We conservative Christians are pretty darned predictable, politically speaking. In some ways that is good. It means we're consistent. We stand for the truth. Regardless of the social climate of the day, we maintain our values and standards. Our socio-political moorings are sure. Right?
Unfortunately that's not always the case with American Christians. Instead of consistently aligning our political viewpoints with the Word of God, we consistently follow what Fox News tells us. We are pawns of the Republican party. We reinforce conservative stereotypes with alarming regularity. Anytime someone shares an opinion that is remotely liberal, we're ready to debate, boycott, or protest it, without even considering its merits. Anything we hear or read on the news is automatically filtered through a liberal/conservative filter. Someone died? That must mean liberals are wrong--especially if that person happened to be black. Then liberals are extra wrong. The guy was probably gay, too. He deserved to be shot from behind because he was wearing a black hoodie after 7 P.M.
Now, I consider myself a conservative Christian, both theologically and politically. I believe that homosexuality, abortion, and race-baiting are wrong. I believe that men dressed as women should not be allowed to use the women's restroom. What bothers me, however, is how conservatives instinctively jump to the Republican side of the aisle. Here's an example. The movie Zootopia was recently being discussed in a Facebook group of which I am a member. Some parents were recommending it, while others were expressing their disdain for the social messages latent throughout the film. For any adult watching, race and gender issues were obvious throughout the film (other issues, like the LGBT crowd, may have been in view as well, though race and gender seemed paramount to me). The merits of that particular movie aside, what struck me is how instantly we react to anything that has shades of liberalism. Many people involved in the discussion expressed that they would never let their kids watch that sort of movie. Another cinematic example would be the backlash from Star Wars' casting of female and black lead characters. Now, even I'm annoyed at how far liberals go to try and make a point, but shouldn't our reaction tell us something about ourselves? They cast those characters because they think that we're backwards bigots. Don't we prove them right by having an issue with a movie that has a female lead? Is a black James Bond repulsive to you? You're either a purist or a racist. I'll let you figure out which.
The reality is that racism is real and it is wrong, as is sexism and murder and hateful speech and so on and so forth. We as Christians need to stand against these wrongs, despite the woes of liberalism. When people do bad things, but happen to be conservatives, we need to hold them accountable. Sexual assault is a sin and a crime, even (or especially) when conservatives commit it. We accuse the liberal media of being biased in their presentation of the facts, but we do the same thing. The fact that Donald Trump, an immoral, racist womanizer, has consistently won conservative states just how bad the problem is!
I'm not suggesting that we abandon conservative values, nor am I suggesting that we jump to the other side of the aisle. I'm suggesting that we ignore the aisle altogether. Let's get rid of the aisle! Christians should have a political outlook that differs from everyone else, even the libertarians. You see, if we are to adhere to a truly Christian political platform, there is no way that we can align ourselves entirely with one party. No current major political party in America represents true Christianity. We need to have the Christian view of any issue, not the Republican view. We need to react to news stories as Christians, not as Republicans. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity should not decide our political views for us, nor should the elite aristocracy of the Republican party.
Unfortunately that's not always the case with American Christians. Instead of consistently aligning our political viewpoints with the Word of God, we consistently follow what Fox News tells us. We are pawns of the Republican party. We reinforce conservative stereotypes with alarming regularity. Anytime someone shares an opinion that is remotely liberal, we're ready to debate, boycott, or protest it, without even considering its merits. Anything we hear or read on the news is automatically filtered through a liberal/conservative filter. Someone died? That must mean liberals are wrong--especially if that person happened to be black. Then liberals are extra wrong. The guy was probably gay, too. He deserved to be shot from behind because he was wearing a black hoodie after 7 P.M.
Now, I consider myself a conservative Christian, both theologically and politically. I believe that homosexuality, abortion, and race-baiting are wrong. I believe that men dressed as women should not be allowed to use the women's restroom. What bothers me, however, is how conservatives instinctively jump to the Republican side of the aisle. Here's an example. The movie Zootopia was recently being discussed in a Facebook group of which I am a member. Some parents were recommending it, while others were expressing their disdain for the social messages latent throughout the film. For any adult watching, race and gender issues were obvious throughout the film (other issues, like the LGBT crowd, may have been in view as well, though race and gender seemed paramount to me). The merits of that particular movie aside, what struck me is how instantly we react to anything that has shades of liberalism. Many people involved in the discussion expressed that they would never let their kids watch that sort of movie. Another cinematic example would be the backlash from Star Wars' casting of female and black lead characters. Now, even I'm annoyed at how far liberals go to try and make a point, but shouldn't our reaction tell us something about ourselves? They cast those characters because they think that we're backwards bigots. Don't we prove them right by having an issue with a movie that has a female lead? Is a black James Bond repulsive to you? You're either a purist or a racist. I'll let you figure out which.
The reality is that racism is real and it is wrong, as is sexism and murder and hateful speech and so on and so forth. We as Christians need to stand against these wrongs, despite the woes of liberalism. When people do bad things, but happen to be conservatives, we need to hold them accountable. Sexual assault is a sin and a crime, even (or especially) when conservatives commit it. We accuse the liberal media of being biased in their presentation of the facts, but we do the same thing. The fact that Donald Trump, an immoral, racist womanizer, has consistently won conservative states just how bad the problem is!
I'm not suggesting that we abandon conservative values, nor am I suggesting that we jump to the other side of the aisle. I'm suggesting that we ignore the aisle altogether. Let's get rid of the aisle! Christians should have a political outlook that differs from everyone else, even the libertarians. You see, if we are to adhere to a truly Christian political platform, there is no way that we can align ourselves entirely with one party. No current major political party in America represents true Christianity. We need to have the Christian view of any issue, not the Republican view. We need to react to news stories as Christians, not as Republicans. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity should not decide our political views for us, nor should the elite aristocracy of the Republican party.
Many good points!
ReplyDeleteThanks.
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