Rhetoric Race and Religion
On most Mondays this summer, protesters have been congregating in North Carolina to raise a moral voice against the actions of elected officials in the Tar Heel state. Beginning at the Capitol last spring, and spreading to other North Carolina cities with the legislative session finished for the year, the protests have attracted gatherings as big as 10,000 and captured the nation’s attention.
Led by a minister and operating under the catchy moniker “Moral Mondays,” the protests call to mind Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority from days gone by. But apart from rhetoric that appeals to Scripture and morality, Moral Mondays bear little in common with the Christian right, a movement of evangelical conservatives who used to enjoy a monopoly on politics of this sort. Concerned with legislation falling hardest on the poor, minorities and women, the Moral Mondays forces appear as solidly liberal as the Christian right is conservative.
If the drama in North Carolina represents the rise of a Christian left in this country — and recent polling data indicates it might — many liberal hearts like mine will gladden. Yet whatever better angels I have in my nature are counseling caution.
If the Christian left becomes a real force, please may it keep its eye on a prize higher than winning at politics. And please may it remember that it’s not just what you pursue in politics, but how you pursue it.
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