Dear Andrew (part two)
Wednesday November 1, 2006
Your first letter reminded me of a discussion I had with some close friends in early 2003. I was ranting about how misguided I felt Christians were in their politics--poverty a side issue, racial justice a non-issue, and hatred too...
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[beg pardon for not reponding here to Andrew Part 2] David: Just wondering if you'd heard of the Emergent Church Network, an evangelical movement that strives among other things to break the popular association between "evangelical" and "politically conservative". I hadn't heard of it before the linked story was broadcast locally on Minnesota Punlic Radio.
Being broken is a defining characteristic of a Christian. Only the broken can truly embrace Jesus. I always rejoice when I hear of a broken person looking toward Jesus. I know God is at work. Looking forward to reading your book.
Please excuse me for being off-topic. I couldn't figure out your email address.
I found your Charlie Rose appearance very moving for your commitment to the poor and the strength of your beliefs. Best wishes.
I'm a liberal Democrat.
Like Neil, I'm here because I couldn't find an email address for you; like Neil, too, I'm a liberal Democrat. And (since I find myself on the BeliefNet site) a Jew, an agnostic, and an athiest. In no particular order. In any event - I'm reading Tempting Faith, and enjoying it. I'd like to know if you have a book tour scheduled that will take you through San Diego.
I'm another "liberal" , but not necessarily a Democrat and I have really been intrigued by the responses to your book. I have also been a "born-again" (in the Bibical sense, not the fundamentalist sense) for some years. I have been totally unsuccessful in finding a church because they all seem to be so political and un-Christian, as I understand what it is to be Christian. And then your book comes along and I find there are a lot of us. And also a lot of dogmatic "Christians" who feel the need to rip you. So it seems there are great divides between people who truly strive to follow Christ and those who just think going to church on Sunday is a sacrifice to some God they must obey. WE have all done mean and hateful things and some of us come to Christ on our knees out of a recongnition that that is not the kind of people we want to be. Often a choice born out of pain and shame. What amazes me is the sort of mysterious way Christ takes the meanness out of us when we truly want it to be gone. Sorry to ramble, just want to thank you for brining this sort of discussion to such a public forum.
I wonder if people know what fundamentalism was historically. The word today is used today in a prerogative sense like commie or red was back in the 50-60s, but do you know what it means?
People who describe other people as fundamentalist in my opinion reveal a degree of arrogance unbecoming a Christian. It also reveals an ignorance of history, a history that can teach us all about the relationship between politics and religion. The fundamentalist of the early part of the last century can teach us a lot about how to distance and position ourselves from the secular powers to be. So I suggest Google history of fundamentalism. You might be surprised.
David, I have heard/seen you on NPR, Comedy Central and several other media and I think very highly of your views. One aspect puzzles me though: how an abortion led you to work for political right-to-life causes. How can you work to deprive others of the freedom you and your girlfriend exercised when faced with an unwanted pregnancy? This seems somehow hypocritical to me. I can understand the emotional trauma and wanting to channel your energies in a direction you deem moral, but wouldn't those energies have been more appropriately devoted to 1) PERSONALLY resolving never to have another abortion in any future relationship and 2) working to educate as many people as possible on the possibilities of completing the pregnancy, raising children, choosing adoption etc. Choosing to work politically to ban individual freedom seems counter to many of the conservative views you espouse. I would love to hear your perspective on this.
Thanks for being brave enough to make those confessions, David. What I find most heartbreaking about the conflation of Christianity with politics in recent years is the extent to which a faith that is ostensibly about love and forgiveness has become best known for being used as a weapon. Christian history is full of cautionary tales about the tragedy that generally results when church leaders allow their religion to be twisted to political ends. Too bad Bush & Co haven't read enough history to avoid repeating its mistakes... I truly believe that our best hope for finding a way out of the present darkness is for more Christians like yourself -- who have learned, sometimes the hard way, that hate is *not* a family value -- to to speak up, loudly and publicly, and disavow the actions of your misguided coreligionists. So blessed be, David, and keep sharing your testimony.
Has David Kuo spoken with Cal Thomas about their shared experiences with politicians? If my memory serves me correctly, Cal had developed similar opinions after Reagan/Bush41 as David has after Bush43. Where is the Protestant voice regarding illegal immigration? I've heard some compassionate rhetoric from Catholic clergy in California, but the Protestants are silent. Is this a repeat of the 1960's civil rights movement when white Protestants were MIA?
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