KOS posts today about how he doesn’t cringe, like he does when the Religious Right speaks and uses the Bible, when the Bible is the attributed source of things like concern for the poor, action against war, and against discrimination. Perhaps he heard somebody like Campolo or Wallis, or read some key blogs that have made it one of their missions to testify to a true Biblical Christianity that does not cater to the Empire.
Very glad to see it noticed in such a well-known Politically progressive blog. Of course, I’ve been following KOS closely ever since discovering him when all the DNC blogs were listed.
Daily Kos :: On faith and values
But I have come to a conclusion recently that has startled me, obvious as it seems to me in retrospect — it wasn’t religious language that bothered me, it was the “values” promoted couched in religious terms.
I would cringe — and continue to cringe — when politicians and religous figures cite scripture to justify hatred towards gays or any other class of people. But I don’t cringe when scripture is used to justify poverty relief, or conservation (“protecting God’s creation”), or social security (“honor thy mother and thy fathers”), or oppose the death penalty, or oppose the war.
The whole entry is definitely worth a read, as are many of KOS’ posts. We share a lot of basic assumptions about a just society.
Yeah, I saw that post as well. It was pretty good. Our hope and goal, of course, is different. But, it was good and refreshing to see somebody like Kos not dismiss us “religious types” as ancient and irrelevant. It seems Kos has even more compassion that a guy like Bishop John Shelby Spong who’s basic arguments for most of his reasoning is that “we just don’t think that way anymore” or “JUST EVOLVE WITH ME YOU RELIGIOUS CAVEMAN!” I read through a bit of Spong’s anti-fundamentalism book, and while I am totally not a fundamentalist by any means, I was a bit offended at his tone. It was quite condescending.
Anyway, I’ll stop taking this comment down any more rabbit holes.
Eric,
Our hope and goal is different , to be sure, but I am of the opinion that KOS and I have much more in common than Bush, Falwell, Al Mohler, or any of those “nationalist Christians”, since I don’t think a one of them is what I would even consider to be anything of an authentic Christian— nor do they try to be, even though they well may have convinced themselves that they do. That may be considered judgmental or dogmatic, but I just don’t see the fruits (the good kind) but they (especially Bush) actually work in the opposite direction (thus, my suggestions that Bush is an “Anti-Christ”.
I also think of Jesus telling Joseph of Arimethea, you are not far from the Kingdom of God — and I remember this as Jesus’ affection for those who seek truth and honesty and justice, as opposed to those to whom he said: “you who say you see, your sin remains” (referring to those who claim to be devoted to God, but are full of dead man’s bones”). I think that it is much closer to God in working toward justice in the best way you know how, and may even indeed in fact be responding to God and not even realize it, so tainted one’s “preceptions” of God may have been shaped by the evil that goes on in the name of God. One who throws their gauntlet down with the things that make for justice and reconciliation are on the right path; but like most of us, have not fully known God until , well, one keeps on letting that revelation/call/spirit grow; and embrace it; I truly believe that one gets further along the narrow path via that route than via the “doctrinal path” which allows one to keep clear of any real involvement in God’s activity among us. So I see something of what I call “The Cosmic Christ” at work in secular justice movements, although I think that they miss a great deal of the “full-service” and have a tough time keeping charged. It’s back to that Journey Inward/Journey Outward, which I have found to be so powerfully modellled in Church of the Saviour, Sojourners Community, and I see/sense a movement toward that in some of the things you have described, and what Brad has talked about with their community. The Acts 2-4 thing you describe is a powerful imagge and vision, to be sure.
It seems to me that it would be easier to “persuade” or “convert” someone from secular liberal social action to authentic Christianity, than a fundamentalist nationalist. The latter are just too convinced of their own righteousness. The former tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the ones who walk the talk and recognize the walk as something which is of God.
Hey, as usual, thanks for getting me going. And I am so thankful for your almost daily attention and thoughts.
Dale
Anyway, how’s that for a rabbit hole?
Haha, nice rabbit hole!