God's Politics.

Last night we attended a book tour at the Belcourt. The author was Jim Wallis, and his current book is called God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. Pretty interesting stuff. His basic premise is that there is a movement beginning from somewhere in the center. That there are thousands, maybe millions, of people out there who watch the debate and power struggle between the left and the right and don't see anyone out there who believes what they believe. As someone who has felt that way most of my adult life, I was an eager listener. I have always stuggled with the 'religious right', for many reasons. It upsets me to see Christians blindly follow one side because the leader claims to be a believer. I know a lot of believers, most of them do things I disagree with. That is okay. It's not unchristian to be against the war, or for gay marriage, or against tax cuts. The idea that if you consider yourself a Christian, you are automatically a republican is not only wrong, but dangerous, and I think if people would really examine what they are signing up for they would think twice. He talked a lot about how the conservative platform has been concentrated on two issues - abortion and gay marriage. These are two issues I feel strongly about, probably moreso than others. Why is that? I think they have been drilled into us for years, and we've had to figure out our opinions on them. What about the others? Why don't we hear sermons and messages on the environment, or social justice, or poverty? Something else he said really struck me. We are so concerned about abortion; about the destruction of human life. And we should be. But the government seems to only be concerned until they are born. After that? On your own. While we certainly should be concerned about the staggering number of abortions performed every day, that's not the real problem. The real problem is the staggering number of unwanted pregnancies. How do we keep women from being in that position in the first place? And how do we help them provide for those children once they are born, since we're so intent that they have them? How do we make it easier for those children to be adopted, or go to better schools, or get the help they need to make better choices for themselves? The crowd was an interesting one. Probably more left-leaning than me, and certainly more outspoken. The event provided a place for people who I think might take a little too much liberty with thier faith to have a voice. And I think entwining too much politics with your faith can be dangerous. I heard a lot of opinions, some I agreed with and some I definitely didn't, but they all challenged me, which was the point. I'm not sure how I feel about all of this, or what I will do once I figure it out. One of the greatest things about the event was the music. Ashley Cleveland, Buddy Miller and Jars of Clay. Unreal. I was blown away by Ashley Cleveland. Her voice has grit; you can hear her convictions and struggles in every word she sings. Buddy Miller was awesome, as usual, and Jars of Clay added depth to the whole thing. I was never a huge fan of them until Who We Are Instead, but now going back I enjoy their old stuff much more than I did when it first came out. Their sound just gets you moving.