Christianity as Politics (May/ June 2008)
by
Viola Larson
Reading the new issue of Horizons, which is subtitled ‘Faith and Politics,”
I am reminded of a conversation I had with my granddaughter, Melissa, who is
an artist. I noticed her purse, which had an intriguing picture of pretty
flowers on long stems with skulls placed among them, also on long stems. I
asked her about the picture, and Melissa replied that she had painted it on
the purse in an attempt to illustrate some verses from the 40th chapter of
Isaiah.
The particular verses are:
A voice says, Call out.’ Then he answered, What shall I call out?’ All flesh
is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass
withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely
the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of
our God stands forever.” (6-8)
The writers in this particular issue of Horizons mostly focus on political
issues and generally look at politics as a means of overcoming such social
ills as poverty, racism and war. While that is not a bad understanding of
politics, they combine this with their view that the gospel’s core meaning
is a mandate for the Church to establish God’s kingdom on earth. *So
politics and Christianity merge and become the same thing.*
I was reminded of the above verses in Isaiah because, in some cases, it
seems the authors have forgotten that it is only the word of God that stands
forever. And it is only as we come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ,
acknowledging his work, his life, death on the cross and resurrection, that
the kingdom is established, and his second coming will finalize it.
*In between those times, we are called to good works, which include
advocating for the poor, oppressed and forsaken* . We are also called to
proclaim the good news of God’s gift of forgiveness and righteousness given
because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. As Paul writes, ‘For by grace
you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one can boast. For we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph. 2:8-10)
So keeping the above in mind, I will look at several articles in this issue
of Horizons. Some of the articles are slanted toward a social gospel minus
redemptive grace bought by Jesus on the cross, others lift up social issues
in obedience to the Lord who ransomed them.
*Moving away from grace:
*
Using what is surely a social gospel foundation, Joseph C. Hough Jr.,
President of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, has written the
article, ‘A New Day and A New World: The Call of Jesus for Responsible
Political Discipleship”. According to the author, it is possible for
Christians to be redeemed by works, and the Church is called to bring in the
kingdom of God. Hough writes:
This new kingdom of justice for the poor becomes a major theme of Luke’s
gospel, but Luke is not alone among the New Testament writers. *For example,
in the parable of The Judgment of the Nations (Matt. 25:31), concrete acts
in support of the marginalized and the poor become followers’ sole tickets
into the kingd* om. Just confessing the name of Jesus is disregarded and
treated with some distain by the judge of the nations. (Emphasis mine) (6)
In an attempt to disparage charity and replace it with activism Hough
writes, ‘Jesus asks for more than this. *He has called us to do nothing less
than to bring in the kingdom,’* the kingdom of justice for the poor. That
requires moving beyond charity to advocacy for just policies that attend to
the needs of the least of these, our brothers and sisters.” (Emphasis mine)
To put it simply Hough seems to imply that humanity is capable of total
obedience to God without the aid of Christ’s grace.
The first issue, salvation by works based on the parable of judgment, which
begins with Matthew 25:31, is addressed by Calvin in quite a different
manner. He sees the text encouraging Christians toward good works rather
than insisting that works are a means of salvation. Calvin writes of verse
34:
_Come, you blessed of my Father. _*We must remember Christ’s design; for he
bids his disciples rest satisfied now with hope, that they may with patience
and tranquility of mind look for the enjoyment of the heavenly kingdom; and
next, he bids them strive earnestly, and not become wearied in the right
course* . To this latter clause he refers, when he promises the
inheritance of the heavens to none but those who by good works aim at the
prize of the heavenly calling. But before speaking of the reward of good
works, he points out, in passing, that the commencement of salvation flows
from a higher source; for by calling them _blessed of the Father, _*he
reminds them, that their salvation proceeded from the undeserved favor of
God.* 1 (Emphasis mine)
The second issue, the duty of the Church to bring in the kingdom of God, is
not supported in the article by any scripture text. Nonetheless, Calvin is
also helpful here. In his Harmony of Matthew, Mark and Luke and the
Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin offers a definition of God’s
Kingdom, ‘God reigns when men, in denial of themselves, and contempt of the
world and this earthly life, devote themselves to righteousness and aspire
to heaven.” While he takes this statement from his Harmony, he adds to it
in the Institutes:
Thus this Kingdom consists of two parts: the first is, when God by the
agency of his Spirit corrects all the depraved lusts of the flesh, which in
bands war against Him; and second, when he brings all our thoughts into
obedience to his authority.
Calvin insists on two acts that are an aid to God’s work: the preaching of
the word and prayer. But in the Christian’s life and in the world it is
still the work of God. He writes, ‘God, therefore, sets up his kingdom, by
humbling the whole world, though in different ways, taming the wantonness of
some, and breaking the ungovernable pride of others.”2 In other words this
is God’s work in which we are allowed to participate. Advocating for the
poor is not left out but is instead a part of being in the kingdom.
*Ignoring God’s word:
*
In another article, Teresa Chavez Sauceda, Associate for Racial Justice and
Advocacy for the Presbyterian Church (USA), asks, ‘What does the Church
Say?” Here God’s word loses its usefulness. In writing about the decisions
the various advocacy committees make as well as their recommendations to
General Assembly, she first refers to the scriptures but then states:
There are many questions, however, confronting modern Christians that are
never discussed in the Bible. On these questions, the churchthrough its
teaching and traditionsoffers assistance and guidance.
Consider your morning coffee. (10)
Sauceda goes on to explain about ‘fair trade” and ‘just coffee” and how
Presbyterians can buy coffee that is grown and harvested without exploiting
workers. But she compounds her problematic view of scripture and its use by
then suggesting that being faithful to God’s will is a ‘theological
commitment” ‘expressed in our confessions and in the church’s *social
policy witness.”*
Sauceda’s article flounders when it comes to understanding how scripture
informs the contemporary Church’s decisions. The problem here is that
Sauceda fails to understand that the Church’s traditions and teachings as
well as its social policy witness either are or must be grounded in
scripture.
For example, buying ‘just coffee” is based on the Torah, the prophets and
the New Testament’s admonitions to care for the poor and oppressed. The
*true and faithful traditions and teachings of the Church are always based
on scripture* . Holy Scripture can never be cut out or dismissed from the
actions of the Church.
*A Social Creed for Progressive Christians*:
Professor Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty writes about the new Social Creed written
by a resolution team from the Presbyterian Church (USA) in collaboration
with the National Council of Churches. Her article, ‘Celebrating 100 years
of Social Awareness: The Social Creed for the 21st Century,” is written to
encourage Presbyterian Women to read, study and embrace the new creed.
While there is much good in this creed, which can be found online at
www.pcusa.org/acswp/pdf/socialcreedreceivedbynccc.pdf, there are some social
issues which have been ignored, such as religious freedom, abortion and
sexual permissiveness. This is simply because the creed is slanted toward
the social consciousness of progressive Christians, as Hinson-Hasty hints
when she writes, ‘Though churches are not always known for their progressive
nature or openness to social change, churches have a long history of
prophetic activity.”
Another difficulty with the social creed is that while both conservative and
liberal Christians will agree that many of the issues it addresses are
problems which need solving, they will disagree on how they might be solved.
For example, in her article, Hinson-Hasty equates the World Alliance of
Reformed Churches’ Accra Confession with the Social Creed. And yet, the
Accra Confession is nothing less than a denunciation of capitalism including
the private ownership of property. It only addresses the problems from one
political viewpoint.
*Tying politics to the scars of Jesus:
*
Professor Chanequa Walker-Barnes writes about the impossible becoming the
possible as the Democrats struggle to choose between ‘a white woman or a
black man,” for President of the United States. Her article, ‘Only Five
More to Go,” looks at all the twists that gender and ethnicity have brought
to the election.
After dealing with all of the difficulties and quagmires, Walker-Barnes
writes about the new identity that Christians are given in Jesus Christ.
Walker-Barnes writes:
Our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ, more than race or
gender, determines our life choiceswhere we live, what school we attend, who
our friends and family are, where we worship. It is the ultimate idolatry
that Christians have allowed the reverse to happen.
That might sound a lot like color-blindness. But it is qualitatively
different because, along with the image of the new creation, we also have
the image of Christ’s scars. In the Gospel of John, the risen Christ carries
the scars of his crucifixion. Like Christ, we carry wounds with us in our
new existence.
Walker-Barnes writes about how we all bear the scars of racism: those who
have ‘traumatic memories of suffering racial oppression” and those who are
scarred because they believe themselves to be ‘better than someone else
because,” they ‘are white.” She goes on to suggest that as ‘Jesus used his
scars to prove the Father’s love for us, so that he might draw us closer to
the Father. Perhaps we are required to do the same.”
After writing of how the election of either a woman or an African American
could be a symbol that oppression can change, Walker-Barnes states that it
would not be ‘enough.” Instead she points out that we must instead offer
our scars to one another to be touched. This is a beautiful article on how
racism and sexism has caused suffering and how it can change within the new
life that we are given in Jesus Christ.
*Women and children’s needs tied to the grace of Christ:
*
Una Stevenson has written a small but very informative article entitled
‘Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children.” In the article she traces the
history of the Presbyterian work of attempting to eradicate the exploitation
of women and children.
This year at General Assembly that work of aiding women and children will
focus on human trafficking with ‘Overture 062 On Preventing the Trafficking
of Women, Internationally and NationallyFrom the Presbytery of Plains and
Peaks.” For a larger article by Una Stevenson with more information,
including definitions and experience, see the article ‘Human Trafficking,”
in Voices of Orthodox Women’s Spring Newsletter 2008. [1]
Stevenson begins her article in the VOW Newsletter with a definition:
Trafficking persons-also know as ‘human trafficking is a form of modern day
slavery. Traffickers often prey on individuals who are poor, frequently
unemployed or under-employed, and who lack access to social safety nets.
They are predominately women and children. In certain countries, victims are
often lured with false promises of good jobs and better lives, then forced
to work in brutal and inhuman conditions.”
Just as two Christian women in the nineteenth century, Katherine C. Bushnell
(1856-1946) [2] 3 and Josephine Butler (1828-1907) [3] 4, fought for both
women’s rights and against the trafficking of women, so today, for the sake
of Christ, Christian women have concern over such hideous exploitation of
women and children. The overture and the work is about compassion and
obedience to the Lord, and is tied to the grace and mercy that belong to his
kingdom
The Lord is King forever and ever: Nations have perished from his land. O
Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their
heart, you will incline your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror. (Psalm 10:
16-18)
———————————
1 John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark,
Luke, Vol. 3, at Christian Classics Ethereal Library [4] .
2 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Henry Beveridge Trans.,
reprint, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing 1989) book III, Chap, XX, 42,
and see also Ibid, Matt VI.
3 See also, Viola Larson, Early Feminism: Equality, Ethical Theory and
Religion [5] , at Naming the Grace [6] .
4 See also, December 30: Josephine Butler; Christian History Institute [7] and Ibid.
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[1] http://layman.wpengine.com/Newsletters/2008-03%20Newsletter.pdf
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Bushnell
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Butler
[4] http://www.ccel.org/
[5] http://www.naminggrace.org/id64.htm
[6] http://www.naminggrace.org/