What's Your Platform?


From the start of this blog in late 2010 I've been concerned about our increasingly polarized politics. I've also been troubled at the way many American Christians assume that Christian faith equals political conservatism and immediate agreement with Republican platforms. When I first put this page together in 2016, I quoted a 2004 statement by N. T. Wright, Anglican bishop and theologian in the UK, regarding false assumptions about what we believe:
"Part of the problem, particularly in the United States, is that cultures become so polarized that it is often assumed that if you tick one box you’re going to tick a dozen other boxes down the same side of the page – without realizing that the page itself is highly arbitrary and culture-bound. We have to claim the freedom, in Christ and in our various cultures, to name and call issues one by one with wisdom and clarity, without assuming that a decision on one point commits us to a decision on others." 
In that 2004 discussion, Wright went on to suggest that "the standard hard right line has allowed itself to be conned into a sub-Christian or even unChristian stance."

Two decades later, we can see the tragic implications of an unthinking acceptance of a party platform that has little to do with Christ, Christianity, wisdom or clarity. 

I began this blog to explore words half heard, ideas endorsed without full understanding, and false assumptions that lead us away from the joyful life God calls us toward. 

In 2016 I set myself the goal of slogging through political platforms and debated policies, with the hope of clarifying for myself, at least, what policies a Christ-follower might endorse, and which should be opposed. As my journey led me deeper into Pennsylvania politics, I became concerned at how little most of us understand about the way political power works. 

I believe more than ever that many good people of faith have been conned and manipulated, setting aside wisdom in the hope of quick political wins. While this page is devoted to exploring specifics of political platforms, at this point I see those platforms in the context of a decades long effort to dismantle democratic norms. 

I discuss the larger politic trends in these posts. Earlier posts on similar themes are listed below. 

Posts from 2024 (a work in progress- more to come)

Posts from 2020:

Posts from 2016:
Posts from 2012:

Makers, Takers, and Immoral Wealth Transfer  Sept. 23, 2012

Are all those who don't pay federal income taxes "takers," voting for immoral wealth transfer from the wealthy? 
Or are the biggest takers at the other end of the scale?





Welfare to Work and a Plea for Wisdom  Sep 2, 2012

Ever heard of TANF? 
That's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families  - commonly called Welfare. 
And what's this about Obama "gutting" welfare reform? 






The Least of These  August 26, 2012

Abortion has been in the news, and the parties are preparing their platforms.
What does it mean to care for the least of these? 
And what role do justice, mercy and humility have in this debate? 



  
Justice, Mercy, Parasites?   August 19, 2012

What we believe about individual worth, human value, service to others, justice, mercy, will shape our conversation, attitudes, policies, budgets. Somehow Ayn Rand's ideas about "creators" and "parasites" have found their way into our public discourse.
How should I respond to an ideology so out of step with "walking humbly with your God"?



Remember those in prison   August 12 2012

One in four of the world’s inmates is doing time in an American prison. “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” What does that mean when prisons are now a growth industry for private corporations?



Some Trust in Chariots  August 5 2012 

 Does it matter that we're now spending as much as the next fourteen nations combined? 
We have less than five percent of the world's population account for four/tenths of the world's military spending.
What are we afraid of?


Blessed are the Peacemakers:  July 22, 2012

Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers," 
Do we believe him? 
And why are so many people who claim to follow Christ such avid advocates for war? 


Guns and Good News  July 15, 2012

 Whose idea was a Second Amendment scorecard? 
And who benefits from unregulated guns?





 Some foundational questions about civic engagement:


Which "Way" Am I Called to Follow?   July 29 2012

In this hot political season, with voices raised about guns, jobs, freedom, the American Way, I find myself pausing to ask: which Way am I called to follow? 
Whose priorities should I pursue?



Struggling to Proclaim Good News July 8, 2012

How is my witness helped or harmed by the idea of a "Christian" platform? And who decides what a "good" Christian would vote for?




Silent Sentinels  July 1, 2012

What benefits do I enjoy that were won through costly dialogue? 
And what is my own responsibility in the current political discourse?




Love Your Neighbor, Vote with Prayer October 28, 2012

 Whose values shape our vote?
Is there one party that stands for "Christian values"? 
How do we decide when there's no perfect candidate, no perfect platform? 


Pulpit Freedom, Public Faith\ October 7, 2012 

What place does faith have in the political arena?
What place does politics have in the religious arena? 
What are some of the "malfunctions of faith"
that cause confusion when we try to sort this out?

Questions of Character October 14, 2012

Does character matter? 
Do we care if we're lied to? 
Do all faiths put the same value on truth?
And if not, is it okay to say so?





Blessed by Government  Sept. 16, 2012

Do we really want: “to shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub”? 
Ever visit a country with a really small government? 
Is government the enemy, or a blessing we take too much for granted? 





All Liberals Here: Except When We’re Not  Sept. 9, 2012

According to the historic definition, a liberal believes in the importance of individual rights, including property rights, personal rights, and the freedom of the individual from any kind of external restraint. 
See any contradictions? 


Some older posts on similar topics:

What Do You Have that You Didn't Receive?  Jun 11, 2012
How possible is it, in our current economy, for those without the privilege of family wealth to work their way from poverty to success? According to a growing number of economists, it's increasingly impossible. 

Wondering about Wealth Feb 05, 2012
But the real issue, from what I can see, isn't income, but wealth. Wealth - net worth - can be defined as financial assets (stocks, bonds, savings) plus real assets (primarily housing) minus debt. 

The Big G  Oct 16, 2011
The prophets, from Isaiah and Jeremiah to Hosea, Amos, Micah, warn about God's anger against those who trust in riches, who hoard wealth, who gather more than their share, who misuse the land and exploit their workers.

Words Half Heard: Earth Day Shalom: Ripples of Resurrection  Apr 22, 2012
Earth Day Shalom: Ripples of Resurrection. How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. (Jeremiah 12:4) ...

Whose Seed? Whose Food?   Jan 29, 2012
What is food sovereignty, and why should I care? Should I care about what happens to cotton farmers in India? Rice farmers in China? Corn farmers in Haiti? What about the struggles of organic farmers here in the US? 

Hijacked?   Jan 22, 2012
David Kinneman’s unChristian quotes one young agnostic, active in the Republican party: “I believe that American Christians have become tools of the Republican election machine—at the expense of their own image and message.” Yet a Christianity Today article suggests “Frequent Bible Reading Can Turn You Liberal." Who speaks for the church? Do we agree?

Power.Money.Justice.Love?  Jan 15, 2012
Andrew Jackson said: "Unless you become more watchful in your States and check this spirit of monopoly and thirst for exclusive privileges, you will in the end find that the most important powers of Government have been given or bartered away, and the control of your dearest interests have been passed into the hands of these corporations." So what does that have to do with justice and love?

Fracking Hysteria?  Nov 13, 2011
Hysteria has become the word of choice in describing those who express concern about fracking, hydraulic fracturing. The oil and gas industry has a great deal of money committed to preserving the status quo, reliance on fossil fuel, even though that fossil fuel is harder and harder to get, and extracted from more and more sensitive regions, in more and more untested and dangerous ways. Easy to dismiss voices of concern with a quick label: “hysteria.”

Becoming a Fractivist  Sep 11, 2011
Wendell Berry wrote: “We are destroying our country - I mean our country itself, our land. This is a terrible thing to know, but it is not a reason for despair unless we decide to continue the destruction. If we decide to continue the destruction, that will not be because we have no other choice. This destruction is not necessary. It is not inevitable, except that by our submissiveness we make it so.”

Work  Sep 4, 2011

What's the value of work? And who speaks for workers?








Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)