So Glenn Beck went on a tirade the other week against religions that pursue social and economic justice, urging his viewers in those churches to leave them. This became a problem because nearly every religion includes a commitment to these values. In fact, the brilliant philosopher of religion John Hick argues quite convincingly to even be considered a religion an ideology must include this kind of ethic, or, as he says, "a dispositional response to the modern sociologically conditioned consciousness to the Real." Mmmm, theology. In any case, Christian groups are organizing a boycott of Glenn's show.
Why Beck would make such a huge mistake reveals his superficial approach to faith -- he cares more about politics than an authentic religious experience. His dislike of social justice talk mimics that of some -- though certainly not all -- conservative Christian religious figures. It stems from a certain obsession with the "thou shall nots," simply because it's much easier for people with a political agenda to stress prohibitions, archaic and otherwise, rather than the pro-active approach mandated by many belief systems that asks you to change others' circumstances.
For example, liberal Catholics love to stress social justice, conservatives emphasize their hatred of homosexuality and abortion. Both strains can be found in an "authentic" Catholicism, and writing either off without a serious look at their foundations basically makes it clear that Beck is as serious about religion as he is about anything else: not at all.
That said, there's plenty of room for debating the centrality of any of these ideas to one's faith -- hey, Andrew Sullivan -- and perhaps more important to our purpose here, how these ideas should fit into the public sphere. It's pretty easy to tell when people are abusing religion for political purposes; hence, I like this quote from Archbishop Helder Camara, referenced in the Times article: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
-- Tim Fernholz