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Note: This essay first appeared in the
May 2009 Baptist Studies Bulletin.
In 2002, Baylor University and Simpson University (California)
researchers conducted a
study of the religious commitments of students. Eighty
percent of students evaluated were members of a church. As a part of
the study, students were asked how much more likely they were to
adhere to the biblical commandment of "love your neighbor as yourself"
as compared to their peers. On average, respondents claimed to be
twice as likely to love their neighbors compared to others. An
interesting correlation emerged from this study: the most religiously
fundamentalist students claimed the greatest likelihood of loving
others more than their peers.
Fast forward to May 2009, thirty years after the ascendancy
of the Religious Right, and amidst the widely-recognized collapse of
the American political party that many evangelical Christians
considered to be the party of God. During a road trip, the down time
between National Public Radio news and commentary led me to tune into
what turned into three hours of self-described "conservative
Christian" radio talk show programs over a two day period. All three
hours focused on political issues and exhibited an air of panic.
Discussing the looming Supreme Court vacancy, poverty, minorities,
women, homosexuals, Muslims, pluralism and an
eight-foot tall cross in the Mojave National Preserve,
talking heads made it clear they were not concerned about issues of
justice. Speaking to President Barack Obama's desire to select a new
Supreme Court Justice who will "decide
cases on the basis of fairness and justice," one
commentator scoffed at the concept of Supreme Court justices' seeking
... justice. Condemning the traditional American ethos of "equality
and justice for all," and specifically referencing minorities, women,
homosexuals, and persons of non-Christian faith, one talking head
declared, "if you have empathy for everyone, you have empathy for no
one."
There is no small irony that the most ardent "America is a
Christian Nation!" advocates are distraught and fearful of the
prospect of America's judicial system putting into practice ... Jesus'
ethical and moral teachings. Conservative Christian radio is
frantically telling listeners that Christians must assume a "defensive
posture" to prevent the extension of mercy and justice to others, and
warning that a government that pursues such an agenda "will not stop"
until Christianity is illegal or driven underground.
The panic emanating over the radio waves from conservative
Christian activists, following their spirited defense of torture under
a prior American administration, is just the latest reminder that
Jesus' teachings frighten many people who lay claim to the name of
Christ. While Jesus' ethical and moral teachings permeate the Gospels,
speak to civilizations across time and space, and are echoed in
hundreds of religions and moral codes worldwide, some American
Christians seemingly dislike Christ's instructions and example.
Why the resistance? Perhaps because the ethics and morality
of the Gospels harbors some similarities to a modern, Western
political "liberalism" that at its best insists that the basic human
rights of others are no less important than that of one's self.
Indeed, far beyond the narrow context of today's "conservative" and
"liberal" labels, Jesus has historically been most resisted by
entrenched power structures and most readily embraced by the powerless
and oppressed. Listen closely to today's self-proclaimed conservative
Christian radio talk shows, and you too will hear the timeless tug of
war between the powerful and powerless.
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