across party and political lines. In the case of political discussions, I find myself amongst company that has little time or use for my religious beliefs (of course, I really don't care about that). Yet, I think it is necessary to attempt to draw the lines between them, if for no other reason than clarification.
If you scroll down the right-hand side, just below my name, you will see a quote from Isaiah Berlin. It is from an essay included in a volume entitled The Crooked Timber of Humanity. I have written before of the effect of Berlin upon my own social and political thought, but I should probably sum it up this way - I am utterly opposed to anyone, any political ideology, any party, any policy, that seeks to alter the social structure on the backs of actual human beings. This does not mean that I worry equally about the rich and powerful as well as the poor. On the contrary, those who have the multiple resources to fend for themselves have no real reason other than an affront to their sense of social and political entitlement to fear certain political matters, such as the question of universal health care. I take the side of those who are now, and have perpetually been (not just in America, but pretty much anywhere in any society) the victims of power. I do this partly out of a commitment to fundamental fairness and justice, and partly because I believe that Jesus, too, was committed to the lives of the victims of social injustice.
The link, therefore, is rooted in my own (but not just my own; see James Cone, Gustavo Gutierrez, Rosemary Radford Reuther, and other liberation theologians) belief that God in the life of Jesus most definitely takes the side of the victim of social injustice; through the ministry of Jesus, they were called to define themselves not as no people, but as God's people (a la the words of the LORD to Moses and the Hebrews in Exodus). When human beings no longer accept the definition of who they are foisted upon them by those who seek through such definitions to control them, the struggle for life has already begun. On the other hand, as long as certain elements of the Christian community continue to insist that Christian social and political commitments are limited to abortion and bashing gays, we really aren't moving very far. Personally, I would much prefer to leave those two issues alone (except, obviously, when silence equals consent in injustice visited upon women and sexual minorities). I also think that religious progressives should not worry overmuch about the spiritual status of those with whom we might form coalitions; it is more important to work for justice with others whose private beliefs are vastly different than to seek to bridge unbridgeable gaps with others whose faith commitments lead them to support violence, war, and oppression.
I don't know if any of this makes sense or not. I think that one draws lines in one's life, and we can pursue various "chicken and egg" questions forever - was one committed to a certain vision of social and political justice prior to, or consequent upon, one's faith commitments? - without any satisfactory conclusion. I much prefer settling the issue with honesty about my own motives, what lies behind them, and what I seek to do in my own life.
Virtual Tin Cup
