megachurches and power: what would jesus do?
I just read an interesting and somewhat frustrating story (for me) from Reuters:
Megachurches build a Republican base
By Andrea Hopkins
LANCASTER, Ohio (Reuters) - It's not Sunday but Fairfield Christian Church is packed. Hundreds of kids are making their way to vacation Bible school, parents are dropping in at the day-care center and yellow-shirted volunteers are everywhere, directing traffic. In one wing of the sprawling church, a coffee barista whips up a mango smoothie while workers bustle around the cafeteria.
"There are people here from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day -- sometimes later," senior pastor Russell Johnson says as he surveys the activity.
The 4,000 members of Fairfield Christian are part of the growing evangelical Christian movement in middle America. In a March survey, a quarter of Ohio residents said they were evangelicals -- believing that a strict adherence to the Bible and personal commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ will bring salvation.
The fastest-growing faith group in America, evangelical Christians have had a growing impact on the nation's political landscape, in part because adherents believe conservative Christian values should have a place in politics -- and they support politicians who agree with them.
In that March survey, more than 82 percent of the Ohio evangelicals who attend church at least once a week said they approve of bringing more religion into politics.
"Christians stepped back too far. I prayed in school but my kids can't pray in school," said volunteer Lisa Sexton, 42, a Bible school volunteer. "I should have spoken up earlier."
Political analyst John Green said evangelical growth has had a major political impact in Ohio, a key swing state that narrowly decided President George W. Bush's election victory in 2004.
"Evangelical Protestants have become much more Republican in recent times, although 40 or 50 years ago more of them were Democrats," said Green, director of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
"There was a particular intensification of evangelical links to the Republican Party during the Bush administration in 2000 and 2004."
Sexton believes every word in the Bible, rejects evolution theory, and supports the Iraq war, the Republican Party and Bush -- in part because he is a born-again Christian.
"I trust his opinion because of his beliefs," she said. Read more.
I am not a religious person. I would venture to guess there are many more just like me who are not religious. But that does not suggest I think religion should be shunned from the public square, and I'm not talking about nativity scenes. If a group of Christians wish to congregate somewhere, that's fine. I think we all agree on that point. I also feel the same way about any special interest group -- gays, minorities, economy clubs, whatever. The issue I'm having anymore is with a movement that is making an end-run around the constitution to infuse Jesus Christ -- not religion, but their religion -- into government at every level.
There is a danger when a group with as much influence as evangelicals throw their full weight behind one party, or one candidate. As Ms. Sexton said, she is all-the-way behind the president because he's a born-again Christian.
That should sound a warning bell to everybody.
Cult of personality is a dangerous proposition for a country as diverse as the U.S. If you forget the current polling data for a second, you'll recall Bush won his presidency by the scantest of margins. Yet his followers are hopping on his back to set a course for this country that caters only to a very vocal minority.
Infusing a religious doctrine or set of demands brought forth by one sect of society that applies to all is dangerous. And it's where we're heading.
God, science and politics can co-exist. And it did a pretty good job for a long time. But not anymore. Not when people choose to use a 2,000-year old spiritual text as a science book.
Truth be told, I'm utterly baffled at the plight of evangelical Christians. In the case of this Reuters article, we witness a 4,000-member church that is gathering, celebrating, discussing and socializing. They are free to speak their minds and free to come and go as they please.
Somebody needs to show me how their rights are being infringed upon because public schools don't allow prayer. This just in: they shouldn't!! I, personally, choose not to pray. The argument that, "you don't have to participate if you don't want to" is crap. It's exclusion, pure and simple. Telling people to go stand in the hall for a few minutes is not and should be a matter of law. It's partisan and serves only to further disenfranchise and fracture society. There should be no organized, government-mandated effort toward prayer. Period. Anything to the contrary is wrong.
Such a view is different, mind you, than saying churches and religions should be banned. I'm not suggesting that at all. I'm merely saying you can bring your personal beliefs anywhere you like, but don't tell me that I have to take time and observe YOUR beliefs. If such is the case, where's my cut?
Do I get five minutes before the start of the day so you all can observe my love of Jerry Seinfeld?
You would call that absurd.
Well, now you catch my drift on how I think about any government-sanctioned recognition of a religion.
I do believe spritual leaders should have a voice in the community. And they should speak to power, as is the civic responsibility of us all. But the danger comes in when they ally with one party, when money moves back and forth between these movements. If evangelicals are so pious, why haven't they been more vocal in the human rights violations at Guantanemo? About rendering? About war, in general?
I've seen many religious people protest nuclear testing, death penalties and war only to be berated for being "liberal." Interesting how fellow Christians will ignore one's Christianity when it's not convenient to their own views.
I'm hardly a practicing Christian, but I find it somewhat antithetical to Jesus Christ that a church becomes drunk with money and power. It honestly makes me wonder: What WOULD Jesus Do?
Megachurches build a Republican base
By Andrea Hopkins
LANCASTER, Ohio (Reuters) - It's not Sunday but Fairfield Christian Church is packed. Hundreds of kids are making their way to vacation Bible school, parents are dropping in at the day-care center and yellow-shirted volunteers are everywhere, directing traffic. In one wing of the sprawling church, a coffee barista whips up a mango smoothie while workers bustle around the cafeteria.
"There are people here from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day -- sometimes later," senior pastor Russell Johnson says as he surveys the activity.
The 4,000 members of Fairfield Christian are part of the growing evangelical Christian movement in middle America. In a March survey, a quarter of Ohio residents said they were evangelicals -- believing that a strict adherence to the Bible and personal commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ will bring salvation.
The fastest-growing faith group in America, evangelical Christians have had a growing impact on the nation's political landscape, in part because adherents believe conservative Christian values should have a place in politics -- and they support politicians who agree with them.
In that March survey, more than 82 percent of the Ohio evangelicals who attend church at least once a week said they approve of bringing more religion into politics.
"Christians stepped back too far. I prayed in school but my kids can't pray in school," said volunteer Lisa Sexton, 42, a Bible school volunteer. "I should have spoken up earlier."
Political analyst John Green said evangelical growth has had a major political impact in Ohio, a key swing state that narrowly decided President George W. Bush's election victory in 2004.
"Evangelical Protestants have become much more Republican in recent times, although 40 or 50 years ago more of them were Democrats," said Green, director of the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
"There was a particular intensification of evangelical links to the Republican Party during the Bush administration in 2000 and 2004."
Sexton believes every word in the Bible, rejects evolution theory, and supports the Iraq war, the Republican Party and Bush -- in part because he is a born-again Christian.
"I trust his opinion because of his beliefs," she said. Read more.
I am not a religious person. I would venture to guess there are many more just like me who are not religious. But that does not suggest I think religion should be shunned from the public square, and I'm not talking about nativity scenes. If a group of Christians wish to congregate somewhere, that's fine. I think we all agree on that point. I also feel the same way about any special interest group -- gays, minorities, economy clubs, whatever. The issue I'm having anymore is with a movement that is making an end-run around the constitution to infuse Jesus Christ -- not religion, but their religion -- into government at every level.
There is a danger when a group with as much influence as evangelicals throw their full weight behind one party, or one candidate. As Ms. Sexton said, she is all-the-way behind the president because he's a born-again Christian.
That should sound a warning bell to everybody.
Cult of personality is a dangerous proposition for a country as diverse as the U.S. If you forget the current polling data for a second, you'll recall Bush won his presidency by the scantest of margins. Yet his followers are hopping on his back to set a course for this country that caters only to a very vocal minority.
Infusing a religious doctrine or set of demands brought forth by one sect of society that applies to all is dangerous. And it's where we're heading.
God, science and politics can co-exist. And it did a pretty good job for a long time. But not anymore. Not when people choose to use a 2,000-year old spiritual text as a science book.
Truth be told, I'm utterly baffled at the plight of evangelical Christians. In the case of this Reuters article, we witness a 4,000-member church that is gathering, celebrating, discussing and socializing. They are free to speak their minds and free to come and go as they please.
Somebody needs to show me how their rights are being infringed upon because public schools don't allow prayer. This just in: they shouldn't!! I, personally, choose not to pray. The argument that, "you don't have to participate if you don't want to" is crap. It's exclusion, pure and simple. Telling people to go stand in the hall for a few minutes is not and should be a matter of law. It's partisan and serves only to further disenfranchise and fracture society. There should be no organized, government-mandated effort toward prayer. Period. Anything to the contrary is wrong.
Such a view is different, mind you, than saying churches and religions should be banned. I'm not suggesting that at all. I'm merely saying you can bring your personal beliefs anywhere you like, but don't tell me that I have to take time and observe YOUR beliefs. If such is the case, where's my cut?
Do I get five minutes before the start of the day so you all can observe my love of Jerry Seinfeld?
You would call that absurd.
Well, now you catch my drift on how I think about any government-sanctioned recognition of a religion.
I do believe spritual leaders should have a voice in the community. And they should speak to power, as is the civic responsibility of us all. But the danger comes in when they ally with one party, when money moves back and forth between these movements. If evangelicals are so pious, why haven't they been more vocal in the human rights violations at Guantanemo? About rendering? About war, in general?
I've seen many religious people protest nuclear testing, death penalties and war only to be berated for being "liberal." Interesting how fellow Christians will ignore one's Christianity when it's not convenient to their own views.
I'm hardly a practicing Christian, but I find it somewhat antithetical to Jesus Christ that a church becomes drunk with money and power. It honestly makes me wonder: What WOULD Jesus Do?
