Why Isn't There a Liberal Christian Left Wing?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really a big fan of "ism's" and labeling. I think pigeon-holing people or beliefs overly simplifies them. I think stereotyping is a sign of lazy thinking. Show me the people who look beyond the superficial labels and delve into the heart of a matter, and I'll show you someone interesting. And for me to call someone or something "interesting" is a huge compliment. As you may have already gathered, I bore easily.

With that in mind, I was thinking about the conservative Christian right wing. They have been a part of our political landscape for almost thirty years. They've been very successful in organizing their ranks to vote in lockstep, and that voting bloc has wielded considerable influence in elections from the local city councils to the President. Ronald Reagan was perhaps the first to cash in on the benefits of sucking up to this group. Even years after his death they still sing his praises for bringing wholesome, moral, common-sense values back into American mainstream after the zany 60's and 70's.

As near as I can tell, the CCRW (Conservative Christian Right Wing) was against abortion, against gay rights, pro-gun, pro-military, pro-family etc. They were a big part of getting warning labels put on rock albums, warning parents of the explicit content. They were represented by groups such as the Moral Majority, headed by the late Jerry Falwell.

On this election day, we may be seeing the death of the CCRW. Here in California, we may once and for all legitimize gay marriage. That coupled with the election of a pro-choice President would signal that the majority of Christian Americans have decided to keep their religion where it belongs: in the church.

Don't get me wrong: I'm a big fan of people who live out their principles. If someone draws a moral line in their own life, it is refreshing to see them own it and live by their convictions. But when it comes to certain issues, the CCRW has exposed itself as a house of cards, built on lies.

Take the pro-family issue. I would assume this meant they're not very big on divorce. And yet statistically, evangelical Christians are the likeliest demographic to divorce - higher than Catholics, higher than atheists, higher than agnostics.

As to the gay thing, last year a major evangelical was outed as a closet homosexual after a gay escort who had done crystal meth with him exposed him. These things really don't help your cause, guys.

I could go on with examples, but instead of trashing the CCRW, I have a radial suggestion, one which would be not only easier to live by, but more consistent with the Scriptures:

Go liberal.

There are plenty of causes that are championed by the bleeding heart liberals which read like Jesus of Nazareth's day planner: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, caring for the despised and afflicted, and befriending the outcasts in society. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and tell me - where were Jesus' priorities?

• Jesus tended to the sick. A big part of his ministry wasn't even the miraculous feats like making the blind see and the lame walk, but that he took time out of his day whenever he could to care about the health of those around him. And in being charitable with his healing, and making sure even blind beggars got some of his valuable time, he got people interested in who he was as a man. He got people interested in the message. I submit to you that if Christians really wanted to shore up their numbers, if they really wanted to fill those pews, they would collectively demand affordable health care for all. In a Christian America, no one would be turned away from a chance to be healed.
• Jesus fed the hungry. Sure he had showy miracles, but in the example of the feeding of the five thousand, he preached to them AFTER he fed them. This is smart - an audience with full bellies is less inclined to walk out on you. But more to the point, he understood that people have needs - like eating. And unless he was prepared to address that need, he could not reasonably expect them to care about his message. In America we have people who don't get enough to eat. We have enough food to feed the world, and yet the ones who need it the most get the least. We throw away more food every day in America that some nations eat. I believe that if the Christians in America really wanted to live up to Jesus' example, they'd make sure everyone had enough food. Then maybe some people who have been ambivalent about spirituality would show a little interest in Christianity.
• Jesus refused to judge people, and associated with people of questionable reputations. In the story, people bring a woman to Jesus who apparently was caught in the act of adultery. Suspecting that Jesus was a soft touch and not in step with a vengeful God, they challenged him to judge her based on the law, which at the time called for her death by stoning. Jesus gave his permission to have her stoned, on the condition that the one in the crowd who was without sin themselves should throw the first stone. As expected, the crowd walked away, realizing that they were sinners as well, and therefore not in any position to judge. Jesus hung out with tax collectors (not a popular job, even in those days, and likely to pretty much crush your social standing). And as his popularity grew and doors were opened for him to associate with higher classes of people, he consistently chose to minister to the meek and oppressed. In America today, Christianity is more of a judgement factory, in elections exhorting people to decide to vote for a candidate they deem honorable. And how is this title of "honorable" attained? Look at Barack Obama, who associated with sinners like Bill Ayers. As such he wasn't honorable enough for the CCRW. I suspect that Jesus would have disagreed.

As liberals, Christians could not only focus more on ministering to the poor, the sick and hungry, but they could rally to the liberals' various environmental causes as well. God made the earth, right? And according to Genesis, he gave mankind dominion over the planet. So essentially we're responsible for it. I can't imagine how, with that in mind, any Christian wouldn't supposed legislation that offered to clean up the land, the water or the air. I can't imagine, for the life of me, why any decent Christian would stand by while their government offered anything less than excellent stewardship of the planet.

So there's my plan. Christians can still be involved with political affairs, and they can still act out their faith through supporting legislation that is consistent with the words and deeds of Jesus. But with a Democrat in the White House, they're going to have to adopt new pet causes to stay relevant. If I were a member of the evangelical Christian community, I'd keep my mouth shut about gays ruining marriage, at least until me and my fellow evangelicals managed to get a handle on our own divorce rates. If I were a member of the evangelical Christian community, I'd spend less time chanting "drill baby drill" and more time ensuring quality health care for all Americans.

You don't have to be able to lay hands on the sick and heal them to perform miracles. Abolish our current broken health care system, insurance companies be damned. Heal the sick and forget the paperwork. Get some of those millions of obese Americans to donate food they clearly don't need to those that do, even in other countries. That would be miraculous enough.