Wars linked to religious motives are part of history. But
lost in the details are clear causal connections between one or more religious
motives and the atrocities common in warfare. In contemporary western cultures
wars are conducted at the ballot box, in the courts, and in the media.
Cultural war dead are counted in terms of lost pride,
lost causes, lost traditions, lost influence, and even lost money. Cultural injuries can be measured by assessment of anger, resentment, plans for revenge, and money spent on causes limiting the rights of various subcultures.
In the
United States and western democracies, Christian traditions that informed cultural
norms codified in law have been overturned at an incredible pace leaving
Christians wondering about the limits of religious freedom.
At this point we can only guess that in the future,
people will look back on the 2015 Supreme Court decision to affirm same-sex
marriage rights as indicative of the decline in the degree to which Christians
could influence U.S. culture.
Meanwhile, moral battles rage. Sexual minorities seek
protection from discrimination, the right to adopt children, and the right to
live their lives free from microaggressions—too many to name here. They have
won the right to marry and access the many benefits linked to marriage.
Christians actively seek freedom to live according to
their religiously informed conscience. It’s no secret that same-sex marriage is
a double blow to Christians — violating teaching against same-sex sex and
heterosexual marriage. Add to the same-sex marriage ruling concerns about abortion, birth control, and
pornography—and soon we see that something related to sex dominates the news.
And media post stories over selling pizza and baking
cakes for gay couples, and photographing gay weddings. Christians are anxious
about the sex of those they may meet in locker rooms, toilets, and the
residence halls of Christian colleges. Conservative Christian mental health
workers wonder if they must support gay marriage and clergy wonder how to
respond to gay couples seeking marriage or attending their church.
Of course, Christians themselves are divided on several
issues as I wrote about in A House Divided. Some
are willing to throw out all traditions and affirm the brave new world. Others,
young and old, are deeply concerned about the kind of world they and their
children will inhabit. Is nothing sacred anymore?
ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND TOLERANCE
1. Religious
freedom is an important value that should not be swept aside so easily.
I am mindful that seemingly frivolous concerns have been
used to make life difficult when laws and institutional policies, informed by a
fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible, interfered with the joy of life
afforded by enjoying harmless or relatively harmless activities. Nevertheless,
the wisdom of the founders of liberty in the western democracies that enshrined
freedom of religion along with the lessons of centuries ought not to be
discarded in favor of religious intolerance or religious restrictions without
compelling, evidenced-based reasons. Tolerance is meaningless if Christian beliefs and practices are restricted to the closet.
2. Christians
concerned about values and religious freedom need wisdom.
There are Christian scholars— wise persons able to think
deeply and broadly about the implications of Christian moral pronouncements. Too
often Christian troops have been rallied on the basis of fear and hate by arrogant
hucksters lacking an understanding of Scripture, moral reasoning, and human
nature.
Too many Christian speakers are woefully uninformed about
science and history (American history in particular). Winning a skirmish based
on ill-conceived and flimsy emotion-laden trivialities will not produce lasting
and meaningful social change. Some Christians will continue to divide the
Christian community creating a subgroup known by their resentment and vengeance,
which will dwindle in numbers and at best become a marginalized group.
3. Christians need
to present a principled moral stance.
For Christians to have influence in moral and political
discourse, scholars need to articulate a cogent understanding of moral principles
derived from a humble and honest approach to Scripture, clear thinking, and
critical analysis of moral facts.
Christian colleges and universities would do well to
include integrated courses in moral theology, philosophy, and psychology. There
are reasoned approaches to grounding the importance of morality in respect for
conscience when Christians exist in secular societies.
When Christian leaders present impoverished and hateful moral arguments in public, Christians ought to be the first to replace foolishness
with wisdom.
4. Religiously
motivated laws untempered by limitations produce harmful extremism.
The narrow-minded religious moral rules of decades ago served only
to limit human freedom and link Christianity to mindless prohibitions. Such
rules did more to promote hypocrisy and resistance than decency.
Contemporary Christian thinkers would do well to understand
the arguments informing public morality and the importance of justice found in
the works of John Stuart Mill, Bernard Williams, Frederick Schauer, John Rawls,
Brian Leiter, Joshua Greene, and Jonathan Haidt.
5. Christians might
have more influence living rather than thumping Scripture.
The Bible offers a groundwork for the ethical treatment
of others sourced in love and manifest in compassion, forgiveness, and mercy
without setting aside the importance of justice.
Every Christian community provides evidence about how
well these values work. Unfortunately, many Christian communities have failed
to offer supporting evidence that faith transforms people in a virtuous manner.
Perfection is not required but integrity is vital. The key question for a moral
community can be found in the gospels: How well do you lovingly care for your
congregants, neighbors, and those on the margins of society?
Oddly, as the film Spotlight illustrates, Christians tolerated harmful behavior as if loyalty to an institution or clergy were more important that love of God and people.
6. Tolerance ought
not to be confused with an anything goes morality.
Tolerance implies that others have strongly held beliefs
that are different for at least two groups. And even more, tolerance demands
that behaviors associated with those different beliefs ought to be permitted
within reasonable boundaries set by an analysis of actual or likely harm.
Virtues of equality, loyalty, respect, and liberty deserve consideration but
these virtues are weighed in the common scale of care versus harm. Clear
thinking and moral facts are requisite to avoid deceit in claims of harm as is
known to any one observing the antics of those who would extort ransoms in
courts from deep pockets on the basis of a minor injury.
Secularists pushing back against conscience-driven
Christian practices and Christians promoting laws that restrict basic rights
leave themselves at the mercy of imperfect government parties attempting to set
the boundaries of tolerance so multiple parties have a safe space in which to
play by their rules without harming the other group. Unfortunately, that’s
difficult when both groups want access to the same market place.
In large
multicultural societies, tolerance is not just a two-edged sword.
Tolerance is a collection of double-edged swords cutting
groups into exempt communities.
Tolerance can be painful.
7. The economic
power of large corporations will continue to influence publicly morality.
The economic pressure focused on the U.S. states of
Indiana and Georgia provided strong evidence that American corporations have
significant clout and they will use that clout to advance their causes. Groups attempting to use the power of government to coerce others to play by a set of moral rules
must now contend with the power of big business. The rich have always had
access to the halls of power around the world. Power brokers used to work in
private. Now we see corporate power exerted in the public arena.
Christians who wish to compete with the morals of big
business will need to count the cost. This counting should sharpen a groups’
focus when it comes to investing time and treasure in the Kingdom of God.
Read more about Christianity, Sexuality, and Morality in A House Divided
Contact
Information
Facebook Page: Geoff W. Sutton
Twitter @GeoffWSutton
Website: Geoff W. Sutton
www.suttong.com
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