Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Part 2
May 27, 2008
The Rev. Dr. Joel Hunter is Senior Pastor of Northland Church in Lakewood FL and a spokesperson for the Evangelical Climate Initiative. This excerpt, used with permission, is found on pages 78-83 of Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why the Tactics of the Religious Right Won’t Fly with Most Conservative Christians published in 2006 by Distributed Church Press (Longwood, FL). See www.rightwingwrongbird.com.
This post originally appeared in Creation Care Magazine. Part 1 appeared yesterday.
Peace – Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers …” (Mt. 5:9). Though conflict is sometimes necessary, it is never God’s ultimate choice. Ambrose and Augustine outlined a “just war” theory; it s purpose was not to justify aggression but to limit it. The primary question for a Christian is never, “Do we have the right to go to war?” The primary question for a Christian is, “How can I work toward peace?” When the Bible talks about peace, it is not just talking about the absence of conflict, but also the building up of all of life. Peace is a term for betterment and fulfillment. So the basic value that we must voice and vote is this: How can I take the present situation (or issue or candidate) and support what will bring not only the solution to conflict but the reconciliation of people?
Basic Human Rights, Including Religious Liberty – Every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26- 27). Each person, therefore, deserves life, liberty, and to be treated with respect. Any form of oppression that subtracts from the dignity and freedom of people is wrong. These forms include:
• any restriction of religious freedom;
• any permanent class or caste system;
• human sexual trafficking and slavery;
• failure to search for the cures of any disease that would disable large segments of the population;
• any long-term restriction of a freemarket system.
Poverty – Scripture doesn’t just talk about giving to the poor, it talks about empowering the poor so that they can be poor no more! The famous verses found in Deuteronomy 15:11-18 (from which Jesus quotes) are really about equipping the poor so that they can be free from the benefactors some day. So the question on legislation is not merely “What temporary relief can we give people?” (although that is often needed) but “What does this bill or candidate promise to do that will end the cycle of poverty?”
Creation Care (environment) – As I have mentioned, in Genesis 2:15 God gives a simple command to mankind about the earth: “Cultivate and keep it.” That is to say we must not only be concerned with production, but also with the protection of God’s creation. Dominion is never given for the purpose of exploitation. Christians, of all people, should be thankful enough for the grace of God and His immeasurable gifts that we would not want to pollute such gifts. The question for us is, “How does this candidate or bill seek to balance production with protection, or how can I be a part of preserving the earth for generations to come?”
Justice Issues – In Isaiah 61:8, as well as many other places in the Bible, God declares, “I, the Lord, love justice.” Of course this has everything to do with each person being made in the image of God. It also has to do with God being a holy God Who demands that right prevail. Ron Sider does a fine job writing about an approach to justice. Particularly interesting to me is his definition of “Distributive Justice,” which he defines as “how the numerous goods of society are divided.” Of course there are other types of justice, such as retributive and procedural … The question from a biblical standpoint for a Christian to consider is, “How much does the community or state or nation have an obligation to equip the individual for the good of all?” Or more personally, “Will this legislation or candidate result in the kind of redistribution of wealth that strengthens all of society?”
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