Politics: Not Now, Not Again
I hate it when I feel a blog post coming on and I really don't have time to write because I've got more important things to do--go to bed in a timely fashion, for example. I'll blame Harley W. for this departure from responsible behavior.
Harley regularly comes by at Farmer's Market when he's home from his university teaching job in Moscow, and talks about things that are important to him, and that he believes ought to matter to other people (my analysis, not his words). I enjoy the conversations because they often reference substantive issues, and I like cogitating on such things. I usually do a lot more listening than talking, but occasionally the conversation bubbles over later in a considered opinion. More likely, the opinion is formed in the process of writing about it. It's not the most concise way to write, but it's usually productive for me in terms of clarifying things.
What sticks in my craw from today's conversation is this: When Mennonites become involved in missions, they invariably eventually become involved in politics as well because they begin to see a need for many systemic changes for the sake of the people they serve. Systemic changes involve politics. In some of the rest of the conversation, Harley made clear that he is less than enamored with the forms this political involvement by Mennonites often takes.
Later this evening I happened to see a link to this trending article on Facebook, "Republicans and the Mennonite Vote." I read it and found it interesting.
Also this week, in preparation for the first current events study of the year, Elections, I have done some reading on party platforms (The Republican and Democratic ones will be published in the next few weeks.), and I've also read, upon our principal's recommendation, John Roth's article here with the title "Polls Apart: Why Believers Might Conscientiously Abstain From Voting." I am deeply committed to presenting the current events subject in an even-handed, truthful, and enlightening way, in the context of historical Anabaptism, while at the same time encouraging healthy inquiry and personal commitment on the part of students. This is already a delicate balancing act, given the fact that some students come with significant exposure to political positions that did not originate within historical Anabaptism (I'll refrain from elaborating further on how these positions might be at variance with my ideal.). With Harley's analysis weighing in, I think things just got a little more complicated.
My thinking has been fairly determinedly anti-politics. But Harley says that's where people like me are going anyway--toward more political involvement. Whoa. I'm thinking that if I have to go there, I'll be kicking and screaming all the way.
The online Free Merriam-Webster dictionary has saved me from excessive reaction and complete paralysis on this subject. One definition of politics suits me just fine as a personal involvement destination: "the total complex of relations between people living in society."
Thinking of politics in this way allows me to continue to say no to partisan politics, which is what I find really, really distasteful about politics overall. Having just looked at party platforms in use at various times by various groups, I see planks in every one that look ever-so-good to me. All of them also contain planks that I find horribly jarring to what I know of Biblical truth and how God wants His children to live. I am at peace though with considering the total complex of relations between people in society--if I don't have to be part of partisan politics in the process. By praying, and by communicating with officials at various levels of government, even if I never vote, I can continue to be a responsible citizen of both the USA and the heavenly kingdom--as a witness for Christ and righteousness and an advocate for others in need of help. John Roth explains this. It's what I already believe and practice.
If we're really headed toward more political involvement, I pray it happens with our eyes wide open, our spirits in tune with God, our hearts soft toward the needy and suffering, our ears mostly shut when the political rhetoric ratchets up into the vitriolic and inflammatory range, and our mouths stopped entirely when we don't have constructive things to say.
****************
Here's an observation for your consideration. Don't blame Harley for this one: People who are the most directly involved in cross-cultural ministry are the least likely to be stridently aligned with right-wing political positions. Right or wrong?
Choose your answer from the options below or fashion your own answer. I'd love to see it in the comments. More than one answer may be selected.
a. right as in "This is a correct statement."
b. right as in "This is as it should be."
c. wrong as in "This is an incorrect statement."
d. wrong as in "This is not as it should be."
Harley regularly comes by at Farmer's Market when he's home from his university teaching job in Moscow, and talks about things that are important to him, and that he believes ought to matter to other people (my analysis, not his words). I enjoy the conversations because they often reference substantive issues, and I like cogitating on such things. I usually do a lot more listening than talking, but occasionally the conversation bubbles over later in a considered opinion. More likely, the opinion is formed in the process of writing about it. It's not the most concise way to write, but it's usually productive for me in terms of clarifying things.
What sticks in my craw from today's conversation is this: When Mennonites become involved in missions, they invariably eventually become involved in politics as well because they begin to see a need for many systemic changes for the sake of the people they serve. Systemic changes involve politics. In some of the rest of the conversation, Harley made clear that he is less than enamored with the forms this political involvement by Mennonites often takes.
Later this evening I happened to see a link to this trending article on Facebook, "Republicans and the Mennonite Vote." I read it and found it interesting.
Also this week, in preparation for the first current events study of the year, Elections, I have done some reading on party platforms (The Republican and Democratic ones will be published in the next few weeks.), and I've also read, upon our principal's recommendation, John Roth's article here with the title "Polls Apart: Why Believers Might Conscientiously Abstain From Voting." I am deeply committed to presenting the current events subject in an even-handed, truthful, and enlightening way, in the context of historical Anabaptism, while at the same time encouraging healthy inquiry and personal commitment on the part of students. This is already a delicate balancing act, given the fact that some students come with significant exposure to political positions that did not originate within historical Anabaptism (I'll refrain from elaborating further on how these positions might be at variance with my ideal.). With Harley's analysis weighing in, I think things just got a little more complicated.
My thinking has been fairly determinedly anti-politics. But Harley says that's where people like me are going anyway--toward more political involvement. Whoa. I'm thinking that if I have to go there, I'll be kicking and screaming all the way.
The online Free Merriam-Webster dictionary has saved me from excessive reaction and complete paralysis on this subject. One definition of politics suits me just fine as a personal involvement destination: "the total complex of relations between people living in society."
Thinking of politics in this way allows me to continue to say no to partisan politics, which is what I find really, really distasteful about politics overall. Having just looked at party platforms in use at various times by various groups, I see planks in every one that look ever-so-good to me. All of them also contain planks that I find horribly jarring to what I know of Biblical truth and how God wants His children to live. I am at peace though with considering the total complex of relations between people in society--if I don't have to be part of partisan politics in the process. By praying, and by communicating with officials at various levels of government, even if I never vote, I can continue to be a responsible citizen of both the USA and the heavenly kingdom--as a witness for Christ and righteousness and an advocate for others in need of help. John Roth explains this. It's what I already believe and practice.
If we're really headed toward more political involvement, I pray it happens with our eyes wide open, our spirits in tune with God, our hearts soft toward the needy and suffering, our ears mostly shut when the political rhetoric ratchets up into the vitriolic and inflammatory range, and our mouths stopped entirely when we don't have constructive things to say.
****************
Here's an observation for your consideration. Don't blame Harley for this one: People who are the most directly involved in cross-cultural ministry are the least likely to be stridently aligned with right-wing political positions. Right or wrong?
Choose your answer from the options below or fashion your own answer. I'd love to see it in the comments. More than one answer may be selected.
a. right as in "This is a correct statement."
b. right as in "This is as it should be."
c. wrong as in "This is an incorrect statement."
d. wrong as in "This is not as it should be."
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
11:52 PM
1 Comments:
It may well be due to "birds of the feather" bias, but my sense is that (a) is true, though a probability obviously allows for exceptions within the population. I could go with either (b) or (d) depending on interpretation; I don't think it should be just those directly involved in cross-cultural ministry that avoid dogmatic alignment with the right. :-)
One other interesting question is about causation. If my experience is representative, the correlation is strong, but I'm not sure whether it's more that those less aligned w/ the right wing are more likely to work cross-culturally, that those who work cross-culturally tend to have assumptions challenged and move away from the right, or (subjectively most likely) a mixture of the two.
By
EldestSon, at 8/19/2012
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