Faith, Culture and Politics: A Pope Points the Way? Spring 05

Life Giving Politics

For the past few years I've been trying to identify--in a more intentional way--an American Christian political and social ethic that makes more sense to me than the same old same old stuff from the loudest voices in the current arena.

Recognizing the weaknesses of various social and political points of view is an important starting place. But criticism is only half the task in creating something more life giving. At some point thoughtful Christians who aren't with the current program have to offer a clear alternative.

The fastest growing segments of the conservative protestant church in the US have largely abandoned an authentically prophetic role in the political and social arena.

Christians who want to change that situation can't just complain. We've got to create a compelling alternative vision that we can take into churches and into the national public policy discussion.

A lot of folks are working on that challenge right now.

I was encouraged by the publication of "Toward an Evangelical Public Policy, " the NAE's (National Association of Evangelicals) recent statement on Christian social and political action. You can get it at Amazon.

They pointed out that racial reconciliation, economic justice and environmental conservation are just as important as "family values" and opposition to abortion.

I don't know how much influence their statement will have in the wider evangelical and fundamentalist world. Fear makes listening difficult.

Yet sometimes words do more than we might think in a dark moment. Words created the world.
Words and practical witness are even better.

I think the life and witness of John Paul 2 might turn out to be a pretty good starting place for a new kind of social and political thinking among American evangelicals.

A Consistent Witness

During my college days I was a regular columnist for the Stanford Daily. I recently dug out a column I wrote about the newly elected Pope John Paul 2 way back in 1979.

As I re-read the column for the first time in 26 years (wow, was it really that long ago...?) and then reflected on the recent obituaries written after his death, I was pretty struck by the remarkable consistency of John Paul 2's social ethics and teachings throughout his life.

JP2 influenced me a lot over the years and I wanted to highlight some of his most important potential contributions to the current American conservative Christian protestant debate on social policy.

Is there a debate? Let's pretend.

A Compelling Christian Social Vision

• Prophetic Independence

JP2 refused to identify Christian faith with particular political, social or economic movements. He challenged western democratic culture and capitalism as clearly as he questioned communism and authoritarian regimes. The gospel must cut through any accumulation of power at strange and uncomfortable angles. He understood that truth more than most.

• Individual Freedom and Social Solidarity

He thought that a creative combination of individual freedom and social solidarity was a biblical mandate for healthy cultures in a fallen world.

Some cultures do social solidarity at the expense of individual freedom. Other cultures do individual freedom at the expense of social solidarity. He challenged traditional cultures to increase individual freedom and challenged developed western cultures to increase social solidarity.

He believed that current western cultures--particularly America--support individual freedom in a way that threatens social solidarity. In particular, he felt that an extreme and ideological committment to competitive individualism within western capitalism threatens social fairness in the west and around the world.

When he was still Archbishop of Krakow he wrote "The Acting Person," a major Catholic philosophical work. He argued that people only become fully human in the act of individual ethical choice. In the tentative and non-ideological way that is appropriate for Christians, he supported the world's experiments in political democracy and economic systems that put more power into the hands of individuals and families.

But he also believed that God calls individuals to make "a radical committment to justice and a determined display of social solidarity." He meant, among other things, that Christians should place a very high priority on serving the poor and the dispossessed. He also thought that Christians were commissioned to hold societies accountable to protect and encourage those who are currently "weak" in economic or cultural terms.

• A More Biblically Consistent Ethic of Life

JP2 thought that current American social movements support certain biblical ethics while ignoring other important Christian social teachings.

His social thought makes little sense in the current American conservative protestant world. And it makes even less sense in the broader American political community.

He was trying to construct a consistent ethic of life. He wanted to support and protect human life and dignity wherever it was threatened and he worked to counter "the arrogance of power with reason, force with dialogue, pointed weapons with outstretched hands, evil with good."

Here are some of the more important specific elements of his possibly life giving social ethic:

Opposition to Abortion

Support for Economic Justice and a Priority on Serving the Poor

Support for More Traditional Sexual Morality and Reproductive Responsibility

Opposition to Capital Punishment

Support for the Integrity of the Family

Support for Human Rights Including Religious Freedom

Opposition to War and Coercive Violence

Support for Ethnic and Racial Reconciliation

Support for Strong Environmental Conservation

JP2's social teachings don't fit anywhere on the current American "left/right" dichotomy. That's easy to see at a glance.

The Potential Relevance of JP2

I don't agree with every element of John Paul's social teaching and his words were clearly better than his follow through. I guess that last part is pretty true of everybody, though.

But if his teaching represents a clearer picture of truly biblical social ethics it could be important.

An approach like his might help American conservative protestants regain a biblical credibility and honesty in the current political and social discussion in the US.

That would be good. And timely.