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why the culture wars need to be put to rest
Because we need to work together to solve problems that cannot be solved without our working together. It’s a simple as that. During the era of culture war (the 1980’s through the beginning of the new millenium), the basic structures of society were functioning. We had a highway system, a phone system, an energy system, a political system, an economic system, that more or less worked for the majority of people. We had the luxury of being sharply divided. People could gain power by highlighting our divisions, rather than focusing on what we had in common.
Sadly, many religious people fell for this power grab, listening to voices of paranoia and fear. (Did anyone see the letter from James Dobson imagining 2012 if the hated liberals took over? As paranoid as the anti-religion zealots who see faith as the root of all evil.)
But that era seems to be over–or fast ending. We have an economic crisis that is so severe it threatens everything. We can’t afford to remain in cultural gridlock because the stable culture that allowed us to fight is threatening to fail. When the boxing ring is shaken by an earthquake the boxers hop out of the ring, take off their gloves, and seek shelter together. We’ve reached a time when the words of Jesus apply: a house divided against itself cannot stand.
This economic crisis came at roughly the same time that it started to dawn on many that we have a slow fizz environmental crisis that can’t be resolved unless we find a way to work together across the cultural divide. Some of the top environmental scientists, many of them secular, realized that without people of faith, which in the United States includes people of evangelical faith, the environment on which we depend will not sustain us at our current level. This crisis didn’t have the same jolting quality as the economic crisis because the most severe consequences are fifty years away. And many of its impacts are out of sight, out of mind.
how will people of jesus brand faith be perceived?
The question is, will people of Jesus brand faith be perceived by the newly frightened society around us as culture warriors, or as culture builders? Will we, in short, be perceived as part of the solution or part of the problem?
Of course, those who are on the opposite side of this culture war–let’s call it the radical secular left–are facing the same challenge. Will they be perceived by the surrounding culture as culture warriors or culture builders?
Trust me, I’m not thinking, we are one big happy family around here. We have our sharp disagreements over important issues and will continue to have them.
But I’m thinking it’s time we stopped sharpening our knives and started strengthening the ties that bind.
The former is fueled by fear and hate, the latter by love.
It’s time to let the culture wars drift from center stage to the side show they are fast becoming and tend to the more important work of culture building. Fellow boomers, if you don’t think so, ask your kids.
At least that’s the view from here.
Tags: culture wars, economic crisis, environment, james dobson
November 17th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Hey Ken,
Damn how we are perceived. As soon as I go back to spending my time worrying how people perceive me I change my behavior to accommodate them.
I am not interested in gaining favor of critics. I am interested in loving because I can, who I can wherever I am. Let the critics think what they like on both sides. Jesus loves because of who He is, if he worried about critics would he have rode the donkey?
The difference is focus. Instead of focusing on my supporters or detractors based upon what they think of me. (Which usually makes me retreat and hide) I focus on the object.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
AMEN!
November 17th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Ken, I know we talked about this yesterday, but I will gladly emerge from my status as a lurker to comment here. I wholeheartedly second the motion that we who follow Jesus broaden what counts as kingdom work to reconstruct culture in His name. Enough with the wagon circling and fear mongering.
I see this work not just for the sake of solving the problems and changing people’s image of Jesus followers, but of changing people’s idea of what faith in Jesus means– what it implies for the meaning of life and love and community and action.
Let’s hear it for solidarity.
November 17th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Paul, As an individual approach, I like what you say. I’m more thinking that the church as a whole needs to pay attention to the way she is perceived by those on the outside of faith looking in. She is perceived as mean-spirited and openly hostile to people who are not politically conservative. By many. Because so many in the church have ingested the culture war kool-aid offered by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and increasingly, James Dobson. (Perhaps there are small segments of the church who have imbibed the culture war potions of the left, but they are much smaller in number.) I know pastors who are big fans of Rush, for example. I don’t have any problem with pastors who are conservative and are big fans of George Will or other reasoned conservative voices. So my appeal to them is to consider the impact of this close allegiance with the conservative (in this case) culture warriors–it hinders the gospel. Because people perceive Christians to be culture warriors rather than lovers of the Prince of Peace.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Ken,
I get that completely.
Having lived in a conservative fish bowl for 10+ years, always wondering if I was offending someone. I think the conservative church as a whole has taken this mind set as it relates to culture. As I know you have pointed out.
However, I work in an environment where we talk about “safe” churches. I went to a conference last week given by a more liberal group and sat at a table of christians who were afraid of the ‘other” christians. There is a more liberal church mindset forming that in effect is doing exactly what the Rush/Dobson folks already have accomplished. Both miss it.
To lead this charge, one cannot let factions come into play. It is not a choice of either or. But the choice of a greater good. We must break bread with both sides. If we promote a so called liberal culture alternative to conservative church moralists. We become what they are.
I propose a third option, much like what is attempted by (but sadly missed) in the Sojourner camp. God is neither republican or democrat.
It does take individuals to decide.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I think we need to focus on loving people into the kingdom rather than trying to define the law of the kingdom. If we want to look at law, let’s start with the words of Jesus: “Love your God”, “Love your neighbor”, and “Love your enemies”.
Maybe rather than continuing a culture war, we can cultivate love for all of creation thanks to the one who first loved us, Jesus.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
julie, seconds are needed for this proposal to walk away from the war metaphor when engaging our culture–and thirds and fourths! The religio-political culture war complex mobilizes to vocalize and the sheer volume drowns out the voices of a different approach. Time for the soft spoken to speak softly up.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I am so tired of religous people telling me what to think, what movies to see, who to vote for, who i should hate, and what laws need to be passed. Its all a negative slant.
The sayings that Jesus put out for the most part were positive love affirmations. Yes, he talked about hell, hypocrites, and money. But when he talked about these three it was to say that these people were immoral in there behavior, put on a show for others, and were greedy to the core.
My motto for living is “Love yourself, love others, help others”. Jesus was right in saying to Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
When your filled with God’s love every day its hard to do the first paragraph.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am
We will never come together along political lines. If there is a liberal shift among evangelicals it will be just as damaging as the shift has been to the right. The error is in the perception that God is on our side, right or left. I believe that our perception of God and his world is mucked up by both sides.
“So be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.” I live in the corporate world. We have a similar saying, “be hard on the job, and soft on people.” Everyone defaults to the hard on the job side of the quote. This is a very difficult thing to balance and it always seems to be a moving target. Many that claim Christ as Lord, default to the cunning as serpents, but fail on the innocent as doves. We have to strive for both. Only a humble spirit can find its way. And in the process, you will offend some.
So having said that, I agree with the “Damn how we are perceived” comment. I totally disagree with the “…work to reconstruct culture in His name” comment, which is why we are here in the first place. I think embracing the current cultural shifts with respect to environment, politics, and social issues will win you some friends, but will have little impact in the Kingdom of God.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:47 am
In the spirit of your admonition to engage with those I disagree with thoughtfully, I read the Dobson letter with fascination. I would urge you not to dismiss it as a paranoid screed. It was an interesting thought experiment that raises many points that deserve a thoughtful response.
I found many of his projections to be flawed, but my disagreement was not so much in his prediction of what the courts might do. He appears to make plausible suggestions. (I would be happy to hear an equally researched position to the contrary).
My disagreement was with how Christians should respond (assuming that the author projected their values into the likely response). Should we close down our agencies and ministries rather than acquiesce to government regulations?
I’d love to see someone respond in kind to the points raised by the letter with an alternate response that is in keeping with Gospel of Jesus.
I also think we need to engage the issue at the end of the letter regarding God’s favor toward the nation. Surely God did show favor toward Israel as His chosen people, from whom would come the annointed King. But now his favor is poured out on all people. Are we to align ourselves with our nation? Or with God and His church? or both? These are deep issue, to me at least, which do require thoughtful dialog, not strident war mongering.
I guess my main point is that ending the culture war doesn’t mean ending engagement with serious issues. We are at war, afterall, just not with flesh and blood.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I don’t know. I’m having a problem wrestling with this . . . I don’t see Jesus compromising His standards to accomondate the crowds. It appears that everyone was invited, but not every chose to follow. You know, the narrow-road versus the wide-road.
For those of us Libertarian/Republican/Conservatives who look to our Founding Fathers for their intent on creating our Republic, see Yehoveh’s hand in the creation of our nation and shiver at how the core values of our nation have been shattered.
Are we expected to compromise our values for the sake of “getting along” if we see that the views from the “other side” are damaging our Republic?
From a Christian viewpoint, are we supposed to compromise the message of righteousness and holiness from God’s perspective? Because His values never changed. So that would imply that since He doesn’t change, we have to . . . if we want to get along with Him. (The other alternative is judgment and that doesn’t sound like fun).
Our nation is forsaking Israel, maybe what we are seeing is judgment for that; we have been ignoring and destroying the life of the unborn, maybe what we are seeing is judgment for that; I could go on, but I think you get my point.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Metler, If I’m reading the stream right, no one here is recommending Christians mobilize around a liberal or Democratic agenda. Christians have simply missed the boat in conflating building the kingdom with engaging political controversies (liberal OR conservative). Personally, I want to see the end of the culture war, not a new battle or a redrawing of the battlefield.
I agree completely that those who believe in Jesus ought to focus more on how Jesus is perceived than how they are. Christians are promised persecution, not a prize in a worldwide popularity contest, right? But the image of Jesus in the world can’t be separated from the image of his people.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I think you can choose to see God’s hand on the creation of our nation, but in the same vain one could argue intelligently, I think, that the formation of this republic has brought a strain on people (see native americans and african slave) and the environment (we only have 4% of our original forests and many rivers have been dammed and poisoned by our industries). Ken mentioned in a sermon several weeks ago about what it potentially means to take the “Lords name in vain”. I think what the Jesus Brand is for me is Jesus taking full rights of His name back, while I take ownership of my opinions, thoughts and beliefs. There’s so much freedom in allowing God to be God, and Phil to be Phil.
Bob- I have the same struggle: (re: Are we to align ourselves with our nation? Or with God and His church? or both? )
November 19th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Nickolas…I don’t see where Ken is making any suggestion of compromising our values. I do think he is challenging us to rethink our values as they pertain to how we engage with those we disagree, i.e. to love our enemies and treat them with respect.
Ken…Rather than urge you now to dismiss the Dobson letter as a paranoid screed, I should have said, “…don’t dismiss it as the paranoid screed it is.” I’ve learned to value the voice of the extremist, they are often spot-on in elements of their analysis and point to things others miss. The failure of the extremist is less in their analysis and more in their application in my experience.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:15 am
Ken, was slavery a culture war issue? Sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right, regardless of how unpopular it is. Why is it bad for Christians to speak out against moral injustice?
November 21st, 2008 at 11:30 am
Brenda, Slavery was an injustice that needed to be resisted (and still does as it is alive and well today.) Many injustices need to be resisted. Resisting injustices, though, is different than adopting “culture war” as the defining metaphor for the Christian’s engagement with the surrounding culture, or as the metaphor that defines one’s response to opponents (on any given issue.) This metaphor gained a bigger foothold in American evangelical culture when the phrase was used by Pat Bucchanan at a political convention (1980?). Many Christians bought it hook like and sinker. It is understood by many that we are in a culture war against those who don’t think America was founded as a Christian nation or against those who think that prayer shouldn’t be an official activity in public schools, or who think it should be illegal to burn the flag, or those who think the earth is five billion years old, not 6,000 years old, and many other issues (gun control, immigration, etc.) The war metaphor doesn’t lend itself to reasoned discourse with those we disagree with. It leads to demonizing them, ascribing to “their side” the worst of motives and to “our side” the best of motives. It prevents people on both sides from engaging in thoughtful, discerning internal critique (we can’t afford to question our own side when we are at war with another side.) It leads to leaders with large mailing lists writing letters with heavy underling to their constitutents that tend to exaggerate dangers, prey on fears in order to “energize the troops.” It leads to the kind of discourse that you hear on a.m. talk radio–all the truth is on one side, no truth is acknowledged on the other side. Sides being defined as groups of people who have different perspectives on different issues. Jesus didn’t encourage this kind of posture. Instead he encouraged love of enemies. Paul said, “our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities in the heavenly places.” The early church didn’t engage in a “culture war” with the Roman empire. They boldly asserted that Jesus is Lord which inferred that Caeasar is not. This faith underminded the powers and principalities of the empire.
One problem I have with the current framing of culture war is the cherry picking on issues. Allowing abortion on demand for virtually any reason at any time isn’t a just law. But a major leader of the religous right sought to have a leader in the National Association of Evangelicals (Richard Cizik) FIRED because Richard Cizik was advocating for environmental stewardship (including climate change) as a moral issue. The leader in the religious right wanted to keep the focus on abortion and opposing gay marriage (even though no fault divorce is a bigger threat, I think to marriage as an institution.) This leader used his considerable clout to seek the dismissal of a Christina brother (it was unsuccessful.) I think this is the kind of thing you get when culture war is the ruling metaphor and the primary alliance is between Christians and one political party.
Let’s take the issue of gun control which is viewed as one of the “culture war” issues. What interest does a Christian as a Christian have on the question of what kind of guns should be available for sale, or what kind of limitations should be place on gun ownership? Where is this concern raised ONCE in the entire Bible? Jesus limited his disciples to one sword, I believe. Well, there is a powerful gun lobby funded heavily by gun manufacturers that has made an alliance with one political party which has made an alliance with a large number of evangelical Christians. This is the kind of thing that “culture wars” produce.
It’s telling, I think, that the Sermon on the Mount, which represents the kingdom agenda of Jesus, isn’t referenced much by those who adopt the culture war motif and view themselves as culture warriors. It certainly isn’t stressed on the major a.m. talk radio shows which fan the flames of the “culture wars.” The fact that we are “a God fearing nation” or a Christian nation is mentioned frequently, but the sermon on the mount is not. The answer I think is that the current culture war as it has been framed and promoted is not a war that Jesus of Nazareth is urging us to engage.
The view from here, at least. Thanks for asking.
November 27th, 2008 at 2:02 am
I think the larger question with regard to the culture war is that if we do begin to “speak softly,” are we ready to be road kill? The other side (which ever side that is) isn’t going to let up and be nice just because we are.
Call me paranoid….but I can see how pieces of Dobson’s letter could easily come to pass.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:29 pm
The earth continues to cool while you enviro-nuts keep insisting we’re in an environmental crisis.