With the crazy week that it’s been, I’m going to forego the usual Friday fare (book reviews or jokes) and pass on an article I read this week that I found to be very important. It’s called “Why Pushing Right Is Harder Than Pushing Left.” In the article, the author, Andrew Wilson, describes his experience in advocating different ideas, some which sought to move people to a more liberal view, some which advocated a more conservative view. As the title suggests, Wilson says it’s much easier to move left than to move right.
He says that this is true for three main reasons:
- Younger people natural favor more liberal views. Wilson says “freshness is more fashionable than faithfulness, innovating inspires people more than imitating, technology trumps tradition, and novelty is confused with creativity.”
- Contemporary secular culture is to the left of the Bible on most things. Wilson notes that this means “when we move to the left, we are almost without exception moving closer to what the culture around us thinks, and that makes the process much more comfortable for us.”
- In Wilson’s words: “the victims of excessive rightishness are much easier to identify, and to feel sorry for, the victims of excessive leftishness.” It’s easier to point out the villainy of conservative ideas than it is the villainy of liberal ideas. Wilson doesn’t say this, but I tend to think that it’s because conservative ideas tend to have been around longer, so it’s easier to find examples.
The concept of the ease with which we move left rather than right is an important one. I feel like Christians everywhere need a sign on their wall that says, “Beware of drifting left.”
In churches, we need to realize that it’s much easier to become more liberal in our actions than it is to become more conservative. I remember in 1976 when the vote passed that made Abilene “wet.” (I didn’t live here then, but the president of ACU was speaking at our church the day after the election). There were numerous votes advocating the sale of alcohol. As far as I know, there’s never been a vote since to consider rescinding the previous vote. Once you allow something, it becomes very hard to prohibit it again.
I really think that Wilson is correct. Though I need to add one note of caution that Wilson wrote:
I’m not saying, of course, that moving to the left is thereby wrong, merely that it is easy – and therefore that, if I know my own heart, the temptation to distort the Bible to get there is likely to be more acute.
Moving left isn’t always wrong, but it is almost always easier. Because of that, we have to exercise great caution.
Tim, any action by society that allows for individual choice is NOT leftist. It is libertarian. The “wetting” of Taylor Co is such action.
The concept of the ease with which we move left rather than right is an important one. I feel like Christians everywhere need a sign on their wall that says, “Beware of drifting left.”
Reminds me of something I read about frontier preacher J.D. Tant. He ended many of his writings in Firm Foundation with the words “Don’t forget, brethren: we are drifting.”
Dan,
No, it’s not leftist. But a move away from conservative views is a move left, even if it isn’t a move to “leftism.”
Grace and peace,
Tim
As with many truths, there is a great Star Trek story to illustrate: Some villainous being transported Capt. Kirk and some others to a parallel universe in which everything was morally reversed from the “proper” universe. At the same time, the being transported the “evil” Kirk and company onto the morally superior Enterprise. Kirk and his cohorts soon learned what was happening, overcame the nasty being and by the end of the show were reunited with Spock and the friendly Enterprise. Spock and those on the “good” Enterprise quickly identified the rogue Kirk and crew and had them locked in the brig. When the “right” Kirk was reunited with the “right” Enterprise, he asked Spock how it was possible for him (the good Kirk) to pull off his deception, when Spock was able to see through the “evil” Kirk right away. Spock’s response: “It was easier for you, Jim, being moral to act evil. It was much more difficult for evil to act moral.” That “morality lesson” has stayed with me for a long, long time. I know the parallel is not exact, but it was a good show, anyway.
Live long and prosper.
Paul
Gee I hope you would all agree that Christians can be progressives, and left of center in the political arena and not be called “sons of devils” as the far right would have you think! God is love and I think is “A” political. The tea party just doesn’t get it!
Hi H.B.,
I wasn’t talking about politics, particularly. Politically I don’t care if they’re anarchist, communist, tea partyist or socialist. My focus, as was the article I referred to, is on theology.
Grace and peace,
Tim