It was in the wake of the Scopes Trial the early 1900's that Fundamentalism really took it's hold, but theologically conservative Christians had begun retreating from political and social issues before that. While Christians, specifically William Wilberforce, were at the heart of the movement to end slavery, many theologically more conservative Christians were cautious about wading into anything that would distract them from what they saw as the real work of Christians: saving souls.
Conservative Christians inherited this prime directive throughout the many generations that followed. And so conservative Christians stood in the margins as the more theologically liberal church stood up with Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Civil Rights marches. In fact, the "social gospel" became the rallying cry of the liberal church.
While largely theologically bankrupt, the liberal church is nevertheless an instrument of God to call the conservative church to something God is passionate about: justice. Whenever justice and mercy is displayed, it is God's, because he IS justice and mercy. Conservative Christians neutered the command "love your neighbor as yourself" to simply mean "save your neighbor's soul" and conveniently left other considerations (like "fight against unjust laws that oppress your nighbor") out.
On May 25th I ranted that "Focus on the Family" fed into an idolatory of the family. If we were truly 'Biblically proportionate' Christians, I would argue that Evangelicals for Social Action would have the prominent place of influence in our little sub-culture that Focus on the Family currently holds. If we're reading our Bibles and missing all those passages about God's heart for the poor (easily several hundred times as many passages about the poor than about the family), we're not reading our Bibles at all.
I read a book review recently on the book Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party). This isn't a Christian book, but I think that there's a growing swell of people who fit this category from a Christian perspective--theologically conservative, socially liberal.
And so as the mainline churches decline, there's going to be a vacuum in religiously-motivated social action and justice. Are evangelicals going to be ready to fill it? I certainly hope so.
5 comments:
If you go to theresurgence.com ... there's an excellent talk by Tim Keller on "Doing Justice." I think Dr. Keller is a great voice on this issue.
So my hope in reading your post is that many people in each side of this issue, Family Locused and Crunchy Cows, will spend time getting to know God intimately. I agree with your critique and would be maybe interested to check out this book (I wonder if a couple of vegitarians would fit in there) but sometimes worry that people who are theologically conservative and socially liberal can get really focused on being right and be content with that more than loving Jesus.
burly, i think that's the first serious comment i've ever read by you on my or my bro's blog!
shane, i think that the danger you're talking about is real no matter what the issues are. people always love to be right: conservatives, liberals, whatever and whoever. The question of mission/purpose coming out of relationship with Christ is always there.
Do you think that there are specifically more potholes in this paradigm than in others?
I think I put a serious comment on Daniel's blog sometime last year ... and just the other day when I said he's the second hottest prof. @ Biblical.
I find conservative vacuums to be far more effective, especially in corners and on carpet.
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