Scott Bailey mentioned something yesterday on Twitter, about Ideology and Idolatry.
It reminded me of this quote from John Howard Yoder:
In the politics of rebellious mankind, we are ready to sacrifice persons to causes, even to ideas. General labels like “freedom” or “justice” or “socialism” or “capitalism” “order” or “humanism” become positive or negative values in their own right, cause to combat for or to destroy. The modern word for this is “ideology.” The biblical word that best fits i probably “idol.” In the Spirit of God, the jealous God who wants us to serve none other, there is no such disincarnate or ideal value worthy to demand the sacrifice of the concrete personal and communal values of our real neighbor.
–”The Spirit of God and the Politics of Men” in For the Nations: Essays Public and Evangelical (page 232)I guess if Scott and Yoder can agree, I guess we can say there is more intelligent life in Canada. Wish I could say the same for Texas.
“…if Scott and Yoder can agree” are words I assume that won’t be written very often in the history of humankind!
For me, it seems that there is a consistent trend in modern Christianity to conflate every personal opinion as somehow ‘biblical’ as if there are no conceptual, social, political, economic, and governmental gaps between the world of the authors of the Bible (and even then we are talking about different rulers over hundreds of years) and modern society.
“Republican” is not a biblical position. “Democrat” is not a biblical party. For a Christian to dogmatically turn into an ideologue over such matters is, in my opinion, theologically indefensible. The Christian life consists of first order practice and second order reflection. Any reversal of those, or elevation of something foreign is an idol.
Hear hear!
I am with ya Scott.
“In the politics of rebellious mankind, we are ready to sacrifice persons to causes, even to ideas”
Religions and even gods themselves also demand this. How does this make one god distinguishable from another or distinguishable from what one god would declare an idol?
Martyrdom for capitalism or socialism or Islam or Buddhism or humanism are virtually indistinguishable from not only each other but also from your own one true jealous god.
I think there is a huge difference, Tusk. Plus, Christians don’t , or shouldn’t believe in martyrdom for martyrdom’s sake. In fact, the very word, Martyr, is greek for just “witness”; meaning, death does not have to be necessary.
I do Yoder up to the gills but it’s always good to have a reminder. Truth is hospitable enough but it makes a rotten place to live. The ideology questions get really interesting when the spotlight falls on Christian dogma.
This is a splendid site. Good to say hello. Shalom, phil
Thanks for stopping by, Phil!