Searching for the Center

The recent forced resignation of Rich Cizik from the National Association of Evangelicals has revealed a number of tensions within the Evangelical community. In addition to the internal struggles within the NAE as to what their particular future holds, there is also the battle for the future of Evangelicalism as a whole. On one side of the proverbial aisle, Jim Wallis and other leftists are gleefully declaring the death of the religious right. At the same time, the powerhouses of the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family are gearing up for a rallying of their conservative base, in an attempt to consolidate their power. While the usual suspects of the religious right and left seek to control the face of Evangelicalism, there is an alternative to the politics of old that is gaining momentum: the Evangelical center.

The Evangelical center is rapidly coming into prominence. Numerous books and articles have been written detailing the importance of finding an alternative to the left/right dichotomy that is so engrained in our culture. Even politicians who have long capitalized from the pitting of one side against the other are now realizing that there are in fact a great number of people who would label themselves centrist or moderate instead of hard right or left. The reasons for this sudden rise in centrist politics, or more specifically, Evangelical centrist politics, are several. First, there is a general consensus that people have been growing tired of business as usual when it comes to the contentious subject matter of politics. This is only increased by the fact that business as usual has been, as of late, a rather bad sort of business. The economy taking a dive has only highlighted voters’ desire for something new. In this past election cycle practically every candidate on the ballot emphasized the need for “change.” Secondly, and more specifically for our purposes, the rise of the Evangelical center is coming after several decades of the Evangelical world being dominated by figures on the right. Deservedly or not, many of these figures have garnered a tainted image, and a lot of Evangelicals wish to distance themselves from some of their fiery rhetoric and blind partisanship. At the same time, most Evangelicals do not like how distant the left is, recognizing that they would merely be trading one party’s ideology and its problems for another.

Because of all these factors there are many people searching for the center in Evangelical politics, but by many accounts, the center is proving to be incredibly hard to find. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all American politics is firmly entrenched in a two-party system. This means that in order for someone to have any manner of influence whatsoever, he or she must find a place in one of the two parties, which of course is not conducive to a centrist approach. This in turn has led to most of the country being raised in either Republican or Democrat homes. When one has grown up identifying with a party and ideology it is very difficult to break from that type of partisan thinking. This means that even when someone does attempt to find the center, they are coming at it from either the left or the right, which causes others who are trying to find the center from the opposite side of the aisle to feel put off by the liberal or conservative tendencies of their fellow centrists. Finally, the center is hard to find because there is no one organization with which centrists can identify. So instead of there being a strong group around which centrists can rally, we are left with a loose nebulous of an idea, rather than the strong parapet of an established leader.

Yet, despite all these obstacles, it cannot be emphasized enough the importance of finding the Evangelical center, for there is so much at stake. The secondary title of David Gushee’s recent book is, The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center, and I don’t think there is a better way to put it. As Christians our first and foremost responsibility must always be to share the good news of the Gospel. The success or failure of a political action can only be measured in how closely it represents our God to a fallen world. But with the hyper-partisanship that so many Evangelicals engage in, this witness is badly damaged. Not only can one make a strong biblical argument for a centrist approach to politics, but finding the center will allow us to distance ourselves from the bad implications of the current two-party system, implications which, sadly, all too often we find ourselves defending. Finally, finding the center will allow us to not be beholden to a party’s leader, but to the Head of the Church. The world needs to know where our allegiance truly lies. A biblical approach to politics will go a long way towards correcting our misplaced loyalty.

Devotional Thought: The Beauty of Sacrifice

During this past holiday season I had the occasion to spend some thirty-two hours in the car. I used a great portion of this time to listen to the audio version of my favorite work of fiction: A Tale of Two Cities. In this captivating novel, Charles Dickens describes the tumult that surrounded the French Revolution and how it effected his collection of fictional characters. I see the golden theme of this story to be the power of love, but the part that I am always mesmerized by is the final scene, in which the dull and selfish “jackal” Sydney Carton gives his life to save the noble Charles Darnay. In one of the most moving pieces of literature ever penned, the reader witnesses as Sydney Carton fades into history, but his words live forever on, “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

Now that I know how the story ends, I am always struck by how I long for the tragedy of Carton’s death to be avoided. Every time I see the plot unfold I wish that maybe, just maybe, this time it will come out different. But the beauty of A Tale of Two Cities is found in how it ends. If it were not for this powerful ending scene, it doubtlessly would be just another interesting story. As much as I long for Carton to be able to escape his demise, I know that he must die, for it is in that death that the story truly takes life.

My desire to see Carton’s fate changed reminds me of another tragic death in history. Only this time it is not a wretch such as Carton who is making the sacrifice, but the Spotless Lamb of God. Every time I read through one of the Gospels a strange part of me desperately wants Pilate to change his mind, to see the error of his ways and release Jesus. But this too I know is not what happened. Jesus could not be released, because that is not why He came, and that is precisely the beauty of the Gospel. His sacrificial death paved the way for our redemption; you, me, even Sydney Carton.

I think it is normal to have a part of you wish that the Gospel narrative had turned out another way, because buried within that desire is the recognition that it was us who sent Him there. A Tale of Two Cities ends with the powerful death of Sydney Carton, but thanks be to God that that is not where the Gospels end. The Crucifixion is powerful, but the Resurrection is absolutely glorious. So the next time you read the Gospel account of Christ’s Passion, spend just a moment contemplating why it is we wish the story would take a different turn, but after that moment spend every waking second you have basking in the glory of the way the story actually ends.

Book Review: The Future of Faith in American Politics, by David P. Gushee

Dr. David Gushee has made an immense contribution to the world of Evangelical politics with the publication of his most recent book, The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center. Gushee not only provides an in-depth look at the current Evangelical political spectrum, but he also clearly articulates a vision for an emerging “Evangelical Center,” a moderate approach to politics that more fully embraces the whole of biblical counsel, not merely a partisan outlook on political life.

In the first half of his work, Gushee details the major players, organizations and worldviews that constitute what he sees as a distinct Evangelical Right, Left and Center. On the Right he chronicles the rise of such influential organizations as Focus on the Family and the American Family Association, among others. Gushee agrees with the way in which the Right is able to speak out on abortion and the sanctity of marriage, but faults them for at times having too narrow of an issue base, and at other times for merely adopting the Republican Party platform wholeheartedly.

The Evangelical Left consists mainly of the personalities of Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo and the organizations that they have built around them, but there are many other organizations that embody a liberal approach to politics as well. While the Left, and especially Wallis, tend to view themselves as a mediator between the Secular Left and the Evangelical Right, Gushee rightly points out that most of the ire of those on the Left is directed at the Right. As is to be expected, Gushee praises the Left for being able to widen the agenda of the Evangelical world, especially in the realm of social justice and their reliance on Jesus and His message in the Sermon on the Mount. However, they can fall vulnerable to losing their self-proclaimed prophetic roll when they refuse to speak out on issues that make them feel uncomfortable, most notably homosexuality and abortion.

The thrust of Gushee’s argument comes in his description and advocacy for the Evangelical Center. He notes the many different venues from which the Center is emerging, the more prominent of which would be the National Association of Evangelicals, Christianity Today, activist Ron Sider, and mega-church pastors such as Rick Warren and Joel Hunter. The hallmark of the Center is their ability to hold to the traditional Evangelical stances on the issues of abortion and protecting marriage, but also being able to include a broader scope of concerns that includes poverty, the environment, torture, and racism just to name a few.

Gushee takes a much different approach in the second half of his book, using it to articulate the centrist position on a few key issues, including: torture, the environment, marriage and war. While at times it could be argued that Gushee is approaching the subject with a more leftward leaning stance than centrist, all in all he does a good job of promoting both a biblical argument and innovative solutions. At the very least, Gushee should be respected for attempting to strike the delicate balance that the Center should hold, even if at times he comes across as a little more liberal than centrist.

The Future of Faith in American Politics is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand the current state of Evangelical politics, but more importantly, Gushee does a wonderful job of showing what the future of Evangelical political engagement will be. Even if one does not agree with all the conclusions Gushee comes to, it is important to make the same efforts he does, putting the Word of God at the forefront of our political positions and attempting to break free of the partisan structure that so often captivates our political ideologies.