The Progressive Christian Message: Am I Convincing You Yet?

The other day I made a criticism in front of a group about how many progressive Christian theologies take out small snippets of scripture and apply them to social issues more or less in the same disingenuous ways that the Christian Right does. However, my beef was not so much against this action in and of itself but that such an approach does little to convince anyone who is already not on the same side.  To this, someone asked if I thought the point of such theologies were to convince an opponent of THE true truth.  This a fair question.  When a progressive Christian, or really anyone for that matter, constructs some sort of argument or makes a particular case, is there an implication that the constructor has THE truth that all others ought conform to?

When I tell people that the Fresh Prince of Bel Air is the best show of all time (click here for all the evidence you need), I believe I am in possession of a truth that all who disagree are too blind to see.  If only they’d open their unfunny eyes.  But in this case, whether or not someone agrees with me is largely inconsequential.  The Fresh Prince has been off the air since the Clinton era and all the DVDs have been released.  I don’t need to convince people lest it be cancelled or Will Smith not become a giant tool.

A progressive Christian agenda is another matter.  In hoping to institute real change in America on behalf of the widows and orphans, both literally and metaphorically, we need to get as many people on our side as possible.  To answer my original question, I think that any rational argument is designed to be convincing to somebody, otherwise we’d just say, “Don’t worry about it.”  Is it THE truth?  There is no way for me to really know, but bringing as many people to our cause is essential.  This is not a matter of being an evangelizing zealot, or a cultural imperialist.  That’s what one liners and guns are for.  So how do we do it then?

Peter Laarman over at Religion Dispatches provides an interesting answer where he champions relationship building, narrative honesty, and interpersonal means of conversation and debate.  Seems like a good start to me.

I should note that my previous post regarding global warming flies in the face of everything I just said.  I won't try to defend myself (but I was genuinely curious!).  I apologize.   


-Tim

Why Do Some Christians Think Global Warming Blows?

Ok, so no one wanted to respond to my question in part one.  That is fine.  I know all of you are too ashamed to admit being terrible stewards of the environment.

I am trying today to understand why so many Christians oppose global warming, or climate change, as some sort of evil hoax.  What is it about the idea that human beings are contributing to harmful changes in the atmosphere that makes certain people who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord who saves them from eternal damnation so upset?

I found this website, entitled "Free Sunday School Lessons" with an entry called "Global Warming: More Than a Hoax."  It is kind of great, mostly because it is rather long and dense and boring for Sunday school (If I remember Sunday school, we sang songs about Father Abraham, made macaroni Jesus fish, and awkwardly went through puberty together in a sexually repressive environment).  I'll save you the trouble of looking through the whole thing, though I recommend it, and leave you with a few choice excerpts:
"There is an underlying need in sinful human nature to be able to predict the future. It used to be that false prophets were dealt with severely. Today, they win the Nobel Peace prize."
"God made it clear to Job that it is arrogance to believe that man can control the climate."
"What the Bible says:
Genesis 8:22: 'As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.'”
"These people believe “anything.” They do not discern, but believe every word anybody speaks.
On the contrary, we are to be prudent, sensible people."
" Take this global warming issue as an opportunity to spread the Gospel."
"It is a battle between faith in science or the Bible. Like many doomsday prophecies, there are underlying motivations. We have identified two—politics and money."

I will stop here for now, but there is definitely something that motivates this anti-global warming faction (this being one example).  I have identified two - the need to hold onto biblical inerrancy, and a hatred of anything championed by secular humanists and hairy people (I also have a suspicion that is has something to do with a love for Kirk Cameron, but I can't prove that).

-Tim

Here Comes the Sun Again

Just a reminder, I think mostly for myself, that there is beauty in the world.  May your day be blessed (despite all the bad we try to fight, there is still something insane about flying in an airplane and looking out the window).

Cap-and-trade Vs Politics

Ezra Klein: Climate hawks are trying to pinpoint where they went wrong in their campaign to combat global warming. Brad Plumer rather sensibly suggests that they’re overlooking the possibility that the problem wasn’t tactical deficiencies on the part of the green movement, but rather the result of things just not working out on the issue. I think that’s mostly correct, but would add that trying to understand what happened to cap-and-trade by looking specifically at the cap-and-trade debate is almost certainly the wrong way to go about it. Rather, cap-and-trade, like many other issues, is a casualty of larger forces driving our politics.

An Honest Confession About Being Green

On a scale of 1-10 for environmental consciousness and action (1 being someone who clubs baby seals for sport and drives from their garage to the end of the driveway to put out the trash, and 10 being someone who never showers to save water and eats meat only if its carrion) I would put myself at a 6. I am well aware of environmental policy issues (cap and trade, etc.), try to recycle when possible, bike when possible, turn off lights and appliances when possible, and even though it hurts like hell because its like sand paper, I often buy recycled toilet paper.

But there are tons of things I don't do. I actually lied. I drive a lot because it is so convenient, and because I am always late to things. I take long showers because hot water feels so nice. Sometimes at night I have bad dreams and then sleep with the lights on. I have an air conditioner, and eat all kinds of earth destroying fast food. I once strangled a panda to death.

This morning I read an article about how youth these days are part of a new Green Generation, where six-year-old kids are telling their Earth-hating-parents to unplug unused appliances. Then I read another article that says the Green Generation isn't very green at all. Then I read another article about how young professionals these days want to work for jobs that matter, i.e., environmental sustainability.

It seems to me that there a number of factors that contribute to the youth and young adult population being more environmentally conscious than previous generations, and there are also a number of factors I can think of that somewhat cancel out higher consciousness in the name of self convenience. Most people I know personally fall somewhere around a 5 or 6 on my completely arbitrary scale of environmental consciousness and action. Which makes me feel a little bit better about myself, though I feel shameful that that makes me feel better about myself. Where might you put yourself?

More to come.

-Tim