A Theological Framework: Transforming Loyal Partisans into Faithful Politicos
a final essay in this series on politics in the pews
For the Church to transform loyal partisans into faithful politicos, it must offer a framework for discernment that isn’t rooted in “us vs. them” gamesmanship, but in principles that that reflect serious engagement with scripture, the Spirit, and the human experience.
While there is plenty more that can be said, this essay introduces four guide rails that can ensure that the Church defines itself and shapes the community without being partisan by teaching and preaching theology (the study of God and practice of beliefs) that: (1) conserves the prophetic tradition by questioning orthodoxy; (2) interprets scripture with intellectual honesty; (3) orients itself towards social justice; and (4) practices theological humility. A bit more about each:
Conserve the prophetic tradition by questioning orthodoxy
The prophet tradition’s check on orthodoxy is found throughout the Bible – from God’s call in Isaiah 58 to stop the practice of check-the-box rituals to Jesus, who upends an understanding of Sabbath that prevented healing and wholeness in the name of legalism. To conserve this tradition means to refuse to put God in a box and allow room for the Spirit to move. Baptist preacher Harry Emerson Fosdick summarized this approach to scripture in his sermon Shall the Fundamentalists Win?1:
Revelation is progressive . . . slavery, never explicitly condemned before the New Testament closes, is nevertheless being undermined by ideas that in the end, like dynamite, will blast its foundations to pieces . . . Finality in the Bible is ahead. We have not reached it. We cannot yet compass all of it. God is leading us out toward it. There are multitudes of Christians, then, who think, and rejoice as they think, of the Bible as the record of the progressive unfolding of the character of God to his [sic] people from early primitive days until the great unveiling in Christ; to them the Book is more inspired and more inspiring than ever it was before; and to go back to a mechanical and static theory of inspiration would mean to them the loss of some of the most vital elements in their spiritual experience and in their appreciation of the Book.
Interpret scripture with intellectual honesty
To hold the text sacred does not mean to believe it dropped fully formed from God-in-heaven, inerrant, and infallible. To take scripture seriously does not necessarily mean it must be read literally. Studying scripture with intellectual honesty is to read the text in its social and historical context so that we might more responsibly interpret what it means in our context. It requires review and critique of current practices and evaluation of assumptions, no matter how long held. This provides opportunities for change, flexibility, and growth so that Christians can fully respond to the needs of the world by following the arc of the biblical narrative, which bends towards freedom, justice, and inclusion.
Orient itself towards social justice
To orient oneself towards social justice is to prioritize on-the-ground change instead of salvation from an afterlife of damnation. These are not mutually exclusive, but “salvation in the Bible is political, a dimension that is often missed when we are limited to understanding the word within the heaven-and-hell framework. A historical-metaphorical reading of scripture restores a crucial dimension to what the Bible means by salvation . . . [which] is central to the story of the exodus, the prophets, Jesus, and Paul . . . [and] has two focal points: justice and peace.”2 Theology that priorities justice looks to relieve people from the hell-on-earth caused by social norms, law, and policy, and obligates people of faith to respond accordingly. Faithful politicos for Jesus engage in the reshaping of society, offering salvation from injustice and violence in the here-and-now.
Practice theological humility
Finally, progressive theology practices theological humility. Scholar theologian Ellen Ott Marshall defines theological humility as a posture that3:
(1) admits limitation of knowledge and partiality of perspective, (2) explicitly and deliberately practices hermeneutics, and (3) remains transparent about faith commitments and accountable to other sources of knowledge . . . [Theological humility] is important because of the specter of religious authoritarianism. Like other forms of authoritarianism, this one demands unquestioned obedience, dismisses all other sources of knowledge, and denies legitimacy to all other positions. Religious authoritarianism is antithetical to democratic discourse, enslaves individual conscience, and facilitates violence against people who hold contrary religious and philosophical positions. We pave the way for religious authoritarianism whenever we insist that we alone know the will of God, that our knowledge of God’s will is beyond the reach of critical inquiry, and that divine endorsement for a particular policy trumps any other considerations about it.
Practicing theological humility should prevent the kind of judgment and condemnation that so frequently leads partisans to divide into teams of ideological purity and cast those who disagree as enemies who should be destroyed at all costs (at worst) or as losers to be defeated (at best). Faithful politicos understand that there are limitations to knowledge and perspectives and are willing to recognize the contributions of those who think and believe differently. Theological humility means seeking out a plurality of voices, committing to life-long learning, and acknowledging implicit bias. Theological humility can help us avoid the temptation to believe we hold the only truth(s), which so often leads to dismissing and demonizing others.
The faithful response to Christian Nationalism is not to intensify partisanship and repeat the sins of the Christian Right in further dividing and demonizing each other, but to conserve the prophetic tradition by questioning orthodoxy, interpret scripture with intellectual honesty, orient ourselves towards social justice, and practice theological humility.
Let us hold fast only to those things that help us to make earth as it is in heaven.
Harry Emerson Fosdick, A Preaching Ministry, ed. David Pultz (New York: The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, 2000), 197–98.
Marcus Borg, Speaking Christian (New York: HarperOne, 2011), 49.
Ellen Ott Marshall, Christians in the Public Square (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008).