Here are a few excerpts from an essay I wrote last year on the social gospel in America:
According to historian Howard Zinn, 1,118,000 children under the age of sixteen were employed in this country in 1880. On May 1, 1886, nationwide strikes occurred: 350,000 workers in 11,562 establishments walked off the job. In New York City, 25,000 of them marched in a torchlight parade to protest capitalistic injustice. That year, 1886, was called “the year of the great uprising of labor.” There were over 1,400 strikes involving half a million workers.
The Homestead Strike of 1892 bore witness to the increasing divide between labor and owners. Workers walked off the job in Pennsylvania at the Carnegie-Phipps steel mill. There was violence and bloodshed. At this time a factory worker earned $446 annually, a miner earned $393 per year, a school teacher $273 per year. But Andrew Carnegie’s income was $4,000,000 a year.
December 1907 was a bad month for miners. A West Virginia coalmine explosion killed 361 miners; an explosion in Pennsylvania killed 239 miners; in Alabama a coalmine explosion killed 91 miners. But there were positive signs on the social front: twenty-three states passed laws reducing work hours for men employed in mines, smelters, underground work, and train operators.
Walter Rauschenbusch was a pastor in the slums of New York City. In 1892 he went to John D. Rockefeller and told him, “It has been a hard year for many of our people. Many of them have been laid off for weeks, and even months.” That took guts.
Urban pastors like Rauschenbusch supported the causes of the Progressive Era. These causes included taxation of income and inheritances, safety standards for factories, shorter work hours, accident and unemployment insurance, public health initiatives, old age pensions, regulation of tenements, and conservation of natural resources.
New York City changed Walter Rauschenbusch. He never forgot the funerals he performed for children who had died from disease, abuse, neglect, or starvation. He never forgot the plight of the workers and the unemployed. To him, “the Gay 90s” were not gay at all. Machines, money, and the metropolis were killing people…
And so we have come a long way from those days, largely because people spoke up, churches got involved, workers united, and government policies became more humane—but not without effort and sacrifice. The work goes on now under different circumstances, yet it’s based on the same principles of the dignity of human beings and social justice. The Gospel of Wealth is a false gospel.
February 27, 2011
February 26, 2011
Why American Christians Reject Fundamentalism
American Christians, on the whole, are wary of fundamentalism. The dominant form of Christianity in America has never been fundamentalism. Christian fundamentalists are among us, but most Americans view religious fundamentalism as a form of tyranny. We don’t like tyranny or tyrants. We prefer freedom, particularly religious freedom. Fundamentalism strikes us as oppressive and unfree.
There are theological reasons for this. First, the sovereignty of God. God’s sovereignty over all is not a call to tyranny but humility. If God is sovereign, then I am not! If God is sovereign, then I should be humble about my views and recognize that I could be wrong. God is, in essence, beyond human knowledge. Statements about God and God’s will are always human interpretations; they must be evaluated on a large mental field by many people. This saves us from fanatics and religious tyranny. God is sovereign. We are not. Every human government, institution, and church stands under the judgment of God.
Second, God is free. If we believe in the sovereignty of God, then we also affirm that God can do whatever God wishes to do. We cannot control God any more than we can control salvation. Because God is free, salvation can appear anywhere, anytime, and through anyone. God is not restricted as to the means of salvation or the persons God chooses to be his prophets. Revelation, in other words, can come from all directions, from any source, at anytime, from any place. This is the freedom of God. We cannot restrict God’s revelation, God’s grace, or God’s salvation. We cannot pronounce judgment on who is everlastingly saved or everlastingly lost.
Third, the cross of Christ. The greatest argument against religious fundamentalism is the cross of Christ. Jesus was crushed by the combined powers of altar and throne, church and state. We cannot call the religious leaders of his day “fundamentalists,” but they certainly were not committed to religious freedom! The death of Christ is a warning against religion in politics. How does this connect with our time? Since the late 1970s conservative and fundamentalist Christians in America have been expressing the need to “take back America” for God. They continue to have a political agenda for our nation, to “Christianize” America according to their definition. This is a dangerous blend of religion and politics. This blurs the line between church and state. The cross of Christ condemns the union of church and state; it also condemns the efforts of religious fundamentalists to impose a theocratic ideal on our country.
Finally, the sources of Christian theology keep us from fundamentalist extremes. Over the centuries a method of doing theology has been developed. This method revolves around four sources of truth: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience
The church has used all four sources to discern God’s revelation and God’s will. Fundamentalists reduce the Christian revelation to a book—the Bible—and interpret this book through the lens of inerrancy (an error-free book straight from God). The church as a whole has never done this. Fundamentalism is a freak when compared to centuries of interpretation and discernment by Christians and theologians. Fundamentalism turns Christianity into a “religion of the book,” like Islam and Orthodox Judaism. But Christianity has never been a religion of the book.
Rather, Christian truth has always been a blend of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Ideally, we aim at the Bible without biblicism, tradition without traditionalism, reason without rationalism, and experience without subjectivism. This is balance. We need balance, and there is nothing about fundamentalism that is balanced.
To sum up, we have four checks against religious fundamentalism:
•The sovereignty of God
•The freedom of God
•The cross of Christ
•Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience
These save us from fundamentalism and the tyranny of religious fanatics.
There are theological reasons for this. First, the sovereignty of God. God’s sovereignty over all is not a call to tyranny but humility. If God is sovereign, then I am not! If God is sovereign, then I should be humble about my views and recognize that I could be wrong. God is, in essence, beyond human knowledge. Statements about God and God’s will are always human interpretations; they must be evaluated on a large mental field by many people. This saves us from fanatics and religious tyranny. God is sovereign. We are not. Every human government, institution, and church stands under the judgment of God.
Second, God is free. If we believe in the sovereignty of God, then we also affirm that God can do whatever God wishes to do. We cannot control God any more than we can control salvation. Because God is free, salvation can appear anywhere, anytime, and through anyone. God is not restricted as to the means of salvation or the persons God chooses to be his prophets. Revelation, in other words, can come from all directions, from any source, at anytime, from any place. This is the freedom of God. We cannot restrict God’s revelation, God’s grace, or God’s salvation. We cannot pronounce judgment on who is everlastingly saved or everlastingly lost.
Third, the cross of Christ. The greatest argument against religious fundamentalism is the cross of Christ. Jesus was crushed by the combined powers of altar and throne, church and state. We cannot call the religious leaders of his day “fundamentalists,” but they certainly were not committed to religious freedom! The death of Christ is a warning against religion in politics. How does this connect with our time? Since the late 1970s conservative and fundamentalist Christians in America have been expressing the need to “take back America” for God. They continue to have a political agenda for our nation, to “Christianize” America according to their definition. This is a dangerous blend of religion and politics. This blurs the line between church and state. The cross of Christ condemns the union of church and state; it also condemns the efforts of religious fundamentalists to impose a theocratic ideal on our country.
Finally, the sources of Christian theology keep us from fundamentalist extremes. Over the centuries a method of doing theology has been developed. This method revolves around four sources of truth: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience
The church has used all four sources to discern God’s revelation and God’s will. Fundamentalists reduce the Christian revelation to a book—the Bible—and interpret this book through the lens of inerrancy (an error-free book straight from God). The church as a whole has never done this. Fundamentalism is a freak when compared to centuries of interpretation and discernment by Christians and theologians. Fundamentalism turns Christianity into a “religion of the book,” like Islam and Orthodox Judaism. But Christianity has never been a religion of the book.
Rather, Christian truth has always been a blend of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Ideally, we aim at the Bible without biblicism, tradition without traditionalism, reason without rationalism, and experience without subjectivism. This is balance. We need balance, and there is nothing about fundamentalism that is balanced.
To sum up, we have four checks against religious fundamentalism:
•The sovereignty of God
•The freedom of God
•The cross of Christ
•Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience
These save us from fundamentalism and the tyranny of religious fanatics.
February 18, 2011
The Things That Make For Peace
As I write this, Wisconsin is making front page news. Tens of thousands of protestors pack the capitol, Democratic legislators have left the state, and Republican Governor Scott Walker appears to be in meltdown mode for trying to ram his agenda through the state senate.
In Badger Country we don’t like being pushed around by cocky, upstart governors who act like bullies. It’s a showdown now as Republicans attempt to bust up the unions for state employees under the guise of “cutting the budget because we’re broke.” We’re not broke, and this is not about the budget as much as it is about Republican anti-labor policies.
Republican are not on the side of middle class workers and families; they are owned and operated by large corporate interests. The people have finally marched on Madison and they aren’t leaving. There is now gridlock and stalemate.
Gov. Walker, in my opinion, blew it. He is blind to “the things that make for peace.” He is ignorant about “the day of his visitation.” This is a key moment, a key learning moment. But it appears that Scott Walker is learning nothing. Specifically, he is not learning how to govern. He is not learning that folks in Wisconsin, at least, are committed to consensus-building, negotiation and the democratic process. We don’t like autocrats.
But Walker is a Tea Party person. This is what the Tea Party looks like close up. It isn’t pretty. We can only hope that the people will be heard and respected, and that this right-wing Tea Party spasm will soon pass. Then we can get some rational leadership that understands the art of negotiation, working together, and compromise.
After all, isn’t that what politics is about?
There are “things that make for peace,” as Jesus said. And then there are certain politicians who don’t understand this. Gov. Scott Walker is one of those politicians. He will have to learn his lessons the hard way—and look foolish in the process.
Go Bucky!!
In Badger Country we don’t like being pushed around by cocky, upstart governors who act like bullies. It’s a showdown now as Republicans attempt to bust up the unions for state employees under the guise of “cutting the budget because we’re broke.” We’re not broke, and this is not about the budget as much as it is about Republican anti-labor policies.
Republican are not on the side of middle class workers and families; they are owned and operated by large corporate interests. The people have finally marched on Madison and they aren’t leaving. There is now gridlock and stalemate.
Gov. Walker, in my opinion, blew it. He is blind to “the things that make for peace.” He is ignorant about “the day of his visitation.” This is a key moment, a key learning moment. But it appears that Scott Walker is learning nothing. Specifically, he is not learning how to govern. He is not learning that folks in Wisconsin, at least, are committed to consensus-building, negotiation and the democratic process. We don’t like autocrats.
But Walker is a Tea Party person. This is what the Tea Party looks like close up. It isn’t pretty. We can only hope that the people will be heard and respected, and that this right-wing Tea Party spasm will soon pass. Then we can get some rational leadership that understands the art of negotiation, working together, and compromise.
After all, isn’t that what politics is about?
There are “things that make for peace,” as Jesus said. And then there are certain politicians who don’t understand this. Gov. Scott Walker is one of those politicians. He will have to learn his lessons the hard way—and look foolish in the process.
Go Bucky!!
October 19, 2010
When is religion good? When is it bad?
Religion can find you cracked or leave you cracked. I teach world religions, and perhaps I’m a bit cracked for doing that, too! Religion has everything in it from soup to nuts. But there is also a lot of good in religion, as well as the bad and the crazy.
How do we tell the difference? When is religion good, and when is it bad?
The criterion seems simple: religion is good when it’s a blessing to human beings; it is bad when it is a curse to human beings. Religion is good when it serves humanity; it is a curse when it oppresses humanity.
Religion is good when it sets people free to be fully human, as God wishes them to be. It is a curse when it enslaves people, bullies people, and destroys their humanity.
Every religion has a bright side and a dark side. Every religion has good in it, and yet every religion can become demonic. Whatever is good can be twisted into the demonic. Religion becomes demonic when it ceases to serve people and, instead, hurts people.
The question today is not whether or not religion will survive. It will survive. The question is: what kind of religion will survive? Will the world be blessed by a religion of service, love, and compassion? Or will the world go down in flames with a religion of anger, retaliation, and violence?
Speaking as a Christian, I can’t think of God without thinking of Jesus. My God is the God of Jesus Christ. This is the God who is not just “up there” in heaven but who came down to earth. This is the God who loves all humanity and who suffers with us, just as Jesus suffered on the cross.
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Here is an important principle. Religion was made for humanity, not humanity for religion. This means that all religious laws and commandments and institutions are to be judged by how much they serve humanity.
People are more important than religious laws and commandments. People are more important than doctrines. People are more important than creeds and religious institutions. God wants to save people, not religion.
No religious norms or institutions are absolute. No religion is absolute. Everything is to be judged by the criteria of love and service to humanity. That’s when religion is good for the human race.
How do we tell the difference? When is religion good, and when is it bad?
The criterion seems simple: religion is good when it’s a blessing to human beings; it is bad when it is a curse to human beings. Religion is good when it serves humanity; it is a curse when it oppresses humanity.
Religion is good when it sets people free to be fully human, as God wishes them to be. It is a curse when it enslaves people, bullies people, and destroys their humanity.
Every religion has a bright side and a dark side. Every religion has good in it, and yet every religion can become demonic. Whatever is good can be twisted into the demonic. Religion becomes demonic when it ceases to serve people and, instead, hurts people.
The question today is not whether or not religion will survive. It will survive. The question is: what kind of religion will survive? Will the world be blessed by a religion of service, love, and compassion? Or will the world go down in flames with a religion of anger, retaliation, and violence?
Speaking as a Christian, I can’t think of God without thinking of Jesus. My God is the God of Jesus Christ. This is the God who is not just “up there” in heaven but who came down to earth. This is the God who loves all humanity and who suffers with us, just as Jesus suffered on the cross.
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Here is an important principle. Religion was made for humanity, not humanity for religion. This means that all religious laws and commandments and institutions are to be judged by how much they serve humanity.
People are more important than religious laws and commandments. People are more important than doctrines. People are more important than creeds and religious institutions. God wants to save people, not religion.
No religious norms or institutions are absolute. No religion is absolute. Everything is to be judged by the criteria of love and service to humanity. That’s when religion is good for the human race.
August 22, 2010
Obama can’t win regarding faith and religion
A Pew research poll this week indicated that only 1 in 3 Americans are certain that President Obama is a Christian. This means 2 out of 3 Americans are either in a coma, clueless, or simply prejudiced against the man.
Many Americans believe Obama is a closet Muslim, just like many believe he is not an American citizen. People believe what they want to believe, no matter how ridiculous it is. Yes, there are still some people out there who also believe the earth is flat and the Pope is Antichrist.
But a President can’t win in regard to religion. If he comes on too strong with religion he is seen as pushy or a fanatic. If he takes a low-key approach to religion he is viewed as lukewarm or suspect. It’s a tough position to be in. In my opinion, the more careful a President is in his religious statements, the better. The last thing I want is a President who pretends to be an evangelist!
My question is this: what would President Obama have to do to convince all the unconvinced that he is a Christian? My answer? Nothing. It wouldn’t work anyway. Some people just don’t like Obama, they won’t believe him, and they simply keep creating things to use against him. So be it.
But just for the record, Obama is indeed an American citizen, he is a Christian (if that really matters), and he was legally elected as our President. Sorry to disappoint so many Americans, but facts are facts.
Many Americans believe Obama is a closet Muslim, just like many believe he is not an American citizen. People believe what they want to believe, no matter how ridiculous it is. Yes, there are still some people out there who also believe the earth is flat and the Pope is Antichrist.
But a President can’t win in regard to religion. If he comes on too strong with religion he is seen as pushy or a fanatic. If he takes a low-key approach to religion he is viewed as lukewarm or suspect. It’s a tough position to be in. In my opinion, the more careful a President is in his religious statements, the better. The last thing I want is a President who pretends to be an evangelist!
My question is this: what would President Obama have to do to convince all the unconvinced that he is a Christian? My answer? Nothing. It wouldn’t work anyway. Some people just don’t like Obama, they won’t believe him, and they simply keep creating things to use against him. So be it.
But just for the record, Obama is indeed an American citizen, he is a Christian (if that really matters), and he was legally elected as our President. Sorry to disappoint so many Americans, but facts are facts.
June 27, 2010
Three types of spirituality
As I see it, three different types of spirituality have been competing against each other in Christianity from the beginning: (1) Apocalyptic; (2) Mystical; and (3) Prophetic. It is interesting how people gravitate toward the spirituality that suits their temperament, or they simply swallow whatever spirituality has been drilled into them over the years.
I was raised in an apocalyptic sect. I was taught from childhood that “Jesus is coming soon!” One woman in the church told me that I shouldn’t plan to go to college because Jesus would return before then; there wasn’t time. Needless to say, I’m glad I went to college. I’m also glad I left that church!
From that time on, I have been skeptical of apocalyptic spirituality. I reject dispensationalism and I don’t believe in “the secret rapture.” I view “doomsday theology” as a distortion of the gospel.
Christianity by nature is not a mystical religion (like Hinduism), but it has always had a mystical element in it. Mysticism, of course, aims at personal union with God. Through prayer and meditation, we can make our life a prayer. To be a Christian is to walk with Christ and to be awake to the Holy Spirit within us. Yet I would not describe myself as a mystic. Jesus himself had mystical qualities, but I do not believe Jesus was a mystic either.
This brings us to the final type of spirituality: prophetic. Christianity is a prophetic religion. It is based on the view of Jesus as the Messiah who spoke the prophetic word of God and did the will of God. Jesus was a prophet similar to the Old Testament prophets. Like those prophets, Jesus delivered a message of salvation that was social, and he died for God’s cause in the world. He was raised from the dead and now lives on in the Spirit through the church and its prophetic mission.
Prophetic spirituality applies the message of righteousness and justice to the social ills of our age. Prophetic spirituality is ethical. Its focus is not the apocalyptic end of the world, nor the mysterious inner life of the individual. Rather, prophets speak out against racism, social greed, militarism, poverty, and environmental destruction. Prophetic spirituality aims at social action. Like Jesus, the church is called to social action.
Having rejected apocalyptic theology, I try to blend mystical spirituality with a strong dose of prophetic spirituality. I’m not saying this is the only way to be a Christian, but it works for me.
--Brad
I was raised in an apocalyptic sect. I was taught from childhood that “Jesus is coming soon!” One woman in the church told me that I shouldn’t plan to go to college because Jesus would return before then; there wasn’t time. Needless to say, I’m glad I went to college. I’m also glad I left that church!
From that time on, I have been skeptical of apocalyptic spirituality. I reject dispensationalism and I don’t believe in “the secret rapture.” I view “doomsday theology” as a distortion of the gospel.
Christianity by nature is not a mystical religion (like Hinduism), but it has always had a mystical element in it. Mysticism, of course, aims at personal union with God. Through prayer and meditation, we can make our life a prayer. To be a Christian is to walk with Christ and to be awake to the Holy Spirit within us. Yet I would not describe myself as a mystic. Jesus himself had mystical qualities, but I do not believe Jesus was a mystic either.
This brings us to the final type of spirituality: prophetic. Christianity is a prophetic religion. It is based on the view of Jesus as the Messiah who spoke the prophetic word of God and did the will of God. Jesus was a prophet similar to the Old Testament prophets. Like those prophets, Jesus delivered a message of salvation that was social, and he died for God’s cause in the world. He was raised from the dead and now lives on in the Spirit through the church and its prophetic mission.
Prophetic spirituality applies the message of righteousness and justice to the social ills of our age. Prophetic spirituality is ethical. Its focus is not the apocalyptic end of the world, nor the mysterious inner life of the individual. Rather, prophets speak out against racism, social greed, militarism, poverty, and environmental destruction. Prophetic spirituality aims at social action. Like Jesus, the church is called to social action.
Having rejected apocalyptic theology, I try to blend mystical spirituality with a strong dose of prophetic spirituality. I’m not saying this is the only way to be a Christian, but it works for me.
--Brad
June 5, 2010
Christ Still Suffering in Nature
If I’m not mistaken, Christians believe that “in the beginning” God gave us a job to do: take care of the earth. We are stewards and caretakers appointed by God to manage “the garden.” We’re doing a lousy job. I think God expected more from us. We owe God and the environment a huge apology.
It’s time for Christians to stop obsessing about heaven and get back to taking care of earth—our first task, according to God’s command. Furthermore, Christ isn’t in heaven. He is still hanging on the cross. He is still dying for the sins of the world, and those sins are worse now than ever.
Christ is still suffering on the cross in solidarity with all who suffer, including nature itself. We should not think that Christ is indifferent toward nature. God created a pretty good world. We’re screwing it up. With every ecological disaster, Christ bleeds more. With every dying animal or bird, every polluted river, every stinking chimney or gas-guzzling vehicle or oil spill disaster, Christ bleeds more.
The apocalyptic sufferings of the Crucified Christ continue with every apocalyptic ecological disaster.
Now, however, the enemy is not “the Jewish leaders” or “the Roman Empire.” The enemy now is corporate power, greed, and the “American dream” of unlimited natural resources. Here’s the deal, folks, we are running out of oil and our days are numbered. We have constructed a society based on fossil fuels, and time is running out.
We have constructed a lifestyle based on massive consumerism, and time is running out. We have glorified the “American dream” as if it came from God himself, and time is running out.
But what is time to the crucified Christ? He has been up on the cross a long, long time. He has always suffered with those who suffer. He has always symbolized resistance to evil, injustice, and self-interest. He favors no nation. He is on the side of God alone—and God’s abused creation.
--Brad
It’s time for Christians to stop obsessing about heaven and get back to taking care of earth—our first task, according to God’s command. Furthermore, Christ isn’t in heaven. He is still hanging on the cross. He is still dying for the sins of the world, and those sins are worse now than ever.
Christ is still suffering on the cross in solidarity with all who suffer, including nature itself. We should not think that Christ is indifferent toward nature. God created a pretty good world. We’re screwing it up. With every ecological disaster, Christ bleeds more. With every dying animal or bird, every polluted river, every stinking chimney or gas-guzzling vehicle or oil spill disaster, Christ bleeds more.
The apocalyptic sufferings of the Crucified Christ continue with every apocalyptic ecological disaster.
Now, however, the enemy is not “the Jewish leaders” or “the Roman Empire.” The enemy now is corporate power, greed, and the “American dream” of unlimited natural resources. Here’s the deal, folks, we are running out of oil and our days are numbered. We have constructed a society based on fossil fuels, and time is running out.
We have constructed a lifestyle based on massive consumerism, and time is running out. We have glorified the “American dream” as if it came from God himself, and time is running out.
But what is time to the crucified Christ? He has been up on the cross a long, long time. He has always suffered with those who suffer. He has always symbolized resistance to evil, injustice, and self-interest. He favors no nation. He is on the side of God alone—and God’s abused creation.
--Brad
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