Evangelical Christians Buying Off Progressive Christians?

Normally we might expect to see liberal, progressive Christians opposing efforts by the Religious Right to force American culture to conform to their religious norms. That, however, might be changing: some progressive Christians and Christian organizations are growing closer to Religious Right groups, and the factor that is bringing them together may be money.

In his old blog, Rev. Allen H. Brill noted how a group called Alliance for Marriage was fighting for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit gay marriages — but the board of this group is made up of normally progressive Christians. Why?

Is it a vast right-wing conspiracy to buy off progressive Christianity or at least divide and destroy it? Don't laugh. By way of Mitchell Hurst of Pilgrims Digress comes a sobering article posted at the Martin Marty Center. Andrew Weaver writes that "renewal groups" like the Institute for Religion and Democracy are targeting the United Methodists, the Presbyterian Church USA and the Episcopal Church. Who funds the IRD? The Scaifes (yes, THE Scaifes), the Bradleys, the Olins and the Coors.

This is an interesting and perhaps disturbing development. If rich and powerful groups that back the Religious Right can co-opt the liberal and progressive Christian groups that normally oppose the Religious Right on theological grounds, everyone will lose. We must, however, be honest here: that can only happen so long as liberal and progressive Christians harbor non-liberal and non-progressive doctrines and beliefs. This, in turn, raises the question of whether they are legitimately "progressive" in the first place.

 

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