We voted. Congress changed hands. Some of us crowed over the victory. Some of us grieved the loss. Let’s think twice about that.
It wasn’t too long ago that mainline Protestants dominated American politics. Our churches were expanding with the baby boom. A nation recovering from war was finding our message reassuring. Our children’s Sunday school classes were informing. Our fellowship was welcoming. What’s more, the Hitler-Stalin legacy reinforced our determination to be a church-transforming-culture, or as Jesus put it, the salt of the earth.
It wasn’t too long ago that the Anabaptist vision of church–a city set apart–shaped the culture of the non-mainline Protestant churches. Worshiping mostly in tiny sanctuaries on the edge of town, they followed a pietistic approach to ministry, aimed at saving souls, not cultures.
It wasn’t long ago that one Baptist preacher broke form by trying to organize an effort to leverage these growing churches into shaping a more truly Christian nation. Jerry Falwell utilized cutting-edge marketing methods to build a mass-mailing list of 1 million-plus to build the “Moral Majority.” He rallied those non-mainline churches to support an agenda of social ethics and flag-waving patriotism. He succeeded. He fused disparate groups into what was dubbed, “the family values movement.” With other leaders, like Pat Robertson and James Dobson, he forged a powerful alliance with conservative politicians in the Republican Party. Pundits dubbed the GOP, “God’s own party.”
Sometimes such alliances backfire. Just mention “Angela Davis” or “African militia groups funded by the World Council of Churches” or “divestment,” and you know that the mainliners have suffered some public relations setbacks. Even when the goals have been honorable and the methods appropriate, the resulting public perception often has run counter to the real intentions. When we align ourselves too closely with one public justice effort or one politician’s personal ambitions, we run the risk of the big backfire.
Today, mention the names “DeLay,” “Abramoff,” “Foley,” and “Haggard,” and you can easily understand why the non-mainline religious insiders suddenly find themselves sidelined. What remains to be seen is whether they or we will figure out how better to be a church-transforming-culture.
Shall we retreat to a city set apart? Shall we abandon the body politic to strive only to convert souls for heaven? Our biblical and reformed theology will not allow it. The mission of the church and the ethic of neighbor love and justice require us to care for every aspect of the lives of those near and far. We must not treat the sick and the poor as disembodied spirits.
Shall we toast the defeats of those “other” candidates promoted by Christians of different stripes? Such smugness should be repented of before it finds a voice. What’s more, in both the ultimate sense and in the immediate public perception, those folks are part of us–they confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord–no matter how much we may agree or disagree on any particular points.
What CAN we do?
We can listen twice to the hopes and dreams of other believers whose ideals sing an unfamiliar tune. We can pray twice when we find ourselves enjoying our own access to the halls of power. We can remember twice the successes and the backfires in the past. We can work twice: for personal faith and public ethics, for sexual morality and economic justice, for national patriotism and global citizenship, for traditional family cohesion and welcoming of all persons from all shapes of families. We can think twice about what it really looks like and what it is going to take for us to be a church-transforming-culture, or as Jesus put it, the salt of the earth.
— JHH
