September 16, 2010--Family Matters

In his on-line newsletter, crosswalk.com, Michael Craven, founding director of the Center for Christ & Culture, proclaimed that the Culture War is over and that conservative Christians lost.

He writes:

I have come to face this possibility along with its implications, most recently while reading the new book by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons entitled unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity … and Why it Matters. In the book, Jud Wilhite, a pastor in Las Vegas says . . . that [we lost], “In Las Vegas, where I live, the culture war is over. We lost. Let me repeat: WE LOST. Now our calling is to love and accept people one-on-one, caring for them where they are. Our role is subversive as we carry the light and love of Jesus into the casinos, clubs, and streets of our city.”

Beyond the casinos of Las Vegas others, even folks on the right, are saying the same thing. The cultural issues they care about are in retreat.

They would like to see evolution excluded from the curriculum, but there it remains; they would like to see abortions declared the equivalent of murder, but Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land; they would like to see stem cell research ended, but that Muslim Obama just issued an executive order overturning George Bush's executive order; they would like to see prayer permitted in public schools, but the Supreme Court continues to say the separation of church and state forbids that; they would like to see the end of affirmative action, but decided law has settled much of this and the expansion of rights for women, gays, and minorities continues; they would like to see the 10 Commandments dispalyed in courthouses around the country and chreches allowed on public property, but again the courts have ruled largely against them; and they would like to see English declared the only acceptable language in America and bilingual education ended, but the former has not become law and the latter continues unabated.

So Craven and Kinneman and Lyons and Wilhite may be right--it's over, and they indeed lost.

More evidence for that conclusion comes from a new poll about how Americans views families. Actually, what constitutes a family. As reported in the New York Times, until recently, the majority of Americans thought of families as being made up of a husband and wife and children. Now, for the first time, a majority say that their definition of a family is broader and includes same sex couples with children. (Article linked below.)

The same survey found that most interviewed believe gayness to be a matter of genetics and is not the result of parenting, peer pressure, a choice of lifestyle, or the will of God.

Thus, case closed?

I am afraid, not so soon.

The strength of the Tea Party, the Republican resurgence, very much including the purging of its moderate members and the power of Sarah Palin is as much about culture as it is about anti-government passion and economics.

At the Glenn Beck rally a couple of weeks ago, what was proclaimed to the gathered masses was that it is time to see this nation once again become a Christian nation. Forget for the moment that Beck is a Mormon, but let us be sure to remember that everything having to do with religion in the public arena is not just political but cultural.

Evolution may still be a part of most curricula, but Americans remain the developed world's most religious people and participation in religious and quasi-religious activities such as that infamous rally is at an all-time high.

And some of the most contentious cultural issues are slowly making their way to the Roberts Supreme Court. Don't be surprised if Roe v. Wade and other culturally-contested issues are overturned by 5-4 votes.

As I see things, the war is still on and it's too soon to declare a victor.