Contemporary Western Politics: A (Not So) Funhouse
Illustration by Elizabeth Kaye / Source Images: Getty / Wikimedia Commons – Christianity Today, August 2024
Contemporary Western politics can be compared to a carnival funhouse, where the dynamics and experiences of political engagement resemble the disorienting and deceptive nature of such an attraction. Participants encounter a series of phenomena that create a sense of instability and confusion. While this type of attraction is entertaining in a festival setting, the metaphorical analysis highlights the challenges individuals face attempting to navigate and make sense of an increasingly complex and unpredictable political landscape.
In the book, Jesus and the Powers, authors N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird argue that “Our world seems dangerously combustible, due to financial crisis, pandemics, increasing injustices and inequalities, democratic chaos, geopolitical upheaval, wars and rumors of more wars to come.”[1] However, the fact remains that “Jesus is King, and Jesus’ kingdom remains the object of the Church’s witness and work.”[2]
Our task is to figure out how to promote human flourishing, rethread the tattered fragments of the common good, and inspire peace at home and abroad despite the enormous forces of greed and power that influence our economy, states, and churches.
Church and State or Power and Wealth?
It is widely acknowledged that society is undergoing a post-Christian transformation. The swift changes in the surrounding world have led to a sense of disorientation among individuals, resulting in feelings of alienation, diminished social cohesion, and increased skepticism towards leaders and institutions, as well as heightened expressions of anger.
The word disorienting is intentional and congruent with the funhouse metaphor because of the uneven floors that represent the complex and unstable interaction between politics, religion, and state power. Individuals navigating this environment find themselves feeling jostled from side to side, struggling to maintain their balance and advance amidst the shifting ground, which symbolizes the challenges inherent in this precarious interplay.
The debate over the separation of church and state is a long-standing issue. Many of America’s early settlers sought refuge from religious persecution in their countries of origin, which profoundly influenced the founders’ desire to “create a system of governance that prohibited the privileging of one set of beliefs over another and allowed citizens the freedom to choose and practice religion without the interference of the state.”[3]. This framework aimed to ensure that citizens could freely choose and practice their religion without interference from the state.
Advocates for the integration of church and state argue that such a union benefits society by providing a moral and ethical framework that fosters communal concern and responsibility. They also contend that religious expression should be incorporated into public discourse as a reflection of prevailing societal values. Conversely, those who oppose this amalgamation emphasize the importance of protecting religious freedom, minimizing conflict, and maintaining a government that operates impartially and free from religious influence.
Based on this week’s reading, I surmise that Wright advocates for a synthesis of two distinct perspectives on the relationship between religion and governance. He supports a Biblical worldview, affirming the belief that Jesus is the ultimate authority and source of all power. Concurrently, Wright acknowledges the role of government as a divinely instituted mechanism for maintaining social order and cohesion.
In contrast, author and philosopher, Noam Chomsky adopts a secular approach, attributing societal problems primarily to the distribution of power and wealth, which he identifies as the principal sources of systemic injustice. While Wright emphasizes the resurrection of Jesus as a foundational point for addressing contemporary societal issues, Chomsky’s analysis focuses on structural and economic factors as key drivers of collective dysfunction. Inequality today is unprecedented and continues to worsen. In his book, Requiem for the American Dream, he shares that, “A significant part of the American Dream is class mobility: you’re born poor, you work hard, you get rich. The idea that it is possible for everyone to get a decent job, buy a home, get a car, have their children go to school…it’s all collapsed.”[4]
Climbing the stairs to nowhere signifies the often futile or illusory nature of political and economic promises. Despite the appearance of progress or advancement, workers today find themselves expending energy on endeavors that ultimately lead to no substantive outcome or improvement.
Chomsky contends that, over an extended period, the allocation of power has been systematically arranged to benefit large corporations at the expense of middle- and working-class families. He argues that the tax structure implemented by Congress facilitates substantial financial advantages for businesses, while individuals with lower incomes receive considerably less support. This hall of mirrors metaphor illustrates the prevalence of distorted perceptions and misleading representations within the political sphere. Just as mirrors in a carnival funhouse can create confusing and deceptive visual effects, political discourse and media coverage can obscure the truth, presenting a reality that is fragmented or distorted.
Despite the longstanding nature and debate of these issues, Wright critiques the current state of public discourse, observing a decline in its quality and an increase in distrust and violence over recent decades. Rather than retreating from difficult conversations, he advocates for enhanced theological collaboration on political issues, suggesting that such engagement between the church and individual citizens could help bring stability by reaffirming the belief that divine authority ultimately governs human affairs and societal matters. He encourages readers and his students to do their best to live out the Gospel with advocacy, kindness, mercy, and charity.
Shalom.
[1] Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2024.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Rice, Condoleezza. Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom. First Edition. New York: Twelve, 2017.
[4] Chomsky, Noam. Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power. First edition. New York; London: Seven Stories Press, 2017.
About the Author
Jennifer Eckert
Fundraising director, people connector, believer in second chances, fights poverty, supports justice reform, lives a life integrated with Matthew 25.10 responses to “Contemporary Western Politics: A (Not So) Funhouse”
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Thanks for your post Jennifer. How do YOU think the Church can make a real difference in promoting justice and human flourishing without getting caught up in the distortions and chaos? And how can faith communities help tackle the inequality and power struggles Chomsky talks about, while staying true to the core beliefs that N.T. Wright emphasises?
I like your question, Glyn. Thank you for posing it. You asked 1) How do YOU think the Church can make a real difference in promoting justice and human flourishing without getting caught up in the distortions and chaos?
I believe a practical step would be for churches to host small groups that discuss the very hard and real topics of today’s society. During the COVID pandemic and the following racial protest demonstrations, I kept looking for my pastor to issue something – anything to acknowledge those issues. I wanted guidance and a safe forum to discuss it (pros and cons). But sadly, he remained silent like so many other church leaders. Our society has now gone decades without addressing things like hunger, racism, etc. so introducing it from the pulpit might be difficult. However, small groups would allow for open dialogue and a difference of opinion while teaching one another how to have healthy discourse – something we have lost.
2) And how can faith communities help tackle the inequality and power struggles Chomsky talks about, while staying true to the core beliefs that N.T. Wright emphasises?
I believe that once you begin the conversations, the Holy Spirit will reveal the pockets of service needed from each individual faith community. But a word of caution – it should not rest with a “one and done” approach. It’s far too easy to pack food boxes for 2-hours and go home feeling as if you made a significant contribution, while the larger issue of hunger, for example, looms above and needs your voice in a policy matter.
As Jesus followers and people of conscience, we should all be engaged in making God’s kingdom on earth the way he intended it to be. If someone is hungry, they cannot hear the word of God until their belly stops rumbling. These major societal issues should be at the forefront of our ministries. For me, the neighbor who fed my son and me for literally one year after I got divorced is an example. She walked the talk such that when she invited me to join her at church I said yes. Not because of church (I had avoided that for 41 years) but because of her obedience to Christ. Once she got me in the door, I was hooked and Craig Groeschel baptized me two weeks later. It was a swift and deep transformation that has never stopped.
But still today, I lean into hard issues of incarceration, hunger, racism…..and I hope to bring my church along with me as I learn. But really, I wish it was the other way around.
Jennifer, I was looking forward to reading your blog as I know some of the areas where you are already involved, but I’d like to tag on to Glyn’s questions from above hear more about what you are personally doing about these.
What are you doing to make a difference in promoting justice and human flourishing without getting caught up in the distortions and chaos? How do you find that balance?
What are you doing to invite your faith community to walk alongside of you in addressing the inequality and power struggles you see? What do you do to combat discouragement when others do not see the needs as you do?
Thanks for the great questions, Kari. Because of the wide political affiliations of ministry donors, I tread very carefully and listen intently for themes that they discuss. It helps me know their positions but also discern who may be open to broader conversations. For example, I have a donor in my portfolio that is the Lt. Gov. of a very large state. We stay focused on the ministry mission because I have quite opposite views. He’s not one I will engage on issues that are out of bounds; however, other relationships I can. They are open and have questions themselves. Sometimes difficult topics arise out of my mention of seminary, like the John Wesley book about slavery. I had a rich conversation with a donor who is a retired funeral home director. He sends me funeral dad jokes, if that tells you the nature of our good relationship. I think that once school concludes, I may launch a learning series at church around what it means to walk out the Bible in a contemporary works. Not in a way that makes us “saviors” but rather on a way that empowers people to care for themselves, which is what they want. That is real dignity. So – hooray that you packed food for the poor, but didn’t stop there! People are hungry year round, not just at Christmas, when most food drives get hosted. The greatest gift is to have a food pantry user volunteer to serve others.
Jennifer,
Are you saying we are going to DC to be a part of the circus? Good job on comparing Wright to Chomsky. I wonder if you agree with the conclusions of Wright at the end of the book regarding a liberal democracy? He argues that this is the best, though not perfect, form of government. Did you agree with his conclusions?
Yes, I do agree with his opinion. Liberal democracies are far from perfect, but when I think of what alternative models might include, countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, even Cuba, and China, I’ll do a hard pass.
I’ll take the liberal democracy any day – warts and all (and there are plenty of warts).
Jennifer,
Nice introduction, I read it out loud to my wife and she said “You hit the nail on the head.”
When you mentioned Chomsky, it reminded me of an interview I heard last year on the Holy Post Podcast. Here is their description of the interview. “Kaitlyn interviews best-selling author and professor Matthew Desmond about his most recent book, “Poverty, by America.” He says the amount of poverty in the country is not an intractable problem but a choice. He challenges the narratives we tell ourselves about taxes, welfare, and the poor, and says the church should be more angry about what’s happening to the most vulnerable in our society” (https://www.holypost.com/post/588-pointless-theology-fights-rethinking-american-poverty-with-matthew-desmond).
You mention many early settlers sought refuge from religious persecution. Yet, if you read the history of the founding of Rhode Island, you discover that Roger Williams was persecuted in Massachusetts for his religious beliefs, specifically for the idea of a separation of church and state (Skye Jethani “Roger Williams: Father of Religious Freedom, WithGodDaily.com, 2020).
Do you think the church today is so fearful of experiencing religious persecution that we like the early settlers desire to pass laws that end up persecuting others?
What a great question, Jeff. When I think of Massachusetts, I think of the Salem Witch Trials, which were deeply rooted in a misunderstanding of religious, social, and biological issues. What a sad era! There are soooo many cases to describe religious persecution that yes, I believe fear has made its way into the DNA of the Church. However, I must share an example of courage in our local mosque, which has been attacked in multiple ways for many years – especially in recent years. To me, our Muslim brothers and sisters, as well as our Jewish siblings, are demonstrating more courage in restraining themselves from responding to violence than some of our Christian churches are in addressing and preventing the hard issues of antisemitism, advocating for religious freedom, etc.
That’s just my thoughts on it…..
“Our task is to figure out how to promote human flourishing, rethread the tattered fragments of the common good, and inspire peace at home and abroad despite the enormous forces of greed and power that influence our economy, states, and churches.”
Small task. We should be able to do it by next week, don’t you think? 😉
What do you think, from your experience and in your context? What are some concrete steps each of us can take to begin to accomplish these enormous tasks? What steps would you take yourself?
Hi Jennifer, I appreciated your metaphor of the carnival funhouse and similar political disorientation today. It can definitely feel that way! What have you found the most disorienting in today’s unpredictable political landscape? In what ways has God spoken truth to you when you find yourself stuck in the hall of mirrors?