Ultra-hip Relevant magazine has set its sights on Western Christianity’s martyrdom complex. Author Ian Harbor scolds American evangelicals for being “jealous” of the persecuted church and warns against “a fabricated self-victimization by the American Church.” He grants there are examples of unjust political pressures, but these dwarf in comparison to the hardships of the Christians on the international front.
This seems an indisputable point. But Harbor pushes further. “The persecution that American Christians face is greatly insignificant compared to the other persecuted Christians around the world, and we know it,” he announces, “So, out of typical good intentions of wanting to see the Gospel spread and people meet Jesus, we come up with ways to make ourselves seem persecuted.” More contentiously, he argues, “Christians began to lose their footing in society the moment they stopped being agents of change and started playing the victim.” “[A] lot of the slander that American Christians experience was brought upon us by ourselves. By complaining. By playing the victim. By standing up for legislation instead of love,” Harbor laments. The specific pieces of problematic legislation remain unnamed, as are examples of preferable “culture creation.” Vagueness for the sake of brevity, I suppose. And isn’t legislation a way to love one’s neighbor and be an “agent of change” in the political sphere rather than a faux-victim?
Nevertheless, Harbor’s prognosis tracks well with some of the younger evangelical set and with good reason. Christians should put loyalty to the Church and her teachings first. The capitalization, “her” pronoun, and ecclesiastical possession of teaching authority belie that I do not in fact share in nondenominational evangelicalism’s concept of the church. This is a deeper, more problematic issue that American Protestants in general have to tussle with.
More to the issue at hand, there are vocal elements who put ideas from alternative news outlets and political parties over universal (or at least common) notions of the church. While liberals and conservatives alike are guilty of this terrible habit, Harbor zeroes in on the more populist-conservative tendency to worry about selective harassment of the Christian faith. This is a fair enough assessment for one side of the aisle which prefers current talking points rather than the creeds. Such habits can impoverish religious communities as well as political discourse.
On the other hand, discerning historians realize that the relationship between the City of God and the City of Man is often tense, if not in open conflict. By and large, the mechanisms of powers in the world get turned against Christians to persecute them. Christianity preaches an exclusivist God to a universal audience. While Judaism had a similar exclusivism, it was for the seed of Abraham, not to be evangelized to the whole earth for the salvation of mankind. Thus, Christians fall afoul of a vast array of earthly governments for their meddlesome message and way of life.
Reflective thinkers remain wary of such tendencies. What is more, they notice a troubling contrast with the past treatment of faith in the public square and current attitudes. While not all expressions and exercises of religious beliefs in politics were healthy in the twentieth century, the utter derision and resentment held against even well-meaning Christians by leading cultural voices disturbs more than nostalgic baby boomers. For example, it is common to hold (what used to be) questionable stances on sexuality as essential to a person’s identity while treating religious convictions as inconvenient desiderata, of low priority for policy concerns. Christians are really worried how this will play out, especially since the traditional teachings of their faith militate against popular sexual mores. Is this “playing the victim”? I do wonder what Harbor’s analysis would be; it looks a lot more like political foresight to me.
Speaking of vigilance, young evangelicals need to put aside some of their vocal ire with older conservative Christians (I’m 24, so I get to say this with impunity). Prudence and watchfulness in our particular political context is not somehow “less holy.” I know we want people to like us, but seriously, there are real threats to ordered liberty happening in our legislative, executive, and judicial branches. I know when our parents and grandparents strap on their culture war armor, they look frightening and occasionally embarrassing. Sadly, some forget to take their armor off to engage with the rest of life, but they truly feel overwhelmed by the sea-change in public morals. But I think they are defending goods worth preserving and receiving ostracism for—if they do so clumsily, do better yourself. Human flourishing is worth sacrifice. We need to promote it not for us, but for our children.
Dare I, an Anti-Federalist sympathizer, quote James Madison in his “Federalist No. 57?” Writing about the proposed Constitution (no Scripture, but certainly an impressive political document), Madison declared,
If it be asked, what is to restrain the House of Representatives from making legal discriminations in favor of themselves and a particular class of the society? I answer: the genius of the whole system; the nature of just and constitutional laws; and above all, the vigilant and manly spirit which actuates the people of America — a spirit which nourishes freedom, and in return is nourished by it.
For much of the United States, this spirit has faltered. Will it be so with young evangelicals? Only if they abandon the guardianship of American life’s “perishable joys.”
Comment by Larry Miller on September 19, 2013 at 2:57 pm
As one of the old guys, I have to say you are right on target.
Comment by Adrian Croft on September 21, 2013 at 6:55 pm
Reading various comments on the Oregon bakers (Christians) who committed the unspeakable act of not making a “wedding” cake for two lesbians, I was struck by how the theophobes mock the whole thing, declaring that whatever it is, it’s NOT persecution, that Christians just enjoy playing victim – a very ironic accusation coming from gay men, who have successfully played the victim game since AIDS made the cover of Time in 1983. Given the anti-religious sentiment in much of the culture right now, I fear the media are all set to either ignore or distort any persecution of Christians. And of course, if we’re “asking for it” anyway, they can say they were just obliging us, like the Anabaptists that were executed by both Catholics and Protestants in the 1500s – execution by drowning was accompanied by taunts of “You want baptism? We’ll give you some water all right!”
Comment by Christian on September 23, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Ummm… Federalist 57 argues against what you support, codifying your christianity into the the primary influence in the US.
Comment by Adrian Croft on September 23, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Thanks for pointing that out. Shall I go and burn my Bible now? If you say Federalist 57 is more important than the Bible, well, who am I to argue?