Over at Progressive Revival, Diana Butler Bass has an excellent post about yesterday’s tragic murder at the Holocaust Museum. Using theologian Walter Wink’s notion of “the powers,” she makes a strong case that neither conservatism – which places all the agency for the killing with James von Brunn – or liberalism – which implicates the structural components of anti-semitism and hate speech – can alone serve as a proper response to an act like this. Rather, we need a holistic and integrated understanding of evil:
In other words, sin–the “powers” are both. They exist in the malformed soul and are intrinsically tied up in the ways in which the world and culture are structured. Everything–and everybody–has both good and evil within.
This integrated understanding of sin goes a long way to help understand Von Brunn, where inner and outer “powers” combined to push him toward a form of racial idolatry and personal wickedness that resulted in killing another person. But an integrated understanding of sin also begs the question: Where was I in this story? What do I do to resist these dehumanizing powers? What systems and structures that I am part of perpetuate the evil from which Von Brunn acted? (Talk radio hosts, take note….) . . .
Progressive Christianity is in no way a morally relativistic vision; instead, it is emerging as a morally integrated theology. We need to examine all the powers-at-play in Von Brunn’s reprehensive moral act–to name and resist the Powers is one way to transformation. It is wrong–in every case, everywhere, for everyone, and every institution–to target people and deny them basic human dignity because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual identity. And equally wrong to let the “little” sins that contribute to the bigger evils to pass unchallenged.
Mr. Sheen,
I hope that your words to the people of this country have come back to haunt you. Perhaps in your great wealth you don’t recognize what this person is doing to our country and it’s well being.
Millions will be taken from the working class people to be given to the porch sitters, illegals, and free loaders. We work hard for what we have and are proud to be taking care of ourselves. I am widowed and will not allow anyone to take away from me what my husband and I worked so hard for. My daughter is the single parent of 4 boys, the oldest she worked very hard to put into college, she does not deserve to have money taken away from her. She works every day and is raising 4 fine young men. They have grown to dislike the man that calls himself President.
Quality of life should be taking care of yourself and not look for others to support you.
A few things:
A. I don’t know who you’re referring to here. Martin Sheen did a few spots for us back during the election, but as far as I know he doesn’t have any continued involvement with our organization. I’m the one who wrote this post, and I assure you that I don’t have anything that could pass for “great wealth.”
B. Please find me *any* plan being put forward by *any* Democrat that proposes raising taxes on the working class. Seriously, find me one. The Democrats are talking about raising taxes on the rich – something that I wholeheartedly support, as they pay far less into this country than their fair share.
C. President Obama isn’t just “the man that calls himself President” – he is the President. He was elected to the office fair and square. Your attempt to cast aspersions on his rightful ascension to the Presidency hasn’t gone unnoticed.