The
reason Buttigieg gets so much mileage out of his biblically revised
one-liners is because so many Christians do not get a steady diet of the
Bible applied to cultural issues, particularly from the pulpit.
Buttigieg is filling a void
that’s been left by pastors who only teach the Bible as a personal,
private self-help book, in order to help us find our purpose, improve
our lives, and feel closer to God. For example, back in 2016, when
Colorado was facing a ballot initiative on doctor-assisted suicide, at
least two prominent pastors told me they wouldn’t address it from the
pulpit because it was “too political.”
A Christianity that is never
directly and broadly applied to the cultural moment we live in is one
that is eventually reduced down to emotive sentimentalism. A friend
responded to my tweet with this one
that further clarifies the problem Buttigieg is revealing in the
church: “Also, he's Very Nice. Reducing Christianity to bland platitudes
and vague kindness leaves us utterly defenseless when the snake oil
salesman is vaguely kind too.”
Exactly. Do the math. Too
many Christians never hear the Bible applied to cultural issues. Too
many Christians are left with the impression that Christianity is about
being “nice” and happy. Mayor Pete is “nice” and happy. Mayor Pete
applies the Bible to cultural issues.
As one of my Tennessee friends used to say, “This ain’t rocket surgery.”
Christianity is, of course,
personal. But it’s not private. To say, as Jesus’ first followers did,
that “Christ is Lord” is to state a public truth. Christ is sovereign
not just over our salvation, but over everything. And if Christianity is
true, its truth applies to every sphere of life.
I am grateful for those
pastors and preachers, and there are many of them, who clearly and
courageously articulate the whole truth of the Bible, working out its
implications from the pulpit for the cultural moment in which we live.
There’s a scene
in “Remember the Titans” in which Denzel Washington’s character tells
his white assistant coach to stop coddling the team’s black players. He
knows the racist hatred these young men will face. “You’re not preparing
them for the real world,” he says. “You’re crippling them for life.”
In the same way, pastors who
use the Scripture to coddle our emotions, but never apply Scripture to
hot-button issues, will leave their flocks cripplingly vulnerable when
politicians twist the Bible to their own ends.