By Rudy Barnes, Jr.
Does morality matter in politics? Not if the election of 2016 means anything. White Christians elected a president whose morality is the antithesis of that taught by Jesus; and polls indicate that most of them continue to support him. For a majority of white Christians, the moral standards taught by Jesus are irrelevant to their politics.
Religions provide mystical beliefs and moral standards. Jesus taught altruistic and universal moral standards, and he called his disciples to follow him, not to worship him. But the church subordinated discipleship to exclusivist mystical beliefs to make Christianity America’s most popular religion, since discipleship is hard and professing exclusivist beliefs is easy.
Jesus taught that all who do God’s will are his spiritual kin, and he summarized God’s will in the greatest commandment to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, including our neighbors of other races and religions. We cannot love God without loving all of our neighbors; and worshiping Jesus is not a substitute for following him.
The greatest commandment affirms altruism as God’s will, and in politics, altruism is about providing for the common good. But in our polarized politics the common good is often subordinated to partisan identity politics. Providing for the common good must take precedence over identity politics to prevent the fabric of American democracy from unravelling.
Jesus taught that we have obligations to both God and Caesar. In a democracy we elect our own Caesar, so we are the masters of our political destiny. Most Christians think they can keep their faith separate from their politics; but that’s impossible for disciples in a democracy since they know their politics affects the welfare of all their neighbors.
Disciples are moral stewards of democracy, and Jesus taught his disciples how to recognize immorality and evil in politics: “...out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” (Mark 7:20-23) Does that remind you of any politicians you know?
Jesus also taught that political leaders should be public servants: “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it 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 the slave of all.” (Mark 10:42-44) I bet you don’t know many politicians like that.
Discipleship in democracy is not easy or popular, while professing exclusivist Christian beliefs without the cost of discipleship offers an easy and popular means of salvation--but it’s a form of cheap grace. Even so, the mainline church is not likely to promote discipleship in democracy since that would likely cost the church its popularity and worldly power.
That suits most Christians who refuse to mix their religion and politics. But disciples can’t separate the uncomfortable moral imperatives taught by Jesus from their politics. Jesus condemned hypocritical religious leaders as a “brood of vipers,” (Matthew 23). He could have been describing the Christian leaders who support or ignore immorality in politics today.
The fabric of American democracy is unraveling, the church is in decline, and immorality is endemic in politics. Christians are a majority of voters in America and can save their religion and democracy from demise. To do that they must make the altruistic teachings of Jesus moral imperatives of their faith, and promote discipleship in democracy and a politics of reconciliation.
Notes:
Thomas Jefferson emphasized the primacy of the moral teachings of Jesus over mystical Christian beliefs, and he described the moral teachings of Jesus as “the most sublime moral code ever devised by man,” compiling them in The Jefferson Bible (Beacon Press, Boston, 1989). The Jesus Seminar credited Jefferson for ”scrutinizing the gospels with the intent to separate the teachings of Jesus, the figure of history, from the encrustations of Christian doctrine.” See The Five Gospels: What did Jesus Really Say?, pp 2-3, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1993. For an interfaith study guide based on Jefferson’s Jesus, see The Teachings of Jesus and Muhammad on Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimac posted in the Resources at http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/.
Satah Pulliam Bailey has noted the sharp decline in Christianity and “a massive, three-decade fall in confidence in ‘organized religion’ from...66 percent in the mid-1980s to 36 percent in 2019;” and that “nearly two-thirds of Americans want religious institutions to keep out of political matters;” but that a majority of Americans think that “religious organizations strengthen morality in society…and bring people together.” Christians should thus promote morality in politics without endorsing any candidate or party. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/11/15/christianity-is-declining-rapid-pace-americans-still-hold-positive-views-about-religions-role-society/?wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
On the enigmatic teaching of Jesus on giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s in the two kingdoms we live in, see Mark 12:17. Jim Wallis addressed the Caesar Question and asserted “the absurdity of the notion so prevalent among white Christians in the U.S. that politics and faith are separate and that Christians shouldn’t “get political.” Wallis went on to say,:”I believe in the separation of church and state, but not in the separation of moral values from public life. Christians in the United States who claim to be “not political” will, nevertheless, make a choice in November 2020. ...It can be a vote for an anti-truth, anti-immigrant, white nationalist administration. Or it can be a vote against those systems and prejudices, proclaiming that the Jesus we follow turns the kingdoms of the world upside down.” See https://sojo.net/articles/caesar-question-where-does-your-ultimate-loyalty-lie.
Ross Douthat has commented on the debate between conservative and progressive Catholics on the role of ancient church doctrines and dogma to contemporary issues, They pit progressive interpretations of the teachings of Jesus against inflexible church doctrines. Interpreting the teachings of Jesus to apply them to current issues like democracy and human rights that were never discussed by Jesus or addressed by the church is perhaps the greatest challenge facing orthodox Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant. See https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/opinion/sunday/conservative-catholic.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share.
Two weeks ago Donald Trump appointed Paula White, a prosperity gospel evangelical and his personal pastor and spiritual advisor, to spearhead his Faith and Opportunity Initiative in the White House. On November 14, White sent an email to her supporters saying “I decree a prophetic instruction for a SUDDEN DEFEAT OVER YOUR ENEMIES! Victory is yours!” and solicited $229 for her prophetic instruction. It exemplifies how Trump and his evangelical supporters have corrupted the morality of Christianity and our democracy with their egregious greed and immorality. It’s shameful that most white Christians and pastors avoid condemning such hypocrisy by claiming they don't mix their religion with politics. They should read Matthew 23, where Jesus condemned hypocritical religious leaders of his day as a "brood of vipers." See https://www.newsweek.com/trump-pastor-paula-white-prophetic-instruction-defeat-enemies-1471978; also https://www.newsweek.com/bush-ethics-lawyer-paula-white-1471524.
Related commentary on the greatest commandment and love over law:
(1/11/15): The Greatest Commandment: A Common Word of Faith
(1/18/15): Love over Law: A Principle at the Heart of Legitimacy
(1/23/16): Who Is My Neighbor?
(1/30/16): The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves
(3/31/18): Altruism: The Missing Ingredient in American Christianity and Democracy
(10/13/18): Musings on a Common Word of Faith and Politics for Christians and Muslims
(2/23/19): Musings on Loving Your Enemy, Including the Enemy Within
(7/20/19): Musings on Diversity in Democracy: Who Are Our Neighbors?
(7/27/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Love Over Law and Social Justice
(8/31/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Politics of Christian Zionism
(9/21/19): An Afterword on Religion, Legitimacy and Politics from 2014-2019
(10/5/19): Musings on the Moral Relevance of Jesus to Democracy
(10/12/19): Musings on Impeachment and Elections as Measures of Political Legitimacy
(10/26/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Discipleship in a Democracy
(11/9/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Virtual Alternative to a Failing Church
On Christian universalism:
(12/8/14): Religion and Reason
(1/4/15): Religion and New Beginnings: Salvation and Reconciliation in the Family of God http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/religion-and-new-beginnings-salvation.html
(2/8/15): Promoting Religion Through Evangelism: Bringing Light or Darkness?
(2/15/15): Is Religion Good or Evil?
(4/5/15): Seeing the Resurrection in a New Light
(4/19/15): Jesus: A Prophet, God’s Only Son, or the Logos? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/04/jesus-prophet-god-only-son-or-logos.html
(1/2/16): God in Three Concepts
(1/21/17): Religion and Reason Redux: Religion Is Ridiculous
(1/28/17): Saving America from the Church
(4/22/17): The Relevance of Jesus and the Irrelevance of the Church in Today’s World
(6/17/17): Religious Exclusivity: Does It Matter? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/06/religious-exclusivity-does-it-matter.html.
(8/5/17): Does Religion Seek to Reconcile and Redeem or to Divide and Conquer?
(8/12/17): The Universalist Teachings of Jesus as a Remedy for Religious Exclusivism
(9/29/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Resurrection of Christian Universalism
(10/6/18): Musings on Moral Universalism in Religion and Politics http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/10/musings-on-moral-universalism-in.html.
(10/13/18): Musings on a Common Word of Faith and Politics for Christians and Muslims
(12/1/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Mystical Logos
(12/15/18): Musings on the Great Commission and Religious and Political Tribalism
(12/22/18): Musings on Faith and Works: The Unity of All Believers and The Last Judgment
(3/2/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Post-Christian America
(3/9/19): Musings on the Degradation of Democracy in a Post-Christian America
(3/16/19): Musings on the Evolution of Christian Exclusivism to Universalism
(4/20/19): Musings on the Resurrection of Altruistic Morality in Dying Democracies
(5/11/19): Musings on the Relevance of Jefferson’s Jesus in the 21st Century
(5/25/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Divinity and Moral Teachings of Jesus
(6/8/19): The Moral Failure of the Church to Promote Altruism in Politics
(6/15/19): Back to the Future: A 21st Century Pentecost for the Church
(6/22/19): The Universal Family of God: Where Inclusivity Trumps Exclusivity
(6/29/19): Musings on a Politics of Reconciliation: An Impossible Dream?
(7/20/19): Musings on Diversity in Democracy: Who Are Our Neighbors?
(8/3/19): Musings on the Dismal Future of the Church and Democracy in America
(8/31/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Politics of Christian Zionism
(9/7/19): Musings on the Self-Destruction of Christianity and American Democracy
(9/21/19): An Afterword on Religion, Legitimacy and Politics from 2014-2019
(9/28/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Polarized Politics of Climate Change
(10/26/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Discipleship in a Democracy
(11/9/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Virtual Alternative to a Failing Church
On religion, morality and politics:
(12/29/14): Religion, Violence and Military Legitimacy
(2/8/15): Promoting Religion Through Evangelism: Bringing Light or Darkness?
(2/15/15): Is Religion Good or Evil?
(4/12/15): Faith as a Source of Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimacy
(6/28/15): Confronting the Evil Among Us
(7/12/15): Reconciliation in Race and Religion: The Need for Compatibility, not Conformity http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/07/reconciliation-in-race-and-religion.html
(8/9/15): Balancing Individual Rights with Collective Responsibilities
(8/23/15): Legitimacy as a Context and Paradigm to Resolve Religious Conflict
(8/30/15): What Is Truth? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/08/what-is-truth.html
(11/15/15): American Exceptionalism: The Power of Persuasion or Coercion?
(1/16/16): Religion, Politics and Public Expectations
(3/26/16): Religion, Democracy, Diversity and Demagoguery
4/30/16): The Relevance of Religion to Politics
(5/7/16): Religion and a Politics of Reconciliation
(5/28/16): Nihilism as a Threat to Politics, Religion and Morality
(7/2/16): The Need for a Politics of Reconciliation in the Wake of Globalization
(8/5/16): How Religion Can Bridge Our Political and Cultural Divide http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/08/how-religion-can-bridge-our-political.html
(9/24/16): The Evolution of Religion and Politics from Oppression to Freedom
(11/5/16): Religion, Liberty and Justice at Home and Abroad
(12/31/16): E Pluribus Unum, Religion and a Politics of Reconciliation
(1/7/17): Religion and Reason as Sources of Political Legitimacy, and Why They Matter
(1/21/17): Religion and Reason Redux: Religion Is Ridiculous
(3/4/17): Ignorance and Reason in Religion and Politics
(3/18/17): Moral Ambiguity in Religion and Politics
(4/22/17): The Relevance of Jesus and the Irrelevance of the Church in Today’s World
(6/17/17): Religious Exclusivity: Does It Matter? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/06/religious-exclusivity-does-it-matter.html.
(7/1/17): Religion, Moral Authority and Conflicting Concepts of Legitimacy
(7/15/17): Religion and Progressive Politics
(7/29/17): Speaking God’s Truth to Man’s Power
(8/5/17): Does Religion Seek to Reconcile and Redeem or to Divide and Conquer?
(8/12/17): The Universalist Teachings of Jesus as a Remedy for Religious Exclusivism
(8/19/17): Hate, History and the Need for a Politics of Reconciliation
(10/7/17): A 21st Century Reformation to Restore Reason to American Civil Religion http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/10/a-21st-century-reformation-to-restore.html.
(10/21/17): The Symbiotic Relationship between Freedom and Religion
(11/18/17): Radical Religion and the Demise of Democracy
(12/2/17): How Religious Standards of Legitimacy Shape Politics, for Good or Bad
(12/16/17): Can Democracy Survive the Trump Era?
(12/23/17): If Democracy Survives the Trump Era, Can the Church Survive Democracy? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/12/if-democracy-survives-trump-era-can.html.
(1/6/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Diversity in Democracy
(1/13/18): Nationalist Politics and Exclusivist Religion: Obstacles to Reconciliation and Peace
(1/27/18): Musings on Conflicting Concepts of Christian Morality in Politics
(2/24/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Religion, Freedom and Legitimacy
(3/17/18): Jefferson’s Jesus and Moral Standards in Religion and Politics
(3/31/18): Altruism: The Missing Ingredient in American Christianity and Democracy
(4/7/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Need for a Moral Reformation
(4/28/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Virtues and Vices of Christian Morality
(5/12/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Christianity and Making America Great Again
(5/19/18): Musings on Morality and Law as Symbiotic but Conflicting Standards of Legitimacy
(6/15/18): The Prosperity Gospel: Where Culture Trumps Religion in Legitimacy and Politics
(7/21/18): Musings on America’s Moral and Political Mess and Who Should Clean It Up
(8/4/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Religious Problems and Solutions in Politics
(8/11/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Changing Morality in Religion and Politics
(8/25/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Moral Priorities in Religion and Politics
(9/1/18): Musings on the American Civil Religion and Christianity at a Crossroads
(9/29/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Resurrection of Christian Universalism
(10/6/18): Musings on Moral Universalism in Religion and Politics http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/10/musings-on-moral-universalism-in.html.
(10/27/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Migrant Tidal Wave
(11/24/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Christianity and the Legitimacy of Democracy http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/11/musings-of-maverick-methodist-on.html.
(1/5/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Building Political Walls or Bridges
(2/16/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on America the Blessed and Beautiful--or is it?
(3/30/19): Musings on What the Mueller Report Doesn’t Say About Trump’s Wrongdoing
(4/12/19): Musings on Religion, Nationalism and Libertarian Democracy
(4/20/19): Musings on the Resurrection of Altruistic Morality in Dying Democracies
(4/27/19): Musings on the Legitimacy of Crony Capitalism and Progressive Capitalism
(5/4/19): Musings on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
(5/11/19): Musings on the Relevance of Jefferson’s Jesus in the 21st Century
(5/18/19): Outsiders Versus Insiders in Religion, Legitimacy and Politics
(5/25/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Divinity and Moral Teachings of Jesus
(6/8/19): The Moral Failure of the Church to Promote Altruism in Politics
(6/22/19): The Universal Family of God: Where Inclusivity Trumps Exclusivity
(6/29/19): Musings on a Politics of Reconciliation: An Impossible Dream?
(7/6/19): Musings on Democrats, Busing and Racism: It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
(7/13/19): Musings on Sovereignty and Conflicting Loyalties to God and Country
(7/20/19): Musings on Diversity in Democracy: Who Are Our Neighbors?
(7/27/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Love Over Law and Social Justice
(8/3/19): Musings on the Dismal Future of the Church and Democracy in America
(8/10/19): Musings on Christian Nationalism: A Plague on the Church and Democracy
(8/17/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Shame in Religion and Politics
(9/7/19): Musings on the Self-Destruction of Christianity and American Democracy
(9/14/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Chaos as a Prelude to a New Creation
(9/21/19): An Afterword on Religion, Legitimacy and Politics from 2014-2019
(10/5/19): Musings on the Moral Relevance of Jesus to Democracy
(10/12/19): Musings on Impeachment and Elections as Measures of Political Legitimacy
(10/26/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Discipleship in a Democracy
#258 (11/2/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Polarization and Reconciliation
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