There's a growing sense among emergents that the polarization in U.S. politics isn't real—it's a script written by the two political parties and the U.S. media. They wrote this script and they perpetuate it because they have the most to gain from its perpetuation. The unnuanced maps showing states as "red" or "blue" disregards the fact that in a red state, as many as 49 percent of the voters are blue, and vice versa.
But even more important, it ignores what we all know to be true: each one of us is a complex mélange of viewpoints and opinions, and very few of us line up with every plank in a party's platform. Being that postmodern Christians are acutely aware of micronarratives and justifiably incredulous toward metanarratives, they are particularly suspicious of the spokespersons of left and right who often begin their pufferies with "Americans believe . . ." But having two sides makes for good television; have six nuanced positions does not.
Monday, February 18, 2008
"Americans believe... blah, blah, blah"
Who says those emergent guys are that bad? Well, maybe I do on some things, but this quote from Tony Jones' new book hits the nail on the head (except for the part about metanarratives) on why I hate American politics as we know it today:
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2 comments:
Jones is right-- in the current American political climate, there is very little space allowed for careful thought, nuance, and sustained argumentation from candidates. It really bugs me at times, but I wonder if it isn't an almost inevitable outcome of our sound-bite society. Maybe it's one of those "chicken or the egg" sort of questions. Anyway, as you wrote, Z, I very much agree with Jones here (except for the part about metanarratives). :-)
This is true, but an unfortunate truth at that.
I am torn on politics these days. I used to really be into politics (pre President G.W. Bush), but now am completely disenfranchised by party politics, left and right, liberal vs. conservative, etc. Everything is limited by design to two "sides", because it makes media discourse easier, makes the debates trivial, etc.
At the same time, the political engine is really important, and somehow Christians must stay meaningfully engaged at the local, state, national and global levels. For some reason, God, through his sovereignty, has allowed the political system to be one of the main fronts for the battle between His will, and the will of our world system. And, although God is sovereign over all affairs, man has had the responsibility to have dominion over the affairs of this world. Adam was the first, and failed, but God never let humans off on this responsibility.
Politics will never be our Messiah - He has already been here, laid out the plan for success, and He is going to return one day to bring this cosmos back under his complete, sovereign reign.
But, I don't believe Christians are to abandon society at this moment - I challenge any Christian who claims they are completely neutral politically to prove it out in their practical day-to-day living and thinking (even if they are apathetic). Furthermore, consider all of the Biblical figures and Reformation leaders who used political influence to greatly influence the spread of the gospel through this world.
I pray that God will have mercy once again, and spare this Nation from the direction it is currently heading in, and that the Church in this Nation, and around the world, continues to raise up leaders with backbones and who fight against all odds.
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