Stereotyping pervades public life
There is no end of reasons why it's easy to be misconstrued and misrepresented. This happens all the time in politics, whose practitioners have the noble task of serving the public welfare in a sea of competing interests. Every day they bump shoulders with people of influence who flock to the corridors of power like iron filings to a magnet.
But it doesn't take long for every one to discover that the company they keep in one context is unwelcome baggage in another. The citizens they get close to at policy-making sessions may be the wrong ones to hang out with at fundraising time. The knapsacks of those pushing climate change measures are not wanted beside the polished brief cases of the petroleum lobbies. And everyone knows that it's one thing to cozy up to a political champion who's winning; quite another stick around when he's taking his licks.
This is one of the dangers of public life. When someone we identify with on one issue links us with an idea we don't necessarily subscribe to, we're apt to either cringe or get uppity. We don't want to be known for what we're not prepared to stand for. And sometimes the choices we make in a moment come back like a foul burp to besmirch us.
Billy Graham's recent observation is telling. The aged evangelist told Christianity Today that he wished he had “steered clear of politics." He said he was “grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places ... But looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn't do that now."
Graham's stellar image took an uncharacteristic beating when tapes of some his conversations with Richard Nixon were released in 2002. Christians around the world were also troubled by the optics of Graham's presence as a White House guest when American bombs began falling on Iraq during the Gulf War of 1991.
Difficult dance
Still, the difficult dance between public and politician is necessary. ChristianWeek applauds followers of Jesus who take up the challenge of engaging public life as both legislators and lobbyists. We want to encourage people who bring credible information and helpful ideas to our governors. We appreciate those who bring genuine Christian concern to the leaders who guide our country and the issues we must confront.
The danger is in becoming too narrowly aligned with any particular party or policy. As former Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple observed, our proper concern is with Christian principle rather than specific policies. Respecting that line reduces the risk of being stereotyped. The United Church of Canada is not really “the NDP at prayer." The presence of evangelical Christians in Ottawa does not mean a “religious right" is poised to “turn back the clock" and re-institute the “dark days" of “back-alley abortions."
The stereotyping of conservative Protestant Christians as a “religious right" is pervasive in the Canadian media. But the facts don't add up to support it. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has compiled the data to demonstrate that “evangelicals hold a wide diversity of beliefs on matters of public policy and substantially support Canada's major political parties in roughly the same ratios as their non-evangelical neighbours."
Still, the myth persists. It lingers because too many people fail to observe the Golden Rule; too many seek to be understood more than they seek to understand; too many make their own perceived interests paramount before beginning to consider the wellbeing of others. It isn't only the mainstream media and the partisan politicians who play this game. It's an easy trap for well-intentioned people whose principles span the political and religious spectrums to fall into.
That's why we need to encourage people of competence, character and conviction to be active in all areas of public life. This isn't just about gaining the immediate rewards of power and the benefits it provides, but also to serve the public good by respecting people of different views and representing those views with all the diligence and care they deserve. We stand foursquare behind those leaders who will listen courteously and criticize with precision. Christian activists should be both winsome and wise.
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