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Our intrepid correspondent Robert the Atheist Rugged Urbanite sent me this a little while ago. I submit it for your consideration without elaboration. (Robert, on the other hand, had a smart ass comment to go with it.)
Of course, there's an element of risk in posting this now, but we live for danger around here...
As I indicated last week it was very interesting to be down in the Denver area during the days leading up to the DNC. And it was great to hear Jim Wallis speak on Sunday night. With all that in mind, I've been giving some thought to the whole idea of religion and politics, and I'm not sure where I come out on the issue(s). Here's some of my rambling thinking:
First, I should paraphrase what I said to Wes and Judy as we sat around the kitchen table talking one morning last week. No offense to my American friends, but your notion of the separation of church and state is a mirage. (Yes, I know we could argue over definitions, but I'm painting with a broad brush here.) I don't think there's another country, at least in the west, that ties the issues together more than Americans do. You say they're separate, but they're not. The Prime Minister of Canada, one Stephen Harper, professes to be a Christian--at least I think he does--but I know nothing beyond that. I don't know if he has a denominational affiliation, I don't know if or where he currently worships, and I don't have a clue what any of his former pastors, whoever they are, have to say about, well, anything. I guess I could find out at least some of this information if I really tried, but it isn't readily available. To be blunt, most Canadians don't care. Yes, yes, we're certainly more of a post-Christian society than the US, but I think that actually helps prove my point. Even in the UK, where there are still some remaining points of connection between the Church of England and the government, the actual religious leanings of the PM are not scrutinized to the degree they would be in the US. No, I don't think the United States is a "Christian nation". But many Americans do, or they think it used to be (I disagree), and that has confused things to no end.
On Sunday night Jim Wallis told the crowd gathered at St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch that politics are important. And they are. Here's the worst kept secret on the internet--I hope Obama wins the election in the fall. There, I said it. Eight years of George Bush, on balance, have been a disaster. Yes, I hope for change, for the sake of my American friends, and, quite frankly, for the rest of us inhabiting this planet. That being said, I'm not so clear on the proper relationship between following Jesus and politics. Jim raised a couple of other points that are important here. He quoted Gandhi's line about being the change we want to see in the world. I love that quote, but personally I'm growing more fond of the version that's been making the rounds of late--be the change that God wants to see in the world. Now there's a challenge. Jim went on to say that if we're not living these things out in our own life, we shouldn't bother writing our member of congress. Ouch. Finally, he said change takes place on three levels: personal, communal, and on the level of public policy. I wonder if those of us getting our faith wrapped up in our politics are trying to go directly to #3 without doing the hard work of first visiting #1 and #2.
I'm fairly certain that Jesus wasn't trying to teach his followers to be good citizens of Rome. It looks to me that instead, he was trying to teach us to be an alternative to Rome. On some level, to live a Kingdom life is to live in defiance of Rome. I can't reconcile that with the idea that if we could just get our guy elected to the office of Caesar, then all would be well. I'm not advocating for the withdrawal of Christians from the political process--at least not yet--but I have a lot of time for the Anabaptists. (Additionally, I think much more work needs to be done in the field of what is known as 'Christian anarchy'.) Ultimately, I believe the Kingdom will come as each of us, individually and communally, choose to live our lives in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. The Kingdom will not be voted in. I'm reminded of a tweet (that's Twitter-talk for you heathens out there) from Len Sweet a couple of weeks ago:
What do you get when you mix religion and politics? Politics.
There you have it - a few incomplete thoughts on a complicated subject. Please feel free to add your own... just be nice.
And so I'll continue to cheer on the Democrats, all the while knowing that it is not Obama/Biden who will ultimately change the world, but you and me.
The latest ePistle points us to a new blog, Hope for Children in Poverty, which accompanies the book of the same name, edited by Ron Sider and Heidi Unruh. I haven't read the book and can't say I'll get to it anytime soon, but the blog looks like a good one to follow.
Go read the story on Wes' blog, but to make a long story short, here's a photo Wes & Judy's neighbour took while we were out last night:
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