Friday, October 28, 2005
Religion, Politics and Power
It's been frustrating to watch the confused combination of religion and politics, particularly surrounding the events of the U.S. Supreme Court nominations this week. Harriet Miers withdrew herself in the midst of growing controversy, especially as conservative groups placed enormous pressure on President Bush for a nominee with clear conservative views.
My frustration centers on the fact that it is predominately Christians who are leading this campaign. Certainly every person, including the religiously conservative, has a right to express their opinions within a democracy. That is granted. The disturbing part is the underlying framework behind these conservative Christians. They operate under the assumption that by securing power in Washington (and every other political center) their Christian values will be lived out in the public square. Just elect a Christian (i.e. read: "Republican") President, stack the Supreme Court with conservatives, etc. and we will return to the mythical Judeo-Christian values on which the U.S. was founded.
Before you criticize this as a rant against conservatives, be assured that the political and Christian left are often guilty of the same approaches, but of course, cloaked differently and based on differing priorities. Liberals are also preoccupied with the quest for power.
I can't help but contrast the attitudes of today's politically vocal Christians with Jesus who proclaimed a "Kingdom of God" that superseded political structures, and taught that servanthood was the ultimate way to effect change and influence the world. Interestingly, in Jesus' time the religious people of Palestine were looking for their own ways to reinstate God's rule and values in place of the pagan Romans who held power. People were looking for a political Messiah that would lead this revolt and seize power in Jerusalem. Jesus, however, would have none of it, and ultimately the populace turned their back on him despite the fact that his revolution of the spirit was having a greater impact on the political system than any of them could ever imagine.
It's time for followers of Jesus to truly the follow the way of Jesus when dealing with the political structures around them.
