7/24/2008--The most recent issue of World Magazine illustrates a sad tendency—Christians who become ideologically committed to socio-economic doctrines that have nothing to do with the Gospel. One example of this in general is the issue of global warming. Whether human beings are causing an increase in global temperatures is a scientific question, not a religious one. While people may, of course, disagree on the fact of the matter, there would be no reason for a Christian news magazine to have an obvious commitment on the issue, as World Magazine does. The magazine obviously is biased in the direction that planet is not warming or that humans are not causing it.
Now, why would that be? It seems to me it is a part of the capture of some conservative Christians by the ideology of a certain kind of capitalism—small government, little regulation, low taxes. These may be excellent policies, but their connection to the Bible escapes me. At the same time, the magazine lacks much if any criticism of market policies. Again, maybe there aren’t any. But Jesus did seem somewhat hostile to the rich.
Here is an example of what I mean. The article in the current issue about our economic problems, Crisis of a Lifetime, by Professor Alex Tokarev, contains only criticism of the government. There is not much there about the greed of lenders that pushed people into mortgages they could not afford and not much about the need for greater regulatory oversight of the lending industry. Why would a Christian perspective not assume that human greed would rear its head? Of course it would.
The article also criticizes the government for sponsoring consumption. But there is not a mention of a greater culprit on that issue—the advertising industry. There is no mention of that because considering the ills of capitalism might raise fundamental issues. Maybe capitalism must expand its markets, as Lenin suggested. Thus, maybe our meltdown was inevitable.
Joe Belz, in an opinion piece entitled “Wrong Doxology,” also in the current issue, made the ideological link between Christian thought and the market explicit in his call for developing a biblical link to justify small government commitments:
“But if I'm right that the 'limited government' cadre is, year in and year out, the most influential segment of this conservative trio, then there's an urgency in developing a clearly biblical rationale for this group's core principles and priorities. We do that partly out of principle: We want, very simply, to be right. And we want to be biblically grounded in everything we do. But we also do it partly out of pragmatism: Even if others don't care about such biblical groundedness, they will be stronger and their efforts more productive because of our joining them in the coalition.”
It’s obvious that the commitment to the conservative coalition comes first, and the Bible second. The Bible is then combed to justify the commitment. This is ideology, not theology.
So what? You might say, These people are all committed Republicans, aren’t they? Who cares what they think? But you would be wrong.
The point of Hallowed Secularism is a connection between secular thought and religious thought. Conservative or liberal ideology has no place in this dialogue. Secularists already believe that Christianity is a mere front for conservative politics. That is part of the problem.
Just compare World Magazine to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is just as “conservative” on abortion and gay marriage, but can be startlingly “liberal” on the environment. And the Church has never committed itself to capitalist ideology. That is why secular/Christian dialogue is likely to start, and actually with Habermas has started, there.
Welcome
There is a man in America who was taken to church as a child. When he went to a local college Sam spent most of his time with friends, studying, playing games and with nice girls. When holidays came around he went to church with his parents where he liked the preacher's stories but Sam did not believe the parts that insisted that God was the all powerful.
When he took his first job as an accountant Sam was able to live in a nice house and enjoy life around town with his friends. He became engaged to a woman he loved and they had plans for a secure life. As time went on Sam made plans for getting a better job and living a better life.
He moved with his family to a new city where there was a well paying job. When Sam was alone he occasionally had feelings of depression and loneliness even though he loved his family and they loved him. He tried many things like taking his family on vacations and spending more time entertaining his friends but the uplifting benefits of these things would fade quickly.
Sam was very protective of what he had and was very sad when his first child went off to a university. His children visited on occasion, he moved to better jobs and bought nice things to live with. Until the day Sam died he worked to get that better life that America had promised but there was always more that was needed.
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Now there is another man in America who was also taken to church as a child. When he went to a local college Pat spent most of his time with friends, studying, playing games and with nice girls. When holidays came around he went to church with his parents where he liked the preacher's stories but Pat did not believe the parts that insisted that God was the all powerful.
When he took his first job as an accountant Pat was able to live in a nice house and enjoy life around town with his friends. He became engaged to a woman he loved and they had plans for an abundant life. As time went on Pat made plans for ensuring that his family would have what they needed.
He moved a few times between jobs looking for one that would pay the bills and was a fulfilling place to work. When Pat was alone he thought about who he was and what the right way was to raise a family. He took his family on vacations, entertained friends and reminded himself constantly that he was lucky to have these things he loved.
Pat had high hopes for his children and encouraged them to take risks while being conscious to do the right thing. He and his wife stayed in the same house and his children came back to visit on occasion. Until the day Pat died he pursued a good life, he love America for providing him the opportunities he had and was fulfilled with his life.
The difference between Sam and Pat is not some psychological difference; it is that Pat believed that there was a universal good within a world of randomness and Sam believed that relationships and objects could make his life good. Sam was a Secularist, Pat was a Hallowed Secularist.
This blog will track the progress of a new way of life in this society, a way of life that may come to be known as Hallowed Secularism. In the short run, I will be writing a book that describes this way of life, at least as I see its future. But in the longer run, others will decide the future of Hallowed Secularism by living it.
A group of self-announced atheists, such as Christopher Hitchens, is currently trying to push secularism toward atheism and away from religion. But secularism need not be atheism. The secularist rejects many things the religious person holds dear: a traditional God, life after death, miracles and so forth. But the secularist can still have a conception of God or Godhead. The secularist may see a deep pattern in history and may feel a profound connection to all that is. Secularism can be holy. You and I will live that possibility.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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