Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.Īlthough some belong to historically conservative denominations, liberal Christians are helping to frame conversations around issues such as environmental action, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s reproductive health, immigration, racial equity, affordable housing, and wealth disparity.Īnd while the conservative agenda opposes all of the above, progressive and conservative Christians do have a few things in common. The marchers stopped several times to reflect on the Stations of the Cross and to read out the names of Chicago homicide victims. Marchers, led by Cardinal Blase Cupich, walk through the Englewood neighborhood on April 14, 2017, calling for an end to the violence that has plagued the city of Chicago. Black theology, for example, contends that Black Americans have unique insight into Christ’s suffering because of the legacy of slavery. Postmodern, Black, and queer theologians have also provided new ways of understanding Christ’s life and work. The Liberation Theology of the 1960s cemented liberal Christians’ stance on active participation in social justice work. Liberal theology has roots in Enlightenment philosophy, which suggested a rational and contextual reading of the Bible. Nearly 80 percent voted for Trump and about 70 percent still approve of the job he’s doing, although, according to a recent poll, his overall rating at the time of this writing has declined to 39 percent since January. White evangelical Christians are the driving force of America’s right wing. Left identify Christ’s radical love and inclusion for marginalized people as Driving The Right WingĮvangelicalism tends to focus on sin, repentance, and salvation, the Christian They are now fighting for their beliefs on multiple fronts: in politics, within their communities, and, even within their own congregations. And though liberal Christians have long been engaged in social justice work, this may be the first time they’ve faced such a widely polarized political landscape. This same Christian faith is upheld by evangelical Christians, most of whom oppose most of what progressive Christians like Peter and Peggy find support for in the Bible: marriage equity, open immigration, women’s reproductive rights, the notion of human-caused climate change. Thing about them to me-then and now- is their moral, value, and belief systems Same-critical of the GOP and conservative leanings overall. I was surprised that his parents, Peter and Peggy, who are overwhelmingly astute about politics and current events, were so outspoken in their disdain and distrust of the Republican party and President George W. So, in school, when I met my then-friend-now-partner Sean, I would often have dinner at his family’s house. Until recently-Mami voted for Hillary- they’ve voted Republican, a political ideology affirmed and assumed in our churches. from Washington D.C., and my mother, a second-generation Puerto Rican immigrant who grew up in Spanish Harlem, are statistical anomalies. What I heard from the pulpit ranged from apocalyptic altar calls-scary enough that I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior every damn time-to sermons that condoned heteronormative sex and gender roles and condemned premarital sex, abortion, and alcohol. My father, a Black Ph.D. We attended predominantly White non-denominational or Assemblies of God churches. Growing up, I went to church with my family every Sunday. Minority of leftist professors and students. Though affiliated with the relativelyĬonservative Christian Reformed Church, my school had a small but vocal While conservative evangelicalism tends to focus on sin, repentance, and salvation, the Christian Left identify Christ’s radical love and inclusion for marginalized people as the locus of their faith.ĭemocrats until I got to college.
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