Emperor's Clothes
Jim Wallis (via SojoMail--excerpted below) tells about the recent visit of GW "Daniel" Bush to the Lion's Den at Calvin College. While he wasn't eaten alive, the president heard far more growls of disapproval than he'd expected from an evangelical crowd. This is encouraging.
...That new dialogue was visible recently at Calvin College. Karl Rove, seeking a friendly venue for a commencement speech in Michigan, approached Calvin and offered President Bush as the speaker. The college, which had already invited Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale to deliver the speech, hastily disinvited him and welcomed the president. But the White House apparently was not counting on the reaction of students and faculty. Rove expected the evangelical Christian college in the dependable "red" area of western Michigan to be a safe place. He was wrong.
The day the president was to speak, an ad featuring a letter signed by one-third of Calvin's faculty and staff ran in The Grand Rapids Press. Noting that "we seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere," the letter said that "we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."
The letter asserted that administration policies have "launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," "taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor, " "harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment," and "fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees." It concluded: "Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy...." One faculty member told a reporter, "We are not Lynchburg. We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology."
On commencement day, according to news reports, about a quarter of the 900 graduates wore "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" buttons pinned to their gowns.
The events at Calvin, along with the growing crowds at our events around the country, are visible signs that the Religious Right does not speak for all Christians, even all evangelical Christians. What I hear, from one end of this country to the other, is how tired we are of ideological religion and how hungry we are for prophetic faith. The students and faculty at Calvin College are the most recent sign of that hunger.
Comments
"how tired we are of ideological religion and how hungry we are for prophetic faith". my feelings exactly!
Posted by: cindy lee | May 31, 2005 7:01 AM
Wa-HOO! Maybe . . . there IS a god, after all?
Posted by: Rhonda Rockwell | May 31, 2005 9:06 PM
>We think our faith trumps political ideology
Whoa. Is that not a political statement?
I am just as appalled with the RR and other religious extremists as you. However, I am also uneasy when you say that many across the country are tired of "ideological religion" as if they/you had the right to make such a distinction or determine what is valid based on your criteria. I become very nervous when any one speaks of politically wielding a religious sword, as it cuts both ways and never justly.
The Millennia-long battle between Christians to purge dogma, testments and sects has allowed much mischief and evil to be done in their name.
How many angels dance upon the head of a pin, and to whose theological tune is one of Christianity's oldest dilemmas and its greatest weakness.
In the end, I suspect God will not be pleased with mankind's throwing of idealogical elbows...unless of course he's a hockey fan...which explains the Maple Leafs.
By the by, is Rivendell in Vancouver associated with the UK retreat?
Posted by: BJ | May 31, 2005 9:31 PM
I saw the news clip of him giving the commnencement but hadn't heard the above. Thanks for posting it, it made my day. I think blogging has seriously cut into my political reading...may be a good thing?
Posted by: colleen | May 31, 2005 9:54 PM
i thought it was an excellent speech, and the President had good eyes to see those buttons and a quick noggin to incorporate them into his speech: As Americans we share an agenda that calls us to action — a great responsibility to serve and love others, a responsibility that goes back to the greatest commandment.
This isn’t a Democrat idea. This isn’t a Republican idea. This is an American idea. It has sustained our nation’s liberty for more than 200 years. The Founders knew that too much government leads to oppression, but that too little government can leave us helpless and alone. So they built a free society with many roots in community. And to keep the tree of liberty standing tall in the century before us, you must nourish those roots.
Posted by: chris hall | June 1, 2005 1:06 PM
looks like blockquote didn't work in that comment. everything after the : is from his speech.
Posted by: chris hall | June 1, 2005 1:07 PM