05-11-2011, 08:39 PM
kj wrote:
I guess I can't agree that christianity actually ever is a political/economic system, but I do agree it can inspire, guide, etc. political and economic systems. But generally, I think christianity is more focused on individual behavior than on institutional "behavior". I agree it's interesting to think about what kind of gov't Jesus would have created, but I think he avoided that kind of exercise for good reason. I think Jesus' suggested mode of influence was more along the lines of; each person has a sphere of influence about 15-20 people "big", which is where you exert most of your effort. I can't see him saying something like, "get out the vote!". I recognize this is debatable, even among christians, though. kj.
Hmm, well i suppose we can agree to disagree. Where we likely get hung up here is on what the word "Christianity" means, and that's a discussion that if started will never end nor produce good results.
And it's okay to have different understandings of the term, as long as we stay respectful and love one another as ourselves.I'll push back a little bit on Christianity being "more focused on individual behavior," though, for two reasons. First, institutions comprise the actions of individuals in the context of historical actions by other individuals - so individual and institutional behavior, though not identical, are thoroughly bound up in one another. Secondly, whether you approve of it or no, since its establishment Christianity has deeply affected how institutions behave. The notion that Christianity doesn't, or shouldn't, concern itself with how institutions work is a very recent trend in Christianity, and it's far from universal even today. We come back to what the term means here, but suffice it to say that there are plural views...
Thanks for such an interesting and respectful conversation about this. How cool!