Culture War Far From Over
Ryan Powers’ Happy Easter message is that the American culture war is over, the Christians’ surrender having been offered by James Dobson, retiring leader of Focus on the Family:
“We tried to defend the unborn child, the dignity of the family, but it was a holding action,” he said.
“We are awash in evil and the battle is still to be waged. We are right now in the most discouraging period of that long conflict. Humanly speaking, we can say we have lost all those battles.”
The battles do seem to have been lost. In many respects the best that Christians can hope for is to moderate liberal, secular policies and, perhaps, for federal courts to regain their respect for states’ constitutional rights to make their own law on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Where is a Christian to turn for good news these days?
On Easter it seems even more appropriate than usual to reflect on Jesus’ teachings, few if any of which had anything to do with pulling the levels of governmental power.
True Christianity starts from within and works its way out into the world from there, in the form of attitudes, moral actions, and Godly deeds.
While Christians’ involvement in cultural issues is a secondary concern – the primary being one’s own personal walk with God – it is a logical extension of our moral sense of right and wrong to want to see something like it observed as our state or nation’s legal standard.
In this respect, Christians’ desires are no different than those of the opposition. Liberals certainly want to gain and wield power – of that there can be no doubt. Is it wrong for Christians to recognize the wrong that’s inherent in the changes made in the name of progressive politics and work to counteract them? Not in the least.
A growing legion of disenchanted grassroots believers does not blame liberal opponents for the decline in faith or the failures of the religious Right. Rather, they hold responsible Republicans – particularly Mr Bush – and groups like Focus on the Family that have worked with the party, for courting Christian voters only to betray promises of pursuing the conservative agenda once in office.
Frankly I don’t think that’s true at all.
Christians do not blame George W. Bush for the million+ abortions that will be performed this year.
Christians do not blame James Dobson for the various court rulings that have forced the gay marriage issue upon unwilling citizens in Iowa and other states.
Christians do not fault the Bush administration for restricting embryonic stem cell research.
Etc.
(Bush and company get low marks for their fiscal irresponsibility and also for poor initial execution of the occupancy of Iraq, but those are different issues.)
James Dobson is undoubtedly discouraged as he comes to the end of his career and sees that Christian values have diminished in this country. It discourages me, though I’ve done much less to try to promote them than Dr. Dobson has.
Even so I see recognition of the understanding in the eyes of fellow Christians, understanding that tells them that these societal ills have been caused by the acts of men and women whose moral relativism demands the dissolution of everything that Christians hold dear.
Whether a new generation of Christian leaders will emerge to push back against excess liberalism via the political process remains to be seen. Christians may retreat into their private faith and leave the political field to the liberals.
I do not believe that will happen. The stakes are too high and the level of incompatibility with radical liberalism is too high for Christians to allow terms to be dictated to them.
I agree with you that it’s not over. It won’t ever be over, for that matter.
Besides, social conservatives did not truly ‘lose.’ They slowed things down, made sure change came slowly, have limited abortion, etc.
“for federal courts to regain their respect for states’ constitutional rights to make their own law on issues such as abortion and gay marriage.”
No, states must be prevented from declaring a first-trimester lump of flesh from being equal to a woman – the notion is physically, metaphysically and physiologically impossible. Safe, legal and rare, everywhere.
Gay marriage is one thing – as long as gay people get all other state benefits and legal status possibilities, church marriage is less important. I still think it is incredible to assume you can decide that the teachings on gay people can be taken out of the bible with calipers but that the teachings about boys with long hair or couples who divorce can be ignored. To me, it’s all or nothing.
“Where is a Christian to turn for good news these days?”
This implies that all christians share your positions. I’m glad to say they do not.
“it is a logical extension of our moral sense of right and wrong to want to see something like it observed as our state or nation’s legal standard.”
Yeah, the problem is when people don’t want the real world governed by the teachings of a book written in an archaic, often morally abhorrent culture and assumes the existence of an unprovable level of conscience existing on top of ours, exercising control, arbitration, judgment etc. It’s one thing to talk about virtues and guidelines for the individual. It’s another thing to talk about scientifically complex fetal developments.
“Is it wrong for Christians to recognize the wrong that’s inherent in the changes made in the name of progressive politics and work to counteract them?”
Some of these progressive politics are meant to counteract the wrongs made in the name of christianity over the centuries. Like the fact that gay people are socially and legally marginalized.
“Christians do not blame George W. Bush for the million+ abortions that will be performed this year.”
Why should they blame anyone at all? It’s a complex social issue that needs to come to an intelligent standstill, not some legal issue. Seeking to turn abortions on or off will just harm people in a most unchristian fashion.
“Christians do not blame James Dobson for the various court rulings that have forced the gay marriage issue upon unwilling citizens in Iowa and other states.”
I think it is possible that many christians do not blame themselves for everything they have issued on unwilling gay people in the past and today. Gay teens are three times as likely to kill themselves – why not care for them as well as the unborn “children” (who may or may not be children) and demand that society and lawmakers try to ease their suffering?
“James Dobson is undoubtedly discouraged as he comes to the end of his career and sees that Christian values have diminished in this country.”
Abortion rates have gone down from the 80s. Divorce (which isn’t intrinsically bad but often a problem) is down, as is drug use and most crimes. Gay people have – thanks to themselves, the increasing understanding and support from some christians and the work of politicians and “activist” judges – become more embraced in society and are forgoing immoral aspects of the gay culture, adding to the economy and society. Once they are given adoption rights and insemination possibilities they can raise children and help birth-rates etc. Abortion is thought of as something that must be prevented from having to occur but also something that must be legal in the first trimester.
Well, maybe these positive developments are more common in the blue states, and therefore invisible to Dobson.
Garland;
I’m amazed that Marc can post a fairly humble yet clear message about his Christian values (and gee, values that might be beneficial to society at large) and how they are different from a strictly political agenda coming from some Christian conservatives, and with all that you can just “bull right past that” and use such conciliatory terms as “a first-trimester lump of flesh” and “a book written in an archaic, often morally abhorrent culture and assumes the existence of an unprovable level of conscience”.
That certainly answers Rodney King’s famous question.
Typical liberal crap….