building bridges with theological conservatives on social issues
I wanted to lay out some of the key points of common ground that I think all of us share as followers of Christ, whether we lean towards conservative/literal interpretation of the Bible or a liberal/metaphoric interpretation. I believe that these common points are also foundational components of progressive politics. I don't intend to unpack each of these extensively here, but rather I want to put them on the table for discussion and for everyone's consideration.
1. Reciprocity as derived from the Golden Rule and the command to love our neighbors. The idea of reciprocity is a foundational principle for most secular formulations of liberalism. Jesus says of the command to do unto others as we would have them do to us, "...this sums up the law and the prophets" Mt 7:12. It is a command that directly dictates the manner in which we are to relate to others. The laws that we support and advocate through our political involvement effect our neighbors and so this command is perhaps the most relevant in the Bible to the way in which we ought to formulate our political agendas.
2. Humility. The importance of this biblical virtue is often overlooked in relation to legal considerations. However, without humility, reciprocity is a dangerous thing. I've used this quote before, but I'm going to use it again because I think it is the best example of how reciprocity goes sour without humility. "Christians can slip into propitiationism by misunderstanding the Golden Rule… The mistake lies in overlooking the fact that the “you” to whom the precept is addressed is a free subject of the kingdom of heaven, not a stranger. We are therefore speaking of what in Christ we would have others do unto us – to minister to our godly needs, not to our foolish or sinful wants" - J. Budziszewski
3. The parable of the prodigal son. How does this parable relate to our political agenda? Most of the Bible, especially the New Testament, was written to believers who had already accepted God's authority. Even Jesus's messages were typically directed at people who knew what God expected of them and generally wanted to be in line with His will (or at least made pretenses to such intentions). Furthermore, the intended audience of the epistles were Christians who were under a secular authority. No where in scripture are we outright given a set of principles by which we are to abide when we as Christians have legislative authority over non-believers. The prodigal son is perhaps the only scriptural account that might serve as an exemplar in such a circumstance. The father figure is a metaphoric representation of God and the son who rejects God's law is under that authority. Not only does the father extend the son the liberty of action, but he also extends full access to resources. Personal liberty is important to God.
4. Justice. I believe that justice, liberty, reciprocity and humility are all inextricably interrelated and interdependent. Without liberty, there is no justice. Without reciprocity and humility we have no means of formulating justice.
Utilizing these points of commonality and urging our brothers in Christ to consider their relationship to political and legislative agendas is one way that we can begin the work to span the divides between us.
David
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Simple Question
How on Earth do we get from discussing building bridges with theological conservatives on social issues to Vanunu and Abbie Hoffman?
This is what I mean by self-indulgence.
True, but back to the topic at hand.
Frank, I wondered that myself, but I didn't want to get entangled in that.
Does anyone have any comments about these principles? I believe that with these biblical principles, and perhaps a few others as well, we might begin to piece together a concise, coherent, and consistent framework for a Christian political agenda.
David
JUSTICE: Jewish Road Warriors Vs. Big Brother
In 1968 Chicago Abbie Hoffman spoke to the children of the '60's who had planned on spending the night in a city park after their long day of 'lobbying' at the Democratic Convention.
Mayor Daly sent word to Abbie that the multitudes were not welcome in his park and the cops were on the way in.
Before the Chicago mob with badges clobbered the heads of the children of the '60's, Abbie stood at a microphone and quoted Christ:
"I send you out like little lambs into a wolves den. Remain as harmless as doves and cunning as snakes."
If the doves had consulted Webster's, they first would have had a laugh at the two words cunning is sandwiched between.
Then they would have learned that cunning means one must be skillful, clever, sly, crafty, and do things with skill and ingenuity.
To be cunning is to be attractive; cute and cleverly proficient.
The doves lacked cunning and thus got there heads clobbered and many hippies were transformed into yippies which requires a baptism via billy-clubs.
The '60's Peace and Justice movement failed because it threw out the baby in the bath water:
SPIRITUAL DEPTH!
Nothing has changed much since 1968, for power continues to resort to violence and nonviolent resistance takes cunning.
Nothing much has changed in Christianity which clings to the traditions of man and refuses to EVOLVE into a transformation of heart and mind to WAKE UP and see that God already indwells EVERYONE!
It has been said that as in Israel, Iran, or America: the people of the land are much better than the leadership they currently live under.
After 9/11 American's were led by fear and now Big Brother listens in on citizens phone calls without obtaining court orders.
Big Brother has gotten so paranoid as to infiltrate Quaker meetings which have always been about the exercising of ones freedom of conscience and raising voices that always says no to war and WMD. Quakers support nonviolent resistance and that tactic is anathema to Big Brother for Big Brother only understands violent force.
Back in 1968, Mordechai Vanunu was a 14 year old Jew who told this reporter in June 2005, that his family: "…migrated from Morocco in 1963 after the Zionists came and convinced the neighborhood that Israel was the Promised Land. Instead of the land of milk and honey we were banished to the desert of Beersheba." [Chapter 1 Keep Hope Alive II: http://www.wearewideawake.org ]
Criminally unreported in the USA MSM is what happened to Vanunu in 1986 AND SINCE THEN!
Vanunu is a 21 st century Jeremiah that has exercised his freedom of conscience, speech and religion and defied the Israeli government's Apartheid regime by breaking silence about Israel's WMD Program.
In the 1980's Vanunu, an atheist and a low tech worker in the underground nuclear weapons manufacturing plant in the Negev had a crisis of conscience over his collusion in making WMD. He then shot two rolls of film documenting the fact that Israel had gone nuclear.
Vanunu resigned from his low tech position and traveled for a year throughout Europe and into Russia carrying the still undeveloped film then ended up in Sydney, Australia.
He drove a cab and connected with some active social justice Christians in an Anglican Church.
Vanunu- a secular Jew and agnostic, existentialist was baptized a Christian just days before he was abducted by the Mossad.
At the same time, Vanunu also connected with Peter Hounam, a journalist for the Sunday Times. After Vanunu told Peter the story and produced the film, Peter flew Vanunu to London and began the process of verifying the charges.
That took more days than Vanunu had patience to bear in solitude. Out of boredom Vanunu ventured into London and met an American named Cindy.
He had no clue she worked for the Mossad.
After a week of movies and museums, she offered him a safe haven if he would travel with her to Rome where her sister had an apartment after a tabloid in London attempted to defame him.
When Vanunu entered the apartment, he was hit on the head, drugged, bound and flung upon an Israeli cargo ship heading home.
The London Times broke the story just as Vanunu disappeared. The world did not know if Vanunu were alive or dead until he was being transported to his closed door trial.
Vanunu had been inspired to write on his palm; "HIJACKED" and the Rome flight number he had been on.
A wide awake photographer captured the image and this really agitated the Israeli government so much they shielded him from the press and he was only transported in a van with the windows blacked out during his closed door trial.
In 1986, Vanunu was sentenced to 18 years for treason, 11 ½ in solitary. He was 'released' on April 2004.
He has endured ever since in Jerusalem forbidden the right to free speech and movement under the draconian restrictions of the Emergency Defense Regulations which were implemented first by Britain against Palestinians and Jews after World War II.
Vanunu defies these restrictions imposed upon him by continuing to exercise his freedom of conscience and speech.
On January 13, 2006, Vanunu wrote,
"Iran is the new power in the ME, not Iraq, or Egypt…. I am not a scientist, but I am supporting ……all the human beings everywhere [to] have the right to be free and equal. That can be done by nuclear technology even if we are against Nuclear Weapons and nuclear reactors…it is part of evolution [and] modern science, [and] what is good for [the] USA [and] for Bush, it must be good for Jakarta, for all the world."
It is human nature to want what others have and while nuclear disarmament seems more fantasy than possibility, it is the only way to avoid nuclear holocaust and the world as we now know it.
Israel has yet to allow International Inspectors into their plus forty year old WMD factory and thousands of people have worked there.
The world has rightly demanded that Iran must let International Inspectors in.
The world should also demand that International Inspections be done at every nuclear facility-and that includes Israel for it is innocent civilians who are involved in the front line of the manufacturing of WMD as well as nuclear energy.
William Fulbright affirmed: "The age of warrior kings and of warrior presidents has passed. The nuclear age calls for a different kind of leadership....a leadership of intellect, judgment, tolerance and rationality, a leadership committed to human values, to world peace, and to the improvement of the human condition. The attributes upon which we must draw are the human attributes of compassion and common sense, of intellect and creative imagination, and of empathy and understanding between cultures."
Change can only occur if we do something to bring it about. Trillions of USA tax dollars are spent on WMD without public debate.
May 'we the people' who still have freedom of conscience and speech use them.
If we do not exercise our inalienable human rights, we will loose them.
AND "What does God require? He has told you o'man!
Be just, be merciful, and walk humbly with your Lord." -Micah 6:8
Eileen Fleming,
Reporter and Editor of
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Author "KEEP HOPE ALIVE" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer of "30 Minutes with Vanunu"