{"id":4613,"date":"2017-08-07T10:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T18:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=4613"},"modified":"2017-08-04T12:38:22","modified_gmt":"2017-08-04T20:38:22","slug":"to-change-the-world-week-seven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/08\/07\/to-change-the-world-week-seven","title":{"rendered":"To Change The World, Week Seven"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"To
To Change The World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I thought Hunter\u2019s chap\u00adter on the reli\u00adgious left was\u00adn\u2019t as strong as his chap\u00adter on the reli\u00adgious right, although I appre\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded that he high\u00adlight\u00aded the long his\u00adto\u00adry of a polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly-engaged reli\u00adgious left. I am baf\u00adfled when peo\u00adple act as though the politi\u00adciza\u00adtion of the faith is exclu\u00adsive\u00adly a prob\u00adlem of the right. The reli\u00adgious left is FAR more polit\u00adi\u00adcal than the reli\u00adgious right. It\u2019s not even close. It is not unusu\u00adal to hear overt\u00adly polit\u00adi\u00adcal ser\u00admons in reli\u00adgious left con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adtions where\u00adas it is van\u00adish\u00ading\u00adly rare to hear polit\u00adi\u00adcal ser\u00admons in a reli\u00adgious right con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adtion.<\/p>\n

Some\u00adthing to keep in mind is that nei\u00adther the reli\u00adgious left nor the reli\u00adgious right are above the par\u00adti\u00adsan\u00adship that dom\u00adi\u00adnates Amer\u00adi\u00adca.<\/p>\n

Giv\u00aden the resources of the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Par\u00adty and the spe\u00adcial inter\u00adests that dri\u00adve it, there is lit\u00adtle ques\u00adtion that pro\u00adgres\u00adsive Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty is instru\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adized (or used as a means to an end) by the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Par\u00adty in its quest for pow\u00ader, just as con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty has been used for quite some time by the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan Par\u00adty. (page 148)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hunter explain what he con\u00adsid\u00aders to be the dri\u00adving force of pro\u00adgres\u00adsive pol\u00adi\u00adtics: a par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar con\u00adcep\u00adtion of jus\u00adtice illus\u00adtrat\u00aded by the French Rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u2019s call for lib\u00ader\u00adty, equal\u00adi\u00adty, and fra\u00adter\u00adni\u00adty.<\/p>\n

The key word in the pro\u00adgres\u00adsive lex\u00adi\u00adcon, and arguably the para\u00admount virtue, is jus\u00adtice. Jus\u00adtice, though, is defined as eco\u00adnom\u00adic equi\u00adty \u2014 the equal\u00adi\u00adty com\u00adpo\u00adnent. With\u00adin the con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary left, there is a ten\u00adsion between the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan wing and the social lib\u00ader\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan wing, and the divid\u00ading line is far from clearcut. Over the course of the last two cen\u00adturies, lib\u00ader\u00adal\u00adism has had less to say about \u201cfra\u00adter\u00adni\u00adty,\u201d though social\u00adism has made this a cen\u00adtral part of its agen\u00adda. In (p.133) con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary Amer\u00adi\u00adca, most sec\u00adu\u00adlar pro\u00adgres\u00adsives define the \u201clib\u00ader\u00adty\u201d com\u00adpo\u00adnent in terms of indi\u00advid\u00adual auton\u00ado\u00admy and the free\u00addom to choose one\u2019s own lifestyle; that is, in terms of sex\u00adu\u00adal iden\u00adti\u00adty and prac\u00adtice, rela\u00adtion\u00adships, enter\u00adtain\u00adment, and so on. But reli\u00adgious\u00adly ori\u00adent\u00aded pro\u00adgres\u00adsives, Chris\u00adtians among them, tend to lean toward the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan side of this divide. For these, lib\u00ader\u00adty is under\u00adstood large\u00adly as lib\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion; often enough this means free\u00addom for indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties from pover\u00adty caused by eco\u00adnom\u00adic dom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion and exploita\u00adtion of the wealthy. As to com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty itself (the \u201cfra\u00adter\u00adni\u00adty\u201d com\u00adpo\u00adnent), it is the idea of sol\u00adi\u00addar\u00adi\u00adty among equals \u2014 across the bound\u00adaries of race, eth\u00adnic\u00adi\u00adty, gen\u00adder, sex\u00adu\u00adal ori\u00aden\u00adta\u00adtion, and social class. (page 132\u2013133)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hunter men\u00adtions that the reli\u00adgious left has less vis\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty now than in the past, but I think his descrip\u00adtion does\u00adn\u2019t do jus\u00adtice to the extent of the main\u00adline col\u00adlapse. These denom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions are implod\u00ading at a crazy rate. Researcher Ed Stet\u00adzer puts it this way, \u201cIf the data con\u00adtin\u00adues along the same pat\u00adtern, main\u00adline Protes\u00adtants have an expi\u00adra\u00adtion date when both trend lines cross zero in 2039. If the trend line con\u00adtin\u00adues, they have 23 East\u00aders left.\u201d (source<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Read that last sen\u00adtence again. It\u2019s stun\u00adning.<\/p>\n

Those on the left and the right dis\u00adagree about the rea\u00adsons for the demise of the once-strong denom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions. I think Rod\u00adney Stark put it well:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wreck\u00adage of the for\u00admer Main\u00adline denom\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions is strewn upon the shoal of a mod\u00adernist the\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy that began to dom\u00adi\u00adnate the Main\u00adline sem\u00adi\u00adnar\u00adies ear\u00adly in the nine\u00adteenth cen\u00adtu\u00adry. This the\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy pre\u00adsumed that advances in human knowl\u00adedge had made faith out\u00admod\u00aded\u2026 Even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly, Main\u00adline the\u00adolo\u00adgians dis\u00adcard\u00aded near\u00adly every doc\u00adtri\u00adnal aspect of tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty.\u201d (from Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u2019s Bless\u00adings<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So due to their weak\u00adness, orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions on the reli\u00adgious left were not tak\u00aden seri\u00adous\u00adly by politi\u00adcians and aca\u00add\u00ade\u00admics as they had once been.<\/p>\n

Their polit\u00adi\u00adcal advo\u00adca\u00adcy was also most\u00adly ignored until the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial win in 2004. It was only then that the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Par\u00adty, for many decades tone-deaf to faith, rec\u00adog\u00adnized that it would not mobi\u00adlize the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan pub\u00adlic and win elec\u00adtions until it learned to use the lan\u00adguage and gram\u00admar of faith that has always informed the val\u00adues and beliefs of most Amer\u00adi\u00adcans. The prob\u00adlem was that most Democ\u00adrats have been uncom\u00adfort\u00adable using the lan\u00adguage of faith. From across the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic Par\u00adty, many called for \u201csoul-search\u00ading\u201d and inter\u00adnal reform that would address the so-called God-gap.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am sure at the time Hunter wrote this it seemed that the Democ\u00adrats had learned the impor\u00adtance of wel\u00adcom\u00ading peo\u00adple of faith, but although Barack Oba\u00adma\u2019s cam\u00adpaign did this very well Hilary Clin\u00adton\u2019s cam\u00adpaign did this out\u00adra\u00adgeous\u00adly poor\u00adly. This is iron\u00adic because I believe Hilary Clin\u00adton to be far more per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly pious than Barack Oba\u00adma.<\/p>\n

Emma Green inter\u00adviewed Michael Wear about this in the Atlantic \u201cDemoc\u00adrats Have A Reli\u00adgion Prob\u00adlem<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBarack Oba\u00adma was the per\u00adfect tran\u00adsi\u00adtion\u00adal pres\u00adi\u00addent from the old par\u00adty to the new. He could speak in reli\u00adgious terms in a way that most white, sec\u00adu\u00adlar lib\u00ader\u00adals were not will\u00ading to con\u00adfront him on. He \u201cgot away with\u201d reli\u00adgious lan\u00adguage and out\u00adreach that would get oth\u00ader Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic politi\u00adcians more robust cri\u00adtiques from the left. He was able to paper over a lot of the reli\u00adgious ten\u00adsions in the par\u00adty that oth\u00ader, less skilled politi\u00adcians will not be able to paper over.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

An even more illu\u00admi\u00adnat\u00ading read is by Ruth Gra\u00adham at Slate: \u201cWhy Hillary Clin\u00adton Bombed With White Evan\u00adgel\u00adi\u00adcal Vot\u00aders<\/a>\u201d -<\/p>\n

This elec\u00adtion cycle, Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty Today made mul\u00adti\u00adple attempts to request an inter\u00adview with Hillary Clin\u00adton, accord\u00ading to Kate Shell\u00adnutt, an edi\u00adtor there. The cam\u00adpaign nev\u00ader respond\u00aded. Of course, cam\u00adpaigns turn down inter\u00adview requests all the time. But the Clin\u00adton cam\u00adpaign was the only one that didn\u2019t reply at all. And this wasn\u2019t the only sign this year that the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic can\u00addi\u00addate had no inter\u00adest in speak\u00ading to evan\u00adgel\u00adi\u00adcal Chris\u00adtians. She spent lit\u00adtle ener\u00adgy explain\u00ading her views on abor\u00adtion to them and lit\u00adtle time talk\u00ading about reli\u00adgious free\u00addom. She didn\u2019t hire a full-time faith out\u00adreach direc\u00adtor until June and had no one focused specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly on evan\u00adgel\u00adi\u00adcal out\u00adreach. She didn\u2019t give a major speech to the evan\u00adgel\u00adi\u00adcal com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty and nev\u00ader met pub\u00adlicly with evan\u00adgel\u00adi\u00adcal lead\u00aders. Reli\u00adgious pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtions reach\u00ading out to her cam\u00adpaign with ques\u00adtions were fre\u00adquent\u00adly met with silence. Some evan\u00adgel\u00adi\u00adcal insid\u00aders are now ask\u00ading: Why didn\u2019t Hillary Clin\u00adton even try to get us to vote for her?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And in a can\u00addi\u00addate for under\u00adstate\u00adment of the decade:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all of the diver\u00adsi\u00adty one can find among pro\u00adgres\u00adsives, one of the cen\u00adtral cat\u00ada\u00adlysts of sol\u00adi\u00addar\u00adi\u00adty over the years has been their hos\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adty to the lead\u00aders, orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions, ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, and agen\u00adda of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian Right.\u201d (page 139)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is true of my friends on the reli\u00adgious left. Their anger at the reli\u00adgious right is a thing to behold. From afar. I am con\u00advinced that some of them are quite pre\u00adpared to punch you in the name of tol\u00ader\u00adance.<\/p>\n

Again, I thought this chap\u00adter was less strong (although I imag\u00adine the infor\u00adma\u00adtion in it was new\u00ader to many of you).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I thought Hunter\u2019s chap\u00adter on the reli\u00adgious left was\u00adn\u2019t as strong as his chap\u00adter on the reli\u00adgious right, although I appre\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded that he high\u00adlight\u00aded the long his\u00adto\u00adry of a polit\u00adi\u00ad\u00adcal\u00ad\u00adly-engaged reli\u00adgious left. I am baf\u00adfled when peo\u00adple act as though the politi\u00adciza\u00adtion of the faith is exclu\u00adsive\u00adly a prob\u00adlem of the right. The reli\u00adgious left \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u201cTo Change The World, Week Sev\u00aden\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[117,209,210],"class_list":["post-4613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources-reviews","tag-politics","tag-summer-reading-project-2017","tag-to-change-the-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1cp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4613"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4618,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4613\/revisions\/4618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}