On Christian
Identity as a Trump Card Regarding Political Critique
Stacy Patty
Today a couple of friends questioned me on Facebook for two
reasons. I had posted a response letter
from Senator John Cornyn regarding my very respectful email that he consider
not voting to name Betsy Devos as Secretary of the Department of Education. In my post I was a bit sarcastic, making the
point that, as the senator implied, we should be happy to have someone who
would do so much good for education in America.
To a reply, I posted a note that said essentially that I would be happy
to see Sen. Cornyn after he was voted out of office.
One reply stated that we should give Sec. Devos a chance. Another reply was aghast at my disrespect for
such good Christians. I have three
replies, and considerations.
1.
Sarcasm is not a good Christian approach, if it
means to cast personal disrespect on a person.
I did not mean that. I meant that
there are inconsistencies with the senator’s lofty endorsement of Sec. Devos
and the history of her actions. His
letter seemed to me to be disingenuous and even condescending in tone. But that is a “seem,” and Christians should
be above sarcasm toward personal offense.
So I tried to edit that response of mine, and when I realized I could
not do so, I pulled down the chain. But
the larger issue is that so many who quickly criticize fail to see their own
inconsistencies. I have failed at times
to be equally and perfectly Christian when making a post. Would that others see the same in their own
lives.
2.
Those who are shocked that a Christian would
challenge the political actions or statements of a Trump-designee or
congressional leader who is a Christian so often seem to have been challengers
of former president Obama, Sec. Clinton, and many others whose history of
Christian faith and action is clear and rich.
Yes, they sinned. No, they should
not be so easily discredited or disrespected.
Please, realize that there is no monopoly of “good” Christians in any
political party.
3.
To question one’s right or one’s choice to
challenge a Christian civil servant or politician simply because she/he is a “good”
Christian is a failure of logic by association.
Being a Christian is an important, even transformative matter. But if I had heart trouble, I’d rather have
an atheist heart surgeon with a medical degree than the best good Christian who
has simply read some books on heart surgery, or to make a fairer analogy, a “good”
Christian businessman who has donated billions to a private hospital. To play the Christian Trump card with regard
to political critique is irresponsible and dismissive of the complex realities
of civic discourse and leadership in a world not so simply black and
white. Being a good Christian does not
make one a good physician, diplomat, economist, soldier, governor, senator, or
president. Being a good Christian does
not negate the need for careful and sustained preparation and practice within
any specific field of professional action.
Nor does critiquing current government leaders mean that one is not “giving
them a chance.” It simply means that one
is practicing a fundamental American right, the right to free speech with
regard to commenting on and questioning
of one’s government leaders.
