A Rant of Near-Epic Proportions

Instead of cramming for finals and writing papers on various moral obligations that I must finish in the next two days for an online class, I decided to spend my time a bit more wisely (in my eyes) and design a rant, a large one, based upon my feelings of the current societal climate and thoughts brought about by reading the words and works of others, in particular, Shane Claiborne's new book. The following is the product, which was actually published, in its entirety, in my school's newspaper. It is, admittedly, a bit raw and unpolished, but I am grateful that none of it was cut or edited for content.

Also, my thanks to Julie N. for allowing me to copy and paste her thoughts.

~~ I don't remember the title that the editor gave it. Sorry.

“Separation of church and state.” “The establishment of religion, and the free exercise thereof.” These popular phrases referring to religious freedom in the US have appeared on both sides of the aisle when it comes to the topic of religion and politics.
For many years, America has observed a change in the political landscape. The presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 saw an increase in the concern over “moral issues,” subjects that the American Christian church has long viewed as reclaimable territory. This can be illustrated by the recent abortion demonstration and GAP display and the conversations which erupted into heated verbal battles over women’s rights and the infringement upon them by religious activists.
Some Christians, however, are beginning to question the church’s involvement in today’s political realm. Most of these individuals are not questioning the validity of these arguments, but the way in which they are voiced and the precedence that is placed on these issues over others. A recently released book by author Shane Claiborne entitled Jesus for President transcends what has become the traditional religious mindset to ask tough questions about the morality of mixing church and politics.
Claiborne offers insight into the growing phenomenon of individuals with religious upbringing who question their young faith when faced with the cold and cruel reality of the real world. “The powerful benefits and temptations of running the world’s largest superpower have bent the church’s identity. Having power at its fingertips, the church often finds ‘guiding the course of history’ a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ. Too often the patriotic values of pride and strength triumph over the spiritual virtues of humility, gentleness and sacrificial love.”
All around us, issues of morality govern our daily lives. Should we support the Iraqi conflict simply because the Republicans stand behind it? Should we support the outsourcing of many American products to Third World nations where workers are poorly compensated for their efforts? Is it morally acceptable to oppose abortion yet support a war fought on terms which indirectly state superiority of one nation over another?
For too many years, American churches have focused on issues that some would claim to be irrelevant in relation to more important subjects. The Disney corporation was boycotted on the basis of the attempted indoctrination of children with immoral concepts, but the Walmart corporation is overlooked by “frugal Christians” even though most products offered by Walmart are made by individuals who have the most basic of their human rights violated by tyrannical governments or poor standards of living on a daily basis. By feigning ignorance, are Americans helping to eliminate this problem, or only encouraging it? Shouldn’t Christians, the ones who claim to be filled with the love of Christ and a love for fellow man not feign ignorance of so many very real problems that face too many individuals in our world? Why are the poor often overlooked, those in our prison systems scorned, those bound by forced prostitution and those with histories of substance abuse criticized by American churches?
The problem with these issues that a few Christians are beginning to see is the hypocrisy behind too many practices of the American church. Does turning a blind eye to human rights violations mean that we are exempt from blame for them? Are the moral obligations of Christians overturned when the issues do not directly affect them? Topics such as these have been percolating in the minds of many, religious or not, for quite some time, but sadly, are only beginning to be addressed by the American church.
Popular blogger from North Dakota, Julie Neidlinger, offered a thought-provoking example, along with some very insightful commentary as to the political situation of American churches in a recent post. Neidlinger describes her relationship with a Nicaraguan woman whom she has met and supports financially, a Christian woman who works long hours in a sweatshop to provide for her family. “Imagine my horror when, pawing through the clearance racks at Old Navy, I found a shirt with a label that said ‘Made in Nicaragua.’ She might not have made that shirt. But what was I doing? In search of the cheapest stuff, we are encouraging corporations to find slave-like labor to feed the American appetite for ‘cheaper, and more’.”
Neidlinger’s comments seem to echo the thoughts of a growing minority of American Christians. While the majority of “Christians” seek to balance their faith, work, ethics and life in general, a few are beginning to question whether the church as an organizational body has gotten things right through the past decades. The church, and corporate Christian entities in particular, have traditionally set the standard for other believers to follow in terms of morals and practices.
It’s not that the popular view of Christianity held today by its followers is necessarily wrong; it is merely warped. In a society where greed and power-mongering hold many citizens sway over following gut instincts in the case of moral issues, it is no wonder that the American church has lost many of its priorities. Perhaps the American church has become so obsessed with promoting the views of one political party and of “God and country” that we fail to recognize the individuality of faith and the effect that should have on our lives and culture. Perhaps our view of “One Nation under God” has been distorted to “One Nation Equal with God” or consumed with the idea that since the United States was founded upon many Christian principles, that everything this country accomplishes holds God’s blessing and go-ahead. Perhaps our culture of wealth and apathy has infiltrated those places that we should hold most sacred.
The Christian church, or any church of religious affiliation, for that matter, seems to have set aside social issues that should be highlighted in favor of accumulating wealth under the veil of “God’s blessing” instead of fulfilling what even non-Christians feel to be moral obligations- feeding the poor, caring for the sick, promoting frugality with finances and material possessions and not bowing or feigning naivety toward systems that deny human rights. The real issue stems from Christian churches preaching love toward one’s fellow man, then turning a blind eye to the real needs of humanity by placing their faith in a system of government or a particular political party. Whether or not one believes in God or a god, all can agree that the actions undertaken by an organization such as a political body do not always operate under the most moral of terms.