WWJD-Revisited

Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church
Eyewitness Accounts of How American Churches are Hijacking Jesus, Bagging the Beatitudes, and Worshipping the Almighty Dollar

By Becky Garrison - Josey-Bass, 2006 - Interview from the current issuue of Wittenburg Door



THE WITTENBURG DOOR:
What has happened that has allowed a specific form of Religious Right evangelicaldom to co-opt Christianity in America?

BECKY GARRISON:
For this answer, I'm going to defer to Jimmy Carter 'cause he's the one with the Nobel Peace Prize and I'm lucky if I get something decent inside my Cracker Jack box. His latest best-seller Our Endangered Values was invaluable as I was prepping the final copy for my book. He talks about how in the past there was always this degree of respect among former Presidents, citing examples where the first George Bush was once a political adversary of both Carter and Clinton, these men have since become friends. You got the sense that at the end of the day, the partisan boxing gloves would came off and everyone could go out for beers—or Grape Nehi if you're Southern Baptist like Jimmy. But these days it does seem like our leaders are more likely to take said beverage and dump it over their enemy's heads, and for good reason, this ideological shift concerns peaceful people like Carter. The fact that Jimmy of all people decided to take fellow President W out to the woodshed for a public whupping speaks volumes.

DOOR: Haven't we always expected our political leaders to play the God game?

GARRISON:
If an American politico wants to get elected, they've got to profess at least some semblance of a belief in God. But it does strike me as odd that the Moral Majority was founded in 1979 to oppose Jimmy Carter, the first self-professed Evangelical we've had in the White House. I guess Jimmy C. didn't pray to the Right God. And while The Wittenburg Door has been duly documenting the Religious Right's smarmy moves over the past, it seemed that previous Republican Presidents were able to kow-tow to this constituency without buying into their beliefs. But not only has Bush Jr. gone on record by stating that J.C. is his favorite philosopher, but somehow he really buys into their agenda and believes that he's been anointed by the Almighty and been given permission to supplant the will of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the initiatives of Rove, Cheney, and the Religious Right—even when said proposals appear to contradict the Gospel teachings. This is a pattern we've seen before—take the Salem witch trials, Prohibition, the McCarthy hearings. Amazing what can happen when religious fervor is allowed to run amuck. But heck, as a satirist, my take on history is going to be naturally skewed by my smart-ass sensibilities. Hence, I would refer faithful readers to Richard Whitman Fox's excellent book, Jesus in America for a full-blown romp of how the J-Man has been depicted throughout history.

DOOR: So what's this mean?

GARRISON:
While this is a scary time for America, it's the perfect time to be a religious satirist! One of the main reasons I wrote Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church is that during the 2004 election, I found myself embarrassed to call myself a Christian. I'm a pre-natal Episcopalian—my late father was a priest—so I've been a Christian my entire life. But I can't stand to see what those on both sides of the fence who proclaim to be Christian are doing these days. For starters, let's compare the Bush budget to the Beatitudes and see how they stack up. Looks to me like Dubya and Jesus are preaching two contradictory messages here. But then you have some progressive religious leaders, who keep sending out literature blasting Bush's budget using some venomous language that makes me wonder if they have any intention to try to put into practice the Greatest Commandment to love all of humanity, including one's political enemies.

DOOR:
Some of our more liberal readers are probably thinking you're being a wuss, suggesting we act all lovey dovey and blow Bush a kiss while he blows off the Beatitudes.

GARRISON:
Hell no. Loving your neighbor doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to bad behavior. By all means, examine the policies advanced by politicians who claim to be speaking for Christ to see if their pronouncements reflect the Gospel truth or the whims of those who are bankrolling their campaigns. But here's my thing. We got to start praying about how to frame the discussion, so we're homing in on the policy and not the person. Disagree with what they say but continue to love them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

DOOR:
So—how have the Religious Right and Republicans come to corner the market on religious discourse in this country?

GARRISON:
As I am no yellow dog Democrat, I would direct our faithful readers to Rabbi Michael Lerners' book The Left Hand of God for a good rundown of how the Democratic Party lost all the spiritual capital it built during the civil rights movement. But it does seem to me that in recent years, the Democrats keep rolling over and playing dead and the progressive Christians never call them on the carpet. I found it pretty pathetic that during the 2004 Presidential election, we had to pick between two rich Ivy Leaguers, both of whom at least initially supported the War in Iraq. Granted, here were some differences—one had no moral backbone and the other was an All-American Jesus-Jumper.

DOOR: Um, "Jesus-Jumper"?

GARRISON:
The real tragedy to me here was the fact that too many religious leaders chose to align themselves with a particular party platform rather than asking why neither political party was paying any real attention to the teachings of Christ when it comes to issues like poverty and the environment. What happened to the high ground the church had when it preached against evils such as slavery and demanded civil rights for all of God's children? I have a real hard time watching some of the BS that happens every Martin Luther King day. You have hyper conservatives talking the talk while passing legislation that enslaves the very people MLK was trying to set free. And on the other side, how come I didn't hear any progressive clergy criticize Hillary Rodham Clinton when she let it rip and played "plantation politics" this past Martin Luther King Day? Or when she played the Jesus card by using the story of the Good Samaritan to rail against the Republican-backed immigration legislation by suggesting that the Samaritan and Jesus were both illegal aliens, this despite the fact that they hailed from Samaria and Nazareth respectively? Did they go easy on her because she was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and they wanted to ensure their place at the political table?

DOOR: What has been the result?

GARRISON:
Too many Christians seem to be confusing acceptance of others with approval of their position. Turn on the TV and all too often, you'll see religious leaders affiliated with both political parties engaged in an unholy war of words. The question remains—how do we as Christians respond to social injustices in such a way that Christ's love reigns supreme? Along those lines, how can we proclaim the prophetic truth without becoming a pawn to either political party? After all, shouldn't our beliefs be rooted in the Gospel and not based on the Democratic or Republican Party platforms?

DOOR: Why do so many Christians work to topple the wall that separates Church and State?

GARRISON:
I have NO clue why Dobson & Co. want to re-enact history Puritan-style by imprinting their version of Christianity on our pluralistic nation. Any Christian who starts going into this "we're a godly Christian nation" spiel ought to re-read their history books especially that bit about Jefferson talking about creating a wall of separation between church and state. Methinks many of our Founding Fathers would probably fall into the more Unitarian camp if they came back to earth today. Also, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see anything in the Bible addressing the issue of partisan politics. In fact, Jesus makes it pretty clear that we are to render under Caesar that which is Caesar's and render under God that which is God's—see Matthew 22:17-21. That's not to say that Jesus turned a blind eye to the social injustices of his day. No siree. But once again, I'm a religious satirist, not a political science professor. For those readers, who are into this kinda stuff, I recently interviewed Alan Storkey, a way cool British political theorist and author of Jesus and Politics and we discussed this subject in depth.

DOOR:
All right then, why shouldn't groups like Focus on the Family and others spend millions to get their man named to the Supreme Court? That comes under the Free Speech stuff in the Constitution, right?

GARRISON:
Just because you can say something under the first amendment doesn't mean it's a good idea. Again, I would ask these guys to stop twiddling with their WWJD bracelets long enough to contemplate what exactly what their Lord and Savior would do here. For starters, these groups focus on abortion and homosexuality instead of those issues that really concerned Jesus. Also, isn't Jesus about opening up the Kingdom to all? And it seems to me that these guys expend a lot of muscle and money in their role as the gatekeepers to ensure that only the holiest can enter. Can I make a modest proposal?

DOOR: Would it matter if we objected?

GARRISON:
Now that Pat Roberston has been banished from The Promised Land, can we treat all these dudes like the crazy uncle that we put in a corner at family gatherings and politely ignore him when he starts to drool and ramble incoherent thoughts? And if a reporter says something to the effect of, "And now for a comment from the Christian community" and they put on another rerun of Falwell's Follies, well, then, call and complain. Say, "I'm a Christian and these dudes don't speak for me. Can you at least try to get some diversity here on the airwaves?" And while we're at it, how about if we move The 700 Club to the Cartoon Network where it truly belongs? OK. End of rant. I'll go back to my corner now.

DOOR:
Why do you say in your book that Hazel Motes in Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood is one of the best commentators on modern Christianity in recent memory?

GARRISON:
Motes recognizes Christian hypocrisy when he sees it and calls it on the carpet. Unfortunately, rather than engage in a search for the real Jesus, his solution to the inconsistencies he sees with the Christian faith is to form the "Church of Christ Without Christ." He describes this church as "peaceful and satisfied"—a place where the lame don't walk, the blind don't see, and what's dead stays that way. Walk into many contemporary churches, especially those of the Osteen orientation, and you'll see a church modeled on Motes' message. When we as Christians go against the teachings of Christ, we end up with a sanctuary where the risen Christ is taking a dirt nap and the Church is devoid of any power to live out the transformative message of the Gospel. And like Motes, we end up dead and blind and found wandering around aimlessly along some seemingly deserted road.

DOOR:
In your opinion, what can normal Christians do to bring about a change in the religious discourse in this country?

GARRISON: First off, define normal.

DOOR: We're asking the questions this time—remember?

GARRISON:
Sorry. As I note throughout my book, Jesus was one helluva radical rule-breaker and love-maker. I have to wonder how most churches would react if Jesus and his crew set foot inside their sanctified stained glass sanctuary and began to preach His Word. Sounds to me like a remake of Monty Python's Life of Brian. During the 9-11 recovery effort, for a few brief moments, I saw the church really become the Church for the first time in my life. In the words of Swiss theologian Emil Brunner: "The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission, there is no church." But now churches act like 9-11 never happened and they're back to their usual playing politics instead of preaching and living out the Word. What happened to the Kingdom that I saw unfold before my very eyes? In my reading of Brian McLaren's works in preparation for both my book and my interview with him for The Wittenburg Door, he touches on how we're in a transition period. We've had experiences where we've seen glimpses of the kingdom that keep trying to break out but now it appears as though there's just darkness ahead. While some may be terrified in the dark, I take comfort in the fact that I've met fellow seekers who find themselves in the same predicament. In researching my book, I was surprised to learn just how close many Christians are when it comes to issues relating to the environment and hunger. So, instead of fighting each other over the hot button issues focusing on personal morality—surprise, surprise—why not come together as brothers and sisters in Christ and start to seek out areas where we can find common ground? For example, in my work with Habitat for Humanity, I've seen how doctrinal differences can be broken down as we all pick up a hack saw or a screw gun and work together to give a family in need a home. So, what I'm talking about is doable—if we have the will.

DOOR: Big IF, sister.

GARRISON:
I admit this ain't easy. Throughout my book, I keep emphasizing the need for prayer and discernment 'cause I know when I get into trouble, it's usually cause my prayer life is in the toilet, so to speak. So, instead of preaching and protesting, how about if we all start doing a bit more praying? And I don't mean prayers like "Please help my religious enemies to come around to my way of thinking," "Please pray for—insert Wallis or Falwell depending on your political leanings—because he's such a godless heathen," or "God, do you mind blessing my agenda so that through You, I can do my will?" Instead of such self-serving nonsense, how about if we all come together and recite the "Our Father?"

DOOR: Oh, you cock-eyed optimist...

GARRISON:
I know what I'm talking about is difficult. That's why I re-read C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves before I started writing Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church because I felt I needed a refresher course here. What Lewis reminded me was the more Christians can learn to mirror the love of Christ, who loved all humanity—even his enemies—then the more the church will truly reflect the body of Christ. When I interviewed Miroslav Volf, (The Wittenburg Door, January/February 1999) he reflected, "The 'enemy' ought to be loved, his or her enmity notwithstanding. There is a whole way of life and a whole theological program contained in that simple command." Pick up his latest book Free of Charge if you want a book that's one of the best things I've read in recent memory focusing on forgiveness. For me as a religious satirist, it can be hard as hell trying to live a life shaped by radical love, where I'm required to follow the Greatest Commandment, which is to love all humanity, including people that really get under my skin and drive me nuts. But that's exactly what the early Christian church did. Despite threats to their own lives, they cut across the various hierarchical lines that divided people. These early believers did not seek to dominate the political establishment or maintain the status quo; rather their goal was to spread the universal love of Christ. In doing that, they transformed the world. Lest we think this can't be done, Martin Luther King proved otherwise. And in today's politically divisive climate, I would dare to do likewise.