I started using the term "Fox News Channel Christians" back in the late 1990s. I'm not sure if I came up with it or if I heard it from someone else. While it is admittedly a derogatory term, it is not intended to be derogatory toward Fox News, people who watch Fox News, or conservative ideology in general.
When I speak of "Fox News Channel Christians", I speak of those professed Christians who have somehow come to believe that the most important features of their faith are those expressed by contemporary conservative American ideology. They act as if lower taxes is more important than salvation by grace through faith.
I wish I could say that I was making this up--that people like this don't actually exist. Unfortunately, I encounter this all too often. I remember leading a Bible study where the husband of a woman who was a regular attender would occasionally drop in. We would be discussing sin in Romans, and he would talk about how those Democrats are going to face eternal damnation because they were pushing sinful big government. And, yes, according to his wife, he was serious. Granted, this is a really severe case, but more nuanced versions are common throughout predominantly White Evangelical churches. I know because as soon as a Fox News Channel Christian learns that I am an evangelical with a PhD in government, I start hearing everything.
This, I believe, is dangerous. It is not dangerous because conservative ideology is inherently dangerous (in my opinion), but rather because it is placing something besides the Word of God as the final say in theological purity. Which should take precedence--God's words, or Fox News?
Even if you are of the belief that American conservative ideology does contain proper Christian principles as applied to government, does that mean that the application of principles to government (about which the New Testament is very vague) trumps in importance the principles the Bible speaks on a lot?
Don't get me wrong. I am a political junkie. However, my fascination with politics should not shape my interpretation of the Bible, or even what parts of the Bible I emphasize in my study. If anything, it should be the other way around. I should be a Christian first, and and adherent to my political ideology second (or much further down that ladder).
I don't understand when people put adjectives in front of the word Christian. Whether it's liberal, or conservative, or fundamental, etc..
ReplyDeleteI am just a Christian. My christianity comes first and it is not defined by other things. I may personally be a liberal or conservative, but there is no reason to stick it as a adjective in front. And if you did, where do you stop? I am a caucasian christian? I am a Missourian christian, I am an american christian? I am a two-legged christian.I can go on all day. But Christ is above our labels.
I think the adjectives can be used two ways: one for identification/classification purposes (something we do a lot in academics, as it generally makes our lives easier), or for distinguishing purposes (they aren't like me).
ReplyDeleteIn principle, I agree that Christ is above our labels. My intent was to do something akin to the warnings found in the letters from John and Paul about potentially dangerous teachings in the Church. Perhaps instructively to me, they never referred to those individuals as ______ Christians. They preferred terms such as "wolves".
My dilemma, though, is that I think a lot of the people who I am trying to describe are sincere Christians, but have misplaced priorities. And perhaps I am wrong with adjectivising them in any way. Perhaps I shouldn't be discussing such things at all unless they are clearly heretical (in which case I wouldn't use the term "Christian" to describe them).