The Politicization of American Christianity, and the Misuse of Genesis 1-11

***Note: If you find this post gives you something to think about, do me a favor–re-post it either on your Facebook page or Twitter. With the upcoming political season, maybe we need to all think long and hard about the way we confuse Christianity and either the GOP or Democrats. And by all means, I would love to hear comments…

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I don’t know if being alarmed at society just comes with getting older. When you’re young, you really don’t pay that much attention to the world around you, so maybe the world has always been seemingly on the brink of insanity. But for some reason, this political season I am really noticing what I feel is alarming trend in the American brand of Christianity—it has become radically politicized, and that is not a good thing.

Now don’t get me wrong. Despite the celebrated “separation of Church and State” bumper-sticker slogan that seems to be put on par with the Gospel in this country, the fact is there can never be a complete separation. Yes, the State shouldn’t impose a certain religion or denomination on its citizens, but people’s personal convictions and faith are going to affect their public decisions. And since, as Christians, we believe that we are about the business of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, part of our vocation is to try to influence the world around us to reflect God’s image when it comes to issues of justice, mercy and compassion. In that sense, religion will always be political.

The Politics of the Kingdom: Republicans or Democrats?
But whereas the “politics” of the Kingdom of God should act as the conscience of any given political party of in society, Christians should always be wary about identifying too much with one particular political party over and against the other. Sadly, I’ve come to the conclusion that far too many Christians and churches in America have ended up doing this very thing. We have, if you will, taken the Gospel and have re-shaped it into the political ideologies of either party.

If you are a conservative or fundamentalist Christian, your “Gospel issues” end up being (1) pro-life, (2) anti-gay marriage, (3) lower taxes, (4) guns, guns, guns!, (5) anti-Obamacare/welfare…and, of course, DONALD TRUMP! And the way you see the Democrats in relation to Christianity is something like this:

By contrast, if you call yourself a “progressive” Christian, your “Gospel issues” end up being (1) pro-choice, (2) pro-gay marriage, (3) Occupy Wall Street!, (4) strict gun laws, (5) pro-Obamacare/welfare…and, of course, SOCIALIST BERNIE SANDERS! And the way you see the GOP in relation to Christianity is something like this:

Now, are both of these descriptions gross over-generalizations? Of course. But let’s face it, in a very practical, real way, this is what Christians in both “conservative” and “progressive” camps end up spending most of their time and attention on. That’s a problem…a huge problem.

I think that most Christians, and indeed most people in general, do not fall neatly into either one of those over-generalized camps. Our political views probably run the spectrum and at varying degrees. But because of the over-heated, divisive political climate these days, if you publicly share a view that doesn’t line up perfectly with either camp, then the die-hards of that camp accuse you of being an extremist for the other side. This sort of divisiveness characterizes most of the “works of the flesh” that the apostle Paul mentions in Galatians 5:16-21. And yet, here we are in 2015, and some of the most politically divisive people seem to be coming from the “conservative Christian” and “progressive Christian” camps. That is sad.

How does Evolution Fit in to All This?
If you have been following the posts on my blog, you will obviously have noticed I’ve written quite a lot about Ken Ham, the young creationist movement, and the proper way to read and interpret Genesis 1-11. You will also have learned (particularly in one of my recent posts) that I have been called a “liberal” because I don’t think Genesis was intended to be read as God’s “eyewitness account” of creation, and because I think the book of Jonah is meant to be a parable, and because I point out the obvious that the book of Job is listed alongside the Psalms and Proverbs in the Wisdom books in the Hebrew Bible.

But how does that make me a “liberal”? Politically-speaking, I’ve always leaned to the right, and I consider myself rather “center-right.” Ironically, my liberal friends think I’m too conservative. How can that be? How can ultra-conservative Christians call me “liberal,” and at the same time, liberal Christians call me “conservative”? I think I know: both camps have re-shaped the Gospel of Christ to fit their own particular political agendas and ideologies, and then have done this truly bizarre thing of linking their political views to how they interpret Genesis 1-11.

The scary thing is that there does, in fact, seem to be this odd dynamic at play. I know a number of people who grew up in rather conservative Christian settings and who have gone left…I mean far left, quasi-Marxist, socialist-leaning left—and they often use “evolution” as justification for various political views, and as a way of bashing “those conservatives” as being “anti-science” (along with racist, misogynistic, etc.).

On the other hand, I am well-acquainted with pretty extreme ultra-fundamentalists who are obsessed with “defending the Bible” (which really means, arguing that Genesis 1-11 is science and history), and right along with that obsession are their “fights” against godless secularism, gay marriage, abortion, welfare, and Obama.

In both cases, it seems that one’s view of Genesis 1-11 becomes an identity marker for whatever political persuasion you adhere to.

But let me just ask something: What is the connection? Where is the logic that says, “Since I don’t think the universe is 6,000 years old, I must be pro-Socialist Bernie Sanders, pro-choice, and anti-Wall Street?” How does one make the connection between, “I believe in a literal Adam and Eve, so I want lower taxes, bazookas to be sold at Wal-Mart, and Donald Trump?” I’m sorry, both this odd political dynamic is just insane.

What it shows, sadly, is that far too many Christians in America are “disciples of the GOP” or “disciples of the Democrats” before they are disciples of Christ. They have seemingly regulated the politics of the Kingdom of God to the backseat, and are letting the politics of either the Republicans or Democrats do the driving in their lives.

Does that mean real Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics? Of course not. But what it does mean is that regardless of your political bent and convictions, you should never confuse the political platform of either party with the platform of the Gospel. When you do that, you often find yourself endorsing positions that really are anti-Christ. I won’t give specific example of how both Christians on the Left and Right tend to do this, I’ll leave that for people to comment on, but we all know it is true.

Just To Be Clear: What “Theological Liberalism” Is
Before I finish this post, in order to clarify how “liberalism” gets misused, let me explain something about the issue regarding interpreting Genesis 1-11, Jonah, and Job. In the 18^th-19^th centuries, under the influence of the Enlightenment worldview, many theologians began questioning the historicity of many things in the Bible: the creation account, Jonah, Job, even the miracle and resurrection accounts in the Gospels.

But here’s the thing to remember: Their rationale was, “Jonah couldn’t have been swallowed by a whale and survive! Science proves that can’t happen! Jesus couldn’t have healed people! Science proves that can’t happen! Jesus couldn’t have resurrected! Science proves that can’t happen! Therefore, none of that stuff is true!” They started with a presuppositional Enlightenment worldview that supposed the natural world works all on its own, and God, if He exists, doesn’t intervene with the miraculous. Therefore, the basis for the rejection of the “truth” of these accounts was, “It’s not scientific, it must be wrong.”

Simply put, theological liberalism denies the miraculous in the Bible because it presupposes God doesn’t intervene in history. –THAT presupposition is thoroughly Enlightenment thinking.

By contrast, the reason why I believe Genesis 1-11 isn’t doing history but is rather written in the genre of ancient myth, the reason why I think Jonah is a parable, and the reason why I think Job is wisdom literature—the reason has nothing to do with the Enlightenment presupposition that things like that couldn’t happen. The reason is because, being a literature major, I realize that, in order to properly interpret something, you have to make sure you know the genre you are reading.

Sure God could have created the world 6,000 years ago within a span of six days—He’s God! Sure God could have had Jonah swallowed by a literal fish and let him survive—He’s God! Sure God could have made a bet with Satan and let Job’s life go through hell—He’s God! But if you have any knowledge of how literature works, you easily recognize that none of these three passages are presented as history—therefore they were never intended to be read as history. They still, though are thoroughly true—the truth is just presented in a different genre than that of history. Therefore, to interpret them as history is, in fact, to misinterpret them through the assumptions and presuppositions of the Enlightenment worldview.

Simply put, theological liberalism says, “Genesis 1-11 isn’t factual, therefore it isn’t true; miracles can’t happen, therefore the Gospels aren’t true.” On the other hand, a biblically literate position would be, “Genesis 1-11 isn’t trying to ‘give just the facts,’—it is conveying God’s revealed truth in a different genre than that of history; as for the Gospels, they are thoroughly presented as historical—the miracles and resurrection are clearly presented as actually having happened.”

Conclusion
Now, it is true: the assumptions of theological liberalism, being rooted in Enlightenment thinking, do make one tend toward political progressivism. But one isn’t necessarily a “theological liberal” if one doesn’t think Genesis 1-11 is trying to give a historical account of the creation of the material universe—it could just mean you know how to read.

So am I a “liberal”? Sorry, I’m not. I completely disagree with theological liberalism. And politically-speaking, I’m “center-right” in my political views, and I’ve never voted Democrat. Sure, my political leanings are informed and shaped by my Christian faith, but I’m under no delusion: the GOP is not “the Christian” party, and the Democrats are not all “godless secularists.” Both parties have their huge problems; both parties are corrupted by power and greed; and both parties are equally responsible for the crap we find ourselves in.

I’m not going to bow down to the idolatry of political ideology and convince myself that that’s what following Christ is about. The early Christians didn’t bow down to either the Sanhedrin or to Rome—instead they challenged them both. Christians today should do the same. And for the love of God, stop using Genesis 1-11 as the litmus test as to whether or not one is politically Left or Right.