Politics and Religion

Alan writes - The claim that the next few decades are going to be the decades of religion took a surprising turn here in NZ recently.

New Zealand is one of the most secular [or post-Christian] western countries in the world; a dubious honour we share with countries like Sweden and Denmark. And in New Zealand the most secular political party has been the Labour Party. But this weekend the issue of religion and politics was discussed at the annual party conference with a Professor of Religious Studies being asked to speak at a workshop. His suggestion was that the Party set up a Christian wing which would be able to set forth a Christian social justice perspective and counter the biblical claims of the more right wing parties and their respective fundamentalist Christian supporters ‘verse by verse’.

Five or ten years ago; perhaps even two years ago, such a suggestion would have been dismissed or laughed at. But in the changing cultural climate in which religious concerns, and especially fundamentalist agendas are becoming more strident and gaining new listeners, even one of our most secular of political parties is changing its tune.

Paul quotes Richard Rohr, in a recent posting, as distinguishing between ‘genuine religion’ and ‘junk religion’. It seems to me this should be the primary concern of all churches and church leaderships. Junk Christianity in its simplistic, fundamentalist and exclusivist stances is growing but will there be an equal growth in discerning, transformative and inclusivist forms of Christian faith. I hope and pray there will be. It is this second form of Christian faith that political parties and all sectors of society are actually longing for.

Comments

[Merv]

Well done, Alan. Perhaps you could offer (our Labour Prime Minister) Helen Clark a free subscription to Prodigal Kiwi(s) Blog. I don't think she realises that there is intelligent Christian life out there.
shalom,