Caution: Politics Ahead
There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear.
A fundamental shift is happing in Christendom, or at least in the North American church. What is it? Well, as Buffalo Springfield summed it up, it ain't exactly clear. Ask different members of the faith, and you will likely get different answers. The old guard, meaning the conservative Christian or "Religious Right", who has been virtually the only voice speaking for all of us, might tell you it's some young liberal progressives with a broken moral compass. Christian millennials might tell you it's a rejection of the politicization of religion. Still others might tell you that religion has become too commercial, or the church too corrupt, or the faithful too hypocritical. And while statistics show that many young people are leaving the church, many others are choosing the path that was not necessarily available ten or twenty years ago. They are choosing to remain faithful and use their influence to change church culture, and not everyone is happy about it.
In the 90's, there was not much diversity, politically speaking, in the evangelical church. Nearly every man, woman, and teenager was a cut-and-dry conservative. In fact, it was basically a foregone conclusion that the born-again flock would vote in lock-step with Jerry Falwell and James Dobson. Opposing abortion and gay rights were the only political issues that mattered, and Ronald Reagan was the patron saint of the movement. I remember having a debate with my high school best friend over who was more conservative. I wore it like a badge of honor.
Many of my friends, family, and church family are still very conservative on most issues. In fact, if I divide my friends based on age, nearly all who are older than me are more conservative than I am, while most younger than me are less. My generation is a pretty even split. I find myself holding on less and less to the ideas that I once held dear. You could say I’m becoming more liberal, that’s fair, but please reserve judgment as to what exactly that means.
I have gone into detail at other times, in other posts, about my journey, but that is not my point today. I believe what might be happening in the church is a shifting focus toward love. Don’t get me wrong – I am not suggesting that this shifting focus toward love and the shift from more conservative to more liberal values are one and the same. The fact that my more conservative friends are accepting of a variety of viewpoints within the church illustrates the shift toward love. We are all trying to be more like Christ. His message was one of inclusive love. He loved, befriended, socialized with sinners and outcasts. In his perfection, he loved the unlovable.
The “Religious Right” of the 80’s and 90’s tended to focus on bringing people into alignment with Christian values through the political process. While that sounds like a worthwhile pursuit, it was also alienating. The movement lives on, for better or worse, in today’s politics. But the church is changing. Even as US politics become more left-right divisive, the church becomes more and more diverse and accepting of people and viewpoints once considered outsiders. I can speak openly about topics ranging from social justice to evolution, and expect a spirited debate with no fear that my faith will be questioned.
We might disagree on a lot of topics, but we can agree that more love is always better and that following the example of Jesus is a good place to be. Even if, for my conservative friends, accepting a “liberal” like me is as far as they are willing to go, I’ll take it. We are becoming a church that is more accepting of differences, not because we no longer care about sin, but because we are learning to love well. If that sounds a little murky, that’s OK. Just keep in mind that old hymn by Buffalo Springfield.
Jeff Hyson