c. 2006 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) I spoke last week to 15 clergy who are struggling to carve out an identity as “moderate” or “progressive” Baptists in a region where conservatives far outweigh them in numbers and in public perception of what “Baptist” means.

My message: progressive Christians must be more assertive in the public square. On issues of freedom, morality, patriotism, immigration, family, culture and politics, conservative Christians must not have the only voice. Sure, they have their views and every right to speak them, but they don’t “represent” Christianity or have sole claim to faithfulness and scriptural authority.

It could be argued, in fact, that conservative Christians pervert the Gospel, deny the Scriptures, frustrate the will of God, and would lead the American nation to a tragic redefinition of purpose.

Or not.

The point isn’t to pillory one side, but to say that faith isn’t a simple matter. Christianity cannot be defined as a single set of viewpoints. Christianity’s role in human affairs requires discernment and discussion, not bullied conformity. Cogent and scripturally grounded positions on critical issues can be put forward that differ markedly from those offered by conservatives as “biblical truth.”

If we are to make any useful contribution to a troubled nation in troubled times, we Christians must resist the partisan assertion that a single “Christian way” can be named and implemented. Citing a few carefully culled verses doesn’t end ethical debates or encompass “Christian truth.”

For discernment and discussion to happen, progressive Christians must work at making their voice heard, especially at the local level. As much as mainline Christians prefer to work their own internal matters and to avoid partisan politics, they must speak in the public square. They cannot fall back on a history of being respected _ naming the Founding Fathers who were Episcopalians, for example _ but must earn society’s respect today by having a coherent message and the heart and mind to back it up.

Attempts to “keep it simple” are absurd. The Bible isn’t simple, God isn’t simple, and humanity certainly isn’t simple.

Nor can we simplify our arena of action. We cannot fall into the complacency of artificial boundaries _ thinking, for example, that Christians can promote healthy marriages and leave justice concerns to politicians; or that we can focus on racial justice and not notice deterioration of families; or that we can perfect our ordination and church-hiring practices and say nothing about unemployment. All of these things matter to God.

There are no distinctively “conservative” or “liberal” causes. There are ethical, spiritual and political issues on which conservative and progressive Christians each have something important to say, sometimes in bitter disagreement, sometimes not. It serves no one _ not our respective traditions or our nation _ for politicians to get away with claiming their narrow views as “Christian truth.”

Progressive Christians have a tactical disadvantage, in that their congregations tend to be more heterogeneous than the typical conservative congregation. But that shouldn’t paralyze them. They cannot seek safety in the one or two things that all agree on, like the need for more space or more money. If they disagree internally on what the Bible says about, say, sexuality, or what Christian ethics would say about prosperity, then that disagreement is their starting point, and they work through it.

What progressives cannot do is fall silent just because speaking up will expose their dissension.

If they don’t speak up, who will know the fullness of who God is and what God wants? If they don’t risk encountering their own divisions, how will a frightened public find the self-confidence to embrace its divisions?

KRE/JL END EHRICH

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, consultant and leader of workshops. His book, “Just Wondering, Jesus: 100 Questions People Want to Ask,” was published by Morehouse Publishing. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. His Web site is http://www.onajourney.org.)

To find a photo of this columnist, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by last name.