It's an election year here in the U.S. so there is a political buzz in the air.  Even before we left China our expatriate friends would often ask us what we thought of Obama, Clinton, and other U.S. politicians now on the world stage.  Whenever I get questions like this there are typically a few immediate corresponding physiological responses:  my eyes glaze over, my head nods forward, I yawn, my mind begins analyzing forgotten baseball statistics, and I essentially do everything in my power to tune out.  I can't help it–it's an involuntary response.

My wife, on the other hand, is immediately interested in the conversation and has informed opinions about the candidate and the issues. She is very willing to add to these types of discussions.

My main problem is that when it comes to politics I have a bad history of cynicism, apathy, and skepticism about the whole process.  (This is perhaps the highest form of taking something for granted–i.e. the freedoms one enjoys in a democratic society.)  Over the years it seemed to me that the political arena was more of a circus of self-interest than of service to the public.  I have rarely felt represented by those in power and have had a hard time getting my mind around how governments work and why they don't work a lot better.  What can I say?  Complaint is my spiritual gift.

Because of this I have held an underlying, if highly misguided, philosophy of revolt by totally abstaining from political thought or activity.  But since we've lived in China and have been away from our "homeland" for the past 3 years,  I have felt my views slowly starting to shift towards something that looks vaguely like interest or even…hope?  I guess you could say I have a newfound love and appreciation for this nation (with all its many flaws and transgressions) and I want to be more educated, more active, and more interested overall in the political process.  As a Christian I also see the importance of making hope the thrust of everything I live by–even my political stance.

It's been a slow awakening for me.  Seeing how other nations of the world run their daily affairs was part of it.  Digging into American history through various media (i.e. watching the TV series Band of Brothers this past year and reading McCullough's 1776) also left a deep impression*.  But as this is such a new interest for me, I didn't know exactly how to start educating myself.  I am not one to put a bumper sticker on my car or watch political debates.  I decided I have to start grappling with the issues from the crux of my own doubts and skepticism.  So I picked up this really great (if a bit dated now–published in 2005) book by Jim Wallis entitled:  God's Politics:  Why the Right Gets It Wrong And the Left Doesn't Get It.

I think the title perfectly sums up one of the biggest issues I have faced as a believer who has been frustrated with the political process in this country. I don't always fall into what people might mistakenly label the "Christian camp" or the Religious Right, but I can't always accept ALL the policies of those on the other side either.  What to do?  What to do?

 I'm not finished with the book yet, but I already see a "third" way (a prophetic vision) forward thanks to Wallis and some of his insights.  Wallis also intelligently shows how it is important for faith to be part of any political discussion/process as it often has fueled radical progress and social justice revolutions (i.e. think MLK and civil rights) in society.

As an evangelical I particularly enjoyed some of his thoughts on "fundamentalism" and how it should be viewed in light of politics.  Here's a long quote (if you have the time):

Fundamentalism is essentially a revolt against modernity.  It is a reaction usually based on profound fear and defensiveness against "losing the faith"…  But most of fundamentalism in Christianity, Judaism, or Islam (and it exists in all three) does not result in what we witnessed on September 11.  That takes a shift, or a turn–to theocracy, to violence, and to a reach for power.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the antidote to religious fundamentalism is more secularism.  But that is a very big mistake.  The best response to bad religion is better religion, not secularism.  The three great monotheistic traditions are religions "of the book".  The key question is how do we interpret the book?  For example, in Christian faith, we have the interpretation of Martin Luther King Jr., but also that of the Ku Klux Klan.  Better interpretations of the book are a much more effective response to fundamentalism than throwing the book away.

Southern slave masters gave their captors the Bible to keep their eyes trained on heaven, instead of their plight on earth.  But in the Bible those same slaves found Moses and Jesus, who became the foundations for their liberation struggle.  We must always acknowledge that our religious traditions can be both a cause for oppression and an inspiration for liberation.  Religious arguments have fostered terrible sectarian division, hatred, and violence, but faith has also helped to set people free.  We must be honest about both.  In the very same traditions that have been used to sanction injustice are found the seeds of justice, peace, and freedom.  Those of us from religious communities must be the first to be critical of our own traditions when they are used to foster more conflict and violence while, at the same time, holding out the prophetic possibilities in every one of our religious faiths.

It is also often said that fundamentalism comes from taking religion too seriously.  The answer, then, is to take religion less seriously.  Wrong again.  The best response to fundamentalism is to take faith more seriously than fundamentalism usually does.  The best critique of fundamentalism comes from faith itself, which challenges the accommodations of the fundamentalism to theocracy, power, and violence.  It is faith that leads us to assert the vital religious commitments that fundamentalists often leave out, namely compassion, social justice, peacemaking, humility, tolerance, and even democracy as a religious commitment.

*This is tongue-in-cheek reference to an overused Chinese-to-English phrase. They say everything has left a "deep impression".