By Cal Thomas, Tribune Media Services
Published in The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA
Nov. 7, 2008
When Barack Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, he will do so in the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the so-called Religious Right. Born in 1979 and mid-wifed by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Religious Right was a reincarnation of previous religious-social movements that sought moral improvement through legislation and court rulings. Those earlier movements-from abolition (successful) to Prohibition (unsuccessful)-had mixed results. Social movements that relied mainly on political power to enforce a conservative moral code weren't anywhere near as successful as those that focused on changing hearts. The four religious revivals from the First Great Awakening in the 1730s and 1740s to the Fourth Great Awakening in the late 1960s and early '70s, which touched America andinstantly transformed millions of Americans (and American culture as aresult), are testimony to that. Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative evangelical image has failed.The question now becomes: Should conservative Christians redouble their efforts, contributing more millions to radio and TV preachers and activists, or would they be wise to try something else?I opt for something else. Too many conservative evangelicals have put too much faith in the power of the government to transform culture. The futility inherent in suchmisplaced faith can be demonstrated by asking these activists a simplequestion: Does the secular left, when it holds power, persuadeconservatives to live by its standards? Of course it doesn't. Why,then, would conservative evangelicals expect people who do not sharetheir worldview of God to accept their beliefs when they controlgovernment? Too many conservative evangelicals mistake political power for influence. Politicians who struggle with imposing a moral code on themselves are unlikely to succeed in their attempts to impose it onothers.What is the answer, then, for conservative evangelicals who are rightly concerned about the corrosion of culture, the indifference to the valueof human life and the living arrangements of same- and opposite-sexcouples? The answer depends on the response to another question: Do conservative evangelicals want to fell good, or do they want to adopt a strategy thatactually produces results? Clearly partisan politics have not achieved their objectives. Do they think they can succeed by committing themselves to 30 more years of the same? If results are what conservative evangelicals want, they already have a model. It is contained in the life and commands of Jesus of Nazareth. Suppose millions of conservative evangelicals engaged in an old and proven type of radical behavior. Suppose they followed the admonition of Jesus to "love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans," not as ends, as so many liberals do by using government, but as means of demonstrating God's love for the whole person in order that people might seek him? Such a strategy could be more "transformational" than electing a new president, even the first president of color. But in order to succeed, such a strategy would not be led by charismatic figures, who would raise lots of money, be interviewed on Sunday talk shows, author books and make gobs of money. God teaches in his word that his power (if that is what conservative evangelicals want and not their puny attempts at grabbing earthly power) is made perfect in weakness. He speaks of the tiny mustard seed, the seemingly worthless widow's mite, of taking the last place at the table and the humbling of one's self, the washing of feet and similar acts and attitudes; the still, small voice. How did conservative evangelicals miss this and instead settle for a lesser power, which in reality is no power at all? When did they settle for an inferior "kingdom"? Evangelicals are at a junction. They can take the path that will lead them to more futility and ineffective attempts to reform culture through government, or they can embrace the far more powerful methods outlined by the one they claim to follow. By following Jesus' example, they will decrease, but he will increase.They will get no credit, but they will see results. If conservative evangelicals choose obscurity and seek to glorify God, they will get much of what they hope for, but can never achieve, in and through politics.
Home for two weeks! What a luxury! So far I haven't done much except eat, sleep, hang out with my adorable sisters, and hold the darling dog. Little things are so much fun and hugely precious when you have not had the opportunity to do them for a while... hearing Candace say "I'm not sure what that really means, but that's OK", talking with my parents about situations I'm facing... Carol showing off her latest aced Math test, reading "Alice in Wonderland" to Lori, and brushing Kelsey's teeth before she goes to bed. (In the event of your lack of observation, grammar is subjective to rambling, disjointed thoughts.) Oh, yes. I did do some other things too. I visited school today. It was just a little weird to walk into the building and not have ownership of the second grade classroom! In some ways it seemed as though I could easily have been there the entire year... but so much has changed, for me and for them... last year seems a long time ago. Three months seems a long time ago. It warmed my heart to be showered with hugs and smiles and to hear kids tell each other, "Miss Yoder's here!" Candace says she's gasping for air. I think she might require my assistance. [and i grin gleefully ;)] This should be fun.
