I was an usher at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. I had just graduated from Princeton as an eager Keynesian economics major who believed that the economy was a big machine that could be controlled by the right people with ideas like mine. That convention was exciting, unique, intense, and it convinced me that while the political bunch may have the platforms of power, they were incoherent and incompetent. And that was just inside the well-barricaded convention center.
Outside, it was the police (or pigs) against the kids (or communists), depending on your bias. I was a fully qualified usher because I am Irish, over six feet tall, and my father knew a guy at Andy Frain. They ‘ushed’ at every event in Chicago since 1924, when Frain and some muscular friends cleaned up the rowdies at the Chicago Blackhawk hockey games. Did I see Hizzoner pounding the podium and yelling at his detractors? Yes, I did…and lots more. I worked the press box right behind the podium all week. Mahalia Jackson? Ask me.
Two ideologies have successfully competed with Christianity for cultural predominance since 1968. The Left’s ideology of government-dependent life has grown as has the Right’s ideology of a dependence on free market liberty. The Right gives a nod to Christian moral values while the Left gives a nod to Christian social values. At a time in the 20th century, Christianity was distinct from either the Left or the Right, but that is no longer true. What happened? Some would say that Christians merged into two camps: some Left and some Right. That may be strategically defensible, but the reality is that Christianity itself cannot merge. It is independent, and if it ‘merges’ it quits being Christian. Call it error or call it syncretism.
These triangles are my effort to show that the center triangle, Christianity, shrinks over time (down) as the ideologies of Left and Right have taken over. Whether Left or Right, some Christianity has been given up, and some political ideals have replaced it. That may seem harmless, as if the only alternative is for Christians not to vote, but that is not the case. Each ideology is seeking its own kingdom through politics. Christian unity has always suffered along with the message of the gospel when merged with politics.
We misjudge when we assume that attaching ourselves to a political agenda provides Christian influence to an ideology. The Left’s idea of social justice is distinct from God’s justice in society. The Right’s idea of political liberty is much more American than Christian.
If we are well-informed about the fanaticism on the Right (or Left) and yet defend the Left (or Right), we have missed the path of wisdom. I’ll let the very secular historian Yuval Harari explain it. He wisely identifies ideology as religion saying that any distinction is a false semantic exercise. He lists three sects: 1) Liberalism sees humanity as a quality of individuals whose liberty is sacrosanct. 2) Social humanism believes in humanity as a collective rather than individualistic. 3) Evolutionary humanism sees social progress as inevitable. (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. 2015. pp 223-33). Which of those sounds like the kingdom of God? In the political realm, we see unforgivable, yet intentional, errors dressed up as good news. Here’s a rule of thumb from my 1968 experience: If it is said in Washington, it is suspect. If it is an action in D.C., it’s best to see it as theater. And both are aimed at gaining our vote. Our sincere votes, while still important, will never bring in the Kingdom of God.
If we engage in online quarrels or earnestly stand up for the white woke position or the white nationalist position, we must reconsider the role of God’s word and our faith in our political thinking. You and I become pawns the minute we enter that fray. Our opinions are about as significant in that arena as painting a short message on a largish stone and tossing it in the deepest part of Winona Lake…or Lake Superior.
In the fall of 1968, I started at Grace Seminary, just about as far as you could aim from my pre-convention imaginations. I didn’t like the campus vibe, and I had no intention of becoming a pastor or educator. However, the more I learned about God and his word, the more I found a new direction in life. The right path for me.
Politics? I still think about it. Economics? Still a hobby. Hillary? Ask me. Bernie? Ask me again.