Michelle Goldberg has written a thoughtful essay entitled "What's the Matter with Barak Obama?"
For a long time, Republicans haven't seemed to grasp the value of separating church and state. Now, Democrats don't seem to get it.
Goldberg does a good job reminding both Republicans and Democrats to put first things first in civil society.
3 comments:
Okay, so I actually disagree with you here. Who knew that would happen? I so rarely comment because I agree with what you say. No need to speak up. But this time I think that you give Obama and Wllis a bum rap.
The polis that is the church is the overarching interprative framework for reality...not the other way around. There is a separation of church and state, yes, but it is the church that interprets the state as the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed in this world and not one of our imagination.
So, when we speak of imaginary secularists etc, the goal is to continue dialogue. As it stands, with civil politics using and abusing the ecclesial polis, there is no dialogue and ploitical pundits can abuse and use the church.
Dialogue diffuses power.
Re: the poor - absolutely there is trouble here. There is. I cannot argue there, but there is no clear causational relationship between poverty and attempts to increase dialogue across civil political lines...or religious ones.
Poverty is a greater systemic issue where the congregation must rise up. Think of it as a grassroots issue.
Anglobaptist,
I'm not comfortable with equating the Greek idea of the "polis" with the biblical conception of the "kingdom of God."
I think that may be the crux of the difference between Wallis and myself.
Christians should always be active in efforts to see that life in the "polis" is just. Life in the kingdom has a higher standard -- that of love and grace. Justice can be secured by force of law and government. Love and grace are necessarily secured by persuasion and voluntary commitment.
Good point. But if I were actually an articulate writer you would have understood the Church as "polis." Not that some sectarian ideal is what I want to encourage. But often when we separate church and state in our political lives, we separate politics and religion ethically and morally. The separation of church and state is to give faith free reign so that we may all live from that position(s) without molestation from civil authority. Thus, we can have a church politic...a polis of faith which is the church.
That's what I am wrangling with.
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