[This is an extended bit of my speech given at Saturday's Faith and American Values Summit. I'll follow up later this week with part two, which attempts to build a theology to buttress the directions of this article... --BDR]
As many of you know, I work for an environmental-Christian non-profit. Our goal is to foster a cultural shift in American Christianity by making it culturally and theologically safe to love, serve, and protect God’s creation.
In our work, we find that some Christians affirm that creation-care matters biblically, but say it cannot be second to mission and evangelism, or are afraid to take it to the political step because of preexisting political allegiances. We try to correct both of these positions.
And we’re seeing a big shift already in the younger generations with regard to both of these inhibitions. Theologically, they get that creation care is vitally a part of “doing missionâ€, partaking in the missio dei. Culturally, they’re less beholden to older political allegiances. We’re finding that the next generation is much more integrative, much more holistic in their value sets.
So a lot of us often find ourselves being what Brian McLaren calls “politically ambidextrous.†We’ll be pro-life, but also pro-circle of life, also pro-peace. We don’t feel at home in either party, and we find it all exhausting and quite frustrating.
But what I’ll submit is that while we are indeed politically ambidextrous, I think the next generation is finding itself to being increasingly left-handed, if you take my meaning. Some are lefties who’ve been stuck in a right-handed church for a long time. But what a lot of us are waking up to is, a lot less of us in the church are right-handed than we thought. So maybe more than left or right, we can just settle to be what I’ve been calling myself for some time now: “Post-Republican.â€
We’re learning how to write with both hands in some really exciting ways, with the best examples being found in this book called “The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radicalâ€, by Shane Claiborne. If I haven't sent you a copy, I'm sorry. Either go buy one or ask me and I'll buy you one (I mean it). And while this ambidextrous shift is quite broad, its most emphatic young voices are finding themselves most at home in the so-called “emergent church†movement.
I think some cultural reasons we've become more ambidextrous are: disillusionment with present expressions of the faith, taking offense to the narrow religiousity and value sets of the religious right, the ONE Campaign, Invisible Children, and (forgive me) a response to the extreme discomfort which the Bush administration's unapologetic cockiness and inhumane policies has brought to our consciences.
For those of us who are also becoming politically ambidextrous and "Post-Republican," what else contributed to such a re-posturing in your life?
Comments (3)
BDR - way to go man. This is a great speach and I'm excited about reading 'part two.'
I wish I could have heard you give it.
"politically ambidextrous," That's wonderful, and thank you for posting this.
Posted by Jason G. | September 19, 2006 5:26 PM
Posted on September 19, 2006 17:26
It was a fun speech to give, but was given to a room full of 20-somethings that seemed entirely exhausted to be there (like I said in above post). I can't imagine being a pastor to my generation -- they were as rigid as I've ever seen! The "frozen chosen" as Irish Dave might call them!
Posted by Brandon | September 20, 2006 1:12 AM
Posted on September 20, 2006 01:12
Great speech, I too wish I could have heard it. I'm thouroughly enjoying your writings on this blog. I do think as Christians we need to raise up into the political area and have voice. It's encouraging to hear from you that you have found in the seemingly right church there are alot of left people. Thanks for the refreshment.
BTW I adore the Shane Clairborne book, what a great example of living out faith in a postmodern realm. Definately a must read for many. Especially us lefties.
Posted by The Krow | September 21, 2006 12:53 PM
Posted on September 21, 2006 12:53