Stephen Colbert on Joel Hunter and “American Orthodox”
Last night (Monday), Stephen Colbert opened his show with a topic I have been meaning to mention on this blog ever since my pastor brought it to my attention. The story concerns the Christian Coalition’s newly elected executive director, Joel Hunter, who immediately caused an uproar within the Coalition for wanting to take the organization in a new direction. What was this controversial new direction? According to a press release given with his appointment, he said, “I look forward to expanding our mission to concern itself with the care of creation, helping society's marginalized, human rights/religious issues and compassion issues.”
According to the Associated Baptist Press article, “But that goal did not sit well with some rank-and-file supporters. Representatives of several statewide Christian Coalition groups that have separated themselves from the national body in recent years cited Hunter's comments as emblematic of their tensions with the national organization.” Consequently, just weeks after his appointment, Hunter has been forced to step down.
Colbert offered up an incisive and timely critique of the Religious Right—in his usual, subversive way—in the evening’s WØRD: “American Orthodox” (unfortunately, thanks to Viacom, I cannot link to a copy of this video clip on YouTube). The segment was brilliant, as always. At the end, he went straight for the jugular. He said that the Christian Coalition (and the Religious Right in general) finds its strength from working on the issues of reproductive rights and gay marriage. But since Jesus never said anything about these issues, the Coalition can have Jesus say whatever they want him to.
I could not agree with him more. The Coalition should be ashamed of themselves for rejecting a man who stands for exactly the kinds of issues that Jesus himself stood for—the poor, the needy, and the marginalized. Isn’t this exactly what we have come to expect? If you say you are fighting against global warming, you get sacked. But if you say you are fighting against the homosexual agenda, you are welcomed as a hero for our times. How pathetic.
Update: Here’s the Colbert clip from YouTube:
According to the Associated Baptist Press article, “But that goal did not sit well with some rank-and-file supporters. Representatives of several statewide Christian Coalition groups that have separated themselves from the national body in recent years cited Hunter's comments as emblematic of their tensions with the national organization.” Consequently, just weeks after his appointment, Hunter has been forced to step down.
Colbert offered up an incisive and timely critique of the Religious Right—in his usual, subversive way—in the evening’s WØRD: “American Orthodox” (unfortunately, thanks to Viacom, I cannot link to a copy of this video clip on YouTube). The segment was brilliant, as always. At the end, he went straight for the jugular. He said that the Christian Coalition (and the Religious Right in general) finds its strength from working on the issues of reproductive rights and gay marriage. But since Jesus never said anything about these issues, the Coalition can have Jesus say whatever they want him to.
I could not agree with him more. The Coalition should be ashamed of themselves for rejecting a man who stands for exactly the kinds of issues that Jesus himself stood for—the poor, the needy, and the marginalized. Isn’t this exactly what we have come to expect? If you say you are fighting against global warming, you get sacked. But if you say you are fighting against the homosexual agenda, you are welcomed as a hero for our times. How pathetic.
Update: Here’s the Colbert clip from YouTube:
Comments
But it is a tragic situation. I left a congregation last year because it was aligning itself with a "renewing" organization whose main agenda item was to fight against same-sex marriage and homosexual ordination. Following my most recent attempt to explain to one of their organizers that for me the chief issue was participation in the marginalization of actual people, I was offered a book and a video explaining why gay marriage is wrong.
I'm afraid that a really shocking number of Christians have forgotten (or were never taught) what it actually means to be a Christian. I heard Martin Marty say recently that rather than "liberal" and "conservative" a more important categorization of Christians is "mean" and "non-mean" of which both liberals and conservatives have both types. This may be the real crisis of our time.
However, I think even the apparently moderate and reasonable tactic of asserting that 'sexuality' issues need to stand alongside poverty issues as equally important is flawed. No this is not an either/or situation, but neither is there really a parity here. One does not need to abandon their convictions on issues of sexuality, but they clearly take a back seat (a WAY back seat) in scripture to issues of social justice and concern for the poor. For any organization, which calls itself Christian to elevate concerns about sexuality over concerns about the health and welfare of half the world's population that lives in poverty is basically an unhealthy psychological fixation that distorts the gospel.
You are probably right about Hunter, but that isn't the point. The point is that CC is still concerned about being the face of Christians against abortion and homosexuality. Hunter may have still towed the usual line, but he still seemed to be moving in a much better direction. Listen, I'll be honest, I want to see the CC disappear into nonexistence, but if it is going to exist, then I would like it to be doing the same work that other people are doing -- which is the right work for Christians. I would rather have every single Christian organization caring about those issues. The fact of the matter is that the CC reaches a certain audience, and if they could be brought on board with issues of social justice, the world would be much better for it.
The bigger concern for me is that you have simply swung the pendulum too far. You are rightfully upset that Christians are so concerned with other parts of the world and often seem to neglect their own neighborhood. Local politics and local community efforts are essential and should be the primary focus of any community. BUT this does not mean we should put on blinders and ignore national/global issues.
You seem to be a one-note guy: "Ignore all national political issues and focus on your local community." Hey, sounds great. But Christians need to be responsible on national and global levels as well as the local. Does that mean Washington comes before your local city council? No, it doesn't, but neither does it mean attention should not be paid to Washington. I think you need to quite a bit more considerate of the wider social matrix within which we live. Local politics has its place within a larger context, and we are responsible to both the local and the global.
So just because I care about what happens in Washington and Geneva and elsewhere does not mean that I have a "Washington-centered media-driven issue politics." That's simply unsubstantiated nonsense, the kind which could only come from one who feels so strongly about something that he or she has essentially shut off parts of the world that still matter to other people. Just because I thoroughly enjoy Stephen Colbert does not make me a pawn of the media. And just because I discuss national politics and the ills of the Republican machine does not make me Washington-centered. It could just make me a conscientious Christian.
Listen, my blog is not meant to deal with "embodied politics" and your kind of local community initiatives. My blog is primarily aimed at theological dialogue for the church catholic. I discuss American evangelicalism frequently because I grew up in that environment, and I discuss issues of war and national policy only when I feel Christians ought to be aware of what is going on in the world. So just because I do not spend the energy discussing what you would like me to discuss does not make me an enemy to your cause. I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to fit me into your box. Rather than criticize me for not discussing what you think I should discuss, it would be far more helpful if you met me on my terms -- as a post-evangelical Christian grappling with issues of theology, politics, and culture.