Senator John Ensign and Governor Mark Sanford: Political Calvinism Exposed!

I was reading through The God Who Risks: A Theology of Providence by John Sanders on the bus today when I came across his arguments for a theology of God’s omnipotence not grounded on the usual philosophical arguments for God’s power, but on the New Testament’s proclamations.  He was arguing, along with E. Frank Tupper, that Christ reveals God’s attributes to us in complete fullness; our finite humanity cannot understand God in no other way.  This is something that I believe (even though this argument sounds rather Barthian and anti-natural revelation).  The political implications of starting with the Incarnation and Crucifixion as the points from which Christians understand God’s Almightiness are rather disturbing in light of today’s Christians located in the United States and their obsession with gaining political power; this is true of both the Christian Right and the Religious Left.

Take for instance, the cases of Senator John Ensign of Nevada and Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina; both men broiling in political controversy and sexual scandals and both men champions of the Christian right in their respected states.  What else did these men have in common? They were part of Doug Coe (a member of this very organization) refers to as the “Christian Mafia.”  The Family considers themselves to be the New Chosen and were started during the Great Depression to defeat the devilish New Deal.  They meet at a house on C-Street in Washington, D.C., and there is no need for public worship or fellowhship with other Christians.  What only matters is that God has chosen them to take over America for biblical capitalism and that they have private prayer sessions.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton oddly enough has even called Coe a mentor.  The leadership of The Family admires the likes of Adolf Hitler and Mao Tse Tung for their drives toward power by any means necessary.  The Family believes that Christianity has been wrong for 2000 years and that Jesus did not come in meekness or to live in solidarity with the oppressed, rather, Jesus came to take over with power!?!?  Here is the full article from the Las Vegas Sun: an interview with John Sharlet.

The theo-political implications of foreordination and private, individual election towards salvation are epically exaggerated in this organization.  I am not going to blame the Genevan Reformer’s doctrines (filtered through North American Manifest Destiny imperialist culture) for the rise of groups like The Family, but I have offered an offered an alternative way of looking a politics theologically from a Free Will theology perspective.

When I first started blogging at Black Trinitarian Theology (before the move to WordPress), I started to write about my theo-political conversion from a Trinitarian who desired a mixing of Christianity and democratic-socialism to a Trinitarian who does not believe that Christ identifies with any political system but who prefers a limited or minimalist state to give the maximum amount of freedom.  The first post was on the Incarnation, and it discussed God’s power with Jesus as its starting point: see here.

Then, a few months ago, I was disappointed in the political theology advocated by N T Wright who suggested, arguing from a just war position, that under the current United Nations charter, that there ought to be an international police force.  Taking a post-colonial, Christian non-violent, libertarian non-interventionist stance, I refuted Wright’s claims with the help of John Howard Yoder. The second part in the series entitled “The Gift of Powerlessness” directly addresses misgivings within Christianity pertaining to God’s power and human political power: see here.

Bottom line:

Wrong ideas about God’s power leads to Christians lusting for and abusing political power.

Thanks to my boy T.C. Moore for the heads up!

Truth and Peace,

Rod

RodtRDH

Formerly known as Rod of Alexandria, Rod the Rogue Demon Hunter Preacher of Hope | Black Scholar of Patristics | Writer for Nonviolent Politics. Destroyer of Trolls. It must be that angry puppy.

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