God's Politics - Chapter 9
Part III: Spiritual Values and International Relations
When Did Jesus Become Pro-War?
Chapter 9 - Dangerous Religion
The Theology of Empire
In this chapter Wallis takes on US imperialism, or as some put it our ambition for empire. Not since Rome has a nation Lorded it over others as America does today. Add to this ambition language about God and we have a problem.
The language about empire isn't even being hidden these days, Wallis quotes William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard; "If people want to say we're an impoerial power, fine." Kristol among others view the current situation as ripe for US empire, where their vision of "an American peace" is based on "unquestioned U.S. military preeminence" (p. 138).
Wallis says that it is "imperative, in their view, for the United States to 'accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity and our principles.' And, they warn, 'The failure to prepare for tomorrow's challenges will ensure that the current Pax Americana comes to an end.' That, indeed is empire." Wallis quotes Kristol again who says, "Well, what's wrong with dominance, in the service of sound principles and high ideals?"
Well Kristol... there was this guy. He was from the Middle East, lived about 2000 years ago... was the son of the living God... you know, all that. Well one day he was talking to his followers (of whom there are a few billion today), and he said... "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared... You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Luke 10:39-45
So apparently the son of the living God doesn't see power in the same way Kristol does. But I suppose people disagree. I'm just glad that none of Jesus' followers are proposing that Kristol's views are Christian views...
...and then there was George W. Bush.
Bush apparently is blind (or indifferent) to the kind world that results from this America-centered peace, where what's good for the world is defined by what's good for us. So "US interests" become the higest authority in the world. And let's be totally honest... "US interests" often mean supporting dictatorships and facist regimes because they help suppress Unions and that helps Nike make some sneakers at a very very low cost. And that might just mean that this "American way of life" of buying Nikes cheaper than we might otherwise will continue... but I'll take more expensive gas and sneakers over raping the rest of the world any day.
And while my cynicism about Bush grows daily, Wallis is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying, "I don't doubt that George W. Bush's faith is sincere and deeply held. The real question is the content and meaning of that faith and how it impacts his administration's domestic and foriegn policies." While Bush talks about God a LOT, where does it effect his foriegn policy? Wallis conintues... "The real theological question about George W. Bush was whether he would make the pilgramage from being essentially a self-help Methodist to a social-reform Methodist... Would Bush's God of the twelve-step program also become the God who required social justice and challenged the status quo of the wealthy and powerful, the God of whom the biblical prophets spoke?"
Short answer... not yet, that's for sure.
Wallis says, "The self-help Methodist slowly became a messianic Calvinist, promoting America's mission to "rid the world of evil."
I think that Wallis' paragraph treatment of Bush's "God of the 12-step program" let him off way to easy. Folks... listen to the man. What has Bush ever said about God that couldn't be some generalized "higher power" that you'll find in any AA meeting? Where is the specific, peculiar faith of Christianity? And is it any surprise that the majority of conservative Christians don't pick up on this? Many if not most Christians in America today traded in the Christian faith for American Civil Religion a long time ago, so Bush's bland relgious rhetoric that never challenges the GOP status quo, and always pays homage to "America, Freedom and Liberty" never raises an eyebrow among the religious right.
While the neo-cons, Bush included, have some crooked post-modern symptoms (the truth is defined as what benefits their cause, they don't have to surpress dissent they just attack the foundation of anything that would criticise them), they show their modernist mindset in the absolute refusal to link any foriegn policy with the fundamentalist faith they proclaim. Bush can be against abortion because of his "deeply held faith," but the war in Iraq has nothing to do with God or Christianity, it's about bigger things, like "freedom, liberty and oil." And at least they're smart enough to know that this war could never be called anything remotely close to Christian... but they show that this private/public dichotomy is stronger than ever. Now this honestly probably has more to do with getting votes than anything else, as they see the so-called "private" issues as easy ways to turn out voters, while requiring very very little of them policy-wise.
Now... what the Bushies won't do (call this war an expression of their submission to Jesus Christ), all to many Christians will do for them (Jean Elshtain, Richard Land, etc.).
Language
A lot of people rightly point out the unfamiliarity with scripture that many Democrats like Gore and Dean seem to have when they stuck their feet in their mouths trying to look good for the evangelicals (ps-I think Kerry was very eloquent however), their error was just plain ignorance, whereas Bush's has been deliberate mutilation.
In his state of the union address "Bush said, 'The need is great. Yet there's power, wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people.' But that's not what the song is about. The hymn says there is 'power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb.' The Evangelical hymn is about the power of Christ in salvation, not the power of the American people, or any people, or any country. (p. 142)"
Wallis continues, at Ellis Island Bush said, "This ideal of America is the hope of all mankind....That hope still lights our way. And the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it." Wallis points out that the "last two sentances are straight out of John's gospel....But again, the light shining in the darkness is the Word of God and the light of Christ. It's not about America and its values. Even his favorite hymn, 'A Charge to Keep,' speaks of that charge as 'a God to glorify,' not to 'do everything we can to protect the American homeland,' as Bush has named our charge to keep. Bush seems to make this mistake over and over again of confusing nation, church, and God. The resulting theology is more an American civil religion than Chrisitan faith."
oh there's more...
On page 143 Wallis says, "to fail to speak of evil in the world today is to engage in bad theology. But to speak of 'them' being evil and 'us' being good, that evil is all out there and that in the warfare between good and evil others are either with us or against us, is also bad theology. Unfortunately, it has become the Bush theology." For this alone, Christians in America should have been all over Bush. The idea that we are good and that good is on our side seems to me to fly in the face of all serious theology, and any denomonation... even the Southern Baptists are quick to tell you that you are not good, but are a sinner, evil and in need of redemption. This defining good as where we stand (and where we will stand tomorrow if we so choose to move) is quite idolatrous. Not to mention that it is GOD who rids the world of evil, not us (I'm guessing that even the Left Behind series, those books that most of you have seen fit only to use to clean up household spills... says that much).
And they call pacifists heretics! Pshaw!
Labels: Books, Civil Religion
posted by Charlie at 9:38 PM
3 Comments:
That last large paragraph about the Bushies assuming that America is "good" is something I've written about before. You're right to say it's not Christian at all -- it's actually straight out of secular humanism.
You're right -- Wallis does get feisty here!
Enjoying this here series on GP. YOu got an RSS feed? The link to the one here isn't updating for the past couple years.
I just got off work not too long ago, and I've not been posting, but I hope this weekend I can get back to business. Thanks for blogging your thoughts on GP.
This Theology of Empire stuff Bush and the Religious Right are pushing is DANGEROUS stuff. It's derailing so many Christians right off the track, and pulling them into what I call REAL DARKNESS (the inability to see the REAL HISTORY-- and who's in control, and what a people looking to participate in that REALITY look like---- and the substitution of a "security" that is false, and self-serving (only , in the end, not at all really "self-serving", since it leads to nothing good for the self)
Site feed fixed. Use the new one.
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