I can’t say that I’ve ever been impressed by the theological insights of Jon Meacham. After his recent Newsweek editorial which comes in response to Lisa Miller’s lousy cover story article on gay marriage, I’m left with the conclusion that Jon just doesn’t Get Religion or at least Jon doesn’t get traditional Christianity. Here’s Meacham:
No matter what one thinks about gay rights—for, against or somewhere in between —this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism. Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt—it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition.
First, as my readers now, I’m no fan of the Religious Right. Nor am I a theologically conservative Christian. Politically, I’m quite friendly to gay rights and civil marriage equality.
But Meacham’s conclusion in the paragraph above is just downright offensive. Argument from the Bible is the worst kind of fundamentalism? What? Fundamentalists are not the only type of Christian who appeal to biblical authority. More than a few theological progressives and liberals throughout history and even today make arguments based on biblical injunctions on a regular basis especially in the political arena. Has Meacham not read Dr. King on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount or Walter Rauschenbusch on the Hebrew Prophets? Would Meacham argue that these great modern-day prophets are intellectually bankrupt because they too argued that “something is so because it is in the Bible” ?
To suggest that one is a fundamentalist simply because their argument invokes Scripture is just nonsense. Meacham doesn’t seem to get religion nor does he seem to take religion very seriously. For Meacham, the Bible is simply a book - a book that offers no insight into how we should live our lives and deal with problems in the 21st century. And, if you disagree with Meacham’s extremely low view of Scripture, you’re an intellectually bankrupt fundamentalist.
Related posts:
- Review of Wade Burleson’s Hardball Religion John Pierce, Executive Editor of Baptists Today, has posted a...
- Cole & Duren Review Wade Burleson’s Hardball Religion When I first surfed over to Associated Baptist Press and...
- That Good Ole Idolatrous Civil Religion…. Don Byrd of the Baptist Joint Committee’s Blog From The...
- UPDATE ON THE JOSHUA CONVERGENCE Florida Baptist Witness covered the event HERE. Declaring their intention...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Meacham probably wouldn’t argue that the great civil rights progressives like MLK were intellectually bankrupt because he agrees with their political views.
He’s a scoffer. But he probably didn’t intend to upset you. He may simply be having a difficult time reconciling certain of the Christian progressives’/moderates’ moral/social positions (abortion and homosexuality) with a high view of scripture.
As you know, I have the same difficulty.
But, your indignation is refreshing.
I’m pretty sure Meacham is a very active Episcopal layman who, I think, does “get religion” but is taking a very typically liberal slant on this issue…
Journalists often don’t “get religion” when they conveniently fail to take traditionally conservative religious viewpoints seriously usually on issues related to supernaturalism, etc. Stephen Carter, also a liberal Episcopalian, has written about this failure of the “liberal elite” to take religion seriously in his 1990s book, The Culture of Disbelief.
It is quite convenient when Rawlsian liberals like Meacham ignore the countless examples of theological progressives who have made Bible-based public policy arguments in order to take a swipe at conservatives and fundamentalists. For folks like Meacham, it’s o.k. to bring your faith into the public square and to allow your faith to play a role in how you vote ONLY IF you support liberal policies.
See http://www.christianitytoday.com for biblical coverage on this issue.
Also, the following article offers clear biblical guidance on this issue: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/september/11.36.html
Meachum is an Episcopalian. I heard him defend gay marriage from a Christian perspective to the scoffing uber-atheist, Bill Maher. But Meachum is criticizing the prooftexting WAY that anti-gay folks cite the Bible.
Meachem has an honorary doctorate from Yale’s Divinity School. Ironic, huh.
Here at Sewanee, we hear alot about meacham-
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9683