Anthony Bradley at World Magazine laments that some evangelicals are planning on voting for Obama. Fair enough. The man voted against a partial birth abortion ban, which places him, in my estimation in the same category as a person who favors slavery: you just don't vote for him, no matter what else he believes.
But Bradley then makes the following statement:
So why aren’t Christians, en masse, joining the Constitution Party? It may have something to do with the fact that for most Christians, our theology really does not inform our politics. Politics and faith are two unrelated compartments for most of us, if we’re honest. This compartmentalization, in part, explains why so many evangelicals uncritically embrace the socialistic and Marxist visions of Jim Wallis, Wendell Berry, Shane Claiborne, Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, and so on.
Wendell Berry? A Marxist? C'mon guys. Bradley is obviously frustrated, but that doesn't excuse a statement like this. Berry is not a Marxist, or even a socialist. He's certainly not a member of the religious right and his views on some things are problematic, but in large part Berry propounds a vision of Christian community--and a view of the environment thoroughly based on the book of Genesis--unparalleled by any evangelical thinker.
World Magazine editors, are you listening?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
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Martin, Great post!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's refreshing to know that some politically minded folks recognize the biblical theological motivations behind what Wendell Berry has to say about the environment. His really is the most biblically sound approach I have seen.