Thursday, February 24, 2005 | by nathan

Commies for Jesus

I just took the Worldview Test for the second time today, and for the second time I have been informed that I am a “Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker.” Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like people enough to be a secular humanist, and that this is actually one of the worst insults you can level at someone like me, who believes so strongly in the Fall, in its necessity for having a clear view of the world, of God, and of oneself.

Granted, this test (http://www.worldviewweekend.com/test/register.php) was brought to you by Worldview Weekend.com, a far right blog site, so I should probably just take it with a grain of salt and let it go. But you see, they called me a secular humanist. This I cannot readily forgive.

The best part about this, of course, is that I pretty much failed all of their tests. The test as a whole is divided into sections: Civil Government, Economics, Family, Law, Religion, Science, and Social Issues. On Civil Government, Economics, Family, Law, and Science I scored as either a Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker, or, even worse, a Communist/Marxist/Socialist/Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker. On Religion and Social Issues, however, I seem to have a Strong Biblical Worldview. So, as a Christian, I’m making about D-minus.

So I decided I’d better put on some Rich Mullins, and fast. Current iPod song: “Elijah.”

See, it’s not the fact that some right-wing freak at a computer screen in East Cupcake Idaho thinks I’m a Communist that’s bothering me. It’s the fact that because he and I disagree on things like welfare, the lottery, and whether or not the founding fathers were believers - I mean, let’s not even get into abortion and homosexuality - that I am not a believer. Or, at the very least, I am much lacking in my faith.

The funny thing about the test - other than the fact that it exists - is that there are five options for every question: No Opinion, Strongly Agree, Tend to Agree, Tend to Disagree, Strongly Disagree. Pretty straightforward, except that when you get your answers, the right answers are printed beneath them, and they are always either “Strongly Agree” or “Strongly Disagree.” And there are bunch of what I call “bait questions” - things like “Physically and mentally healthy adults that do not work should not be protected from suffering the consequences of their action.” How on Earth are you supposed to answer that thoughtfully?

You might say, “Hey, Nate, what’s the big deal?” Unless you’re one of my lovely Reformed friends, in which case, you probably get it too.

In the big scheme of thing, this tiny test is not a big deal. What it represents, however, is huge, because it is one of the most common perversions of the Gospel that I see in 21st century American Christianity, which is the idea that you aren’t a true believer - not a real one - if you’re not also on board with a certain political agenda and lifestyle. While I do believe that our faith should inform the way we view the world, and politics, I am not sure that a Christian worldview sees people on welfare as “cheats,” automatically signs on to the death penalty, and dismisses evolutionary theory out of hand. More than this, however, I do not believe that a Christian worldview is one in black-and-white. I don’t believe that these issues define the quality or existence of one’s faith in Jesus. I don’t want anyone praying for me because I don’t view Genesis 1 as being a literal account of the creation of the world 6,000 years ago in six days.

I could argue about the Bible being a spiritual work and not a scientific one. I could argue chapters in Luke that seem to me to refute the idea of supply-side economics. But I don’t really care. Feel free to be a conservative Republican and *shiver* vote for George W. Bush. Just don’t expect to enjoy hanging out with me. But don’t try to tell me that I occupy a lesser place in the Body of Christ, that my faith is suffering, or that I am in any way of a lower station because I voted for Kerry, am pro-choice, anti-death penalty, and gay. My faith is sustained by the Holy Spirit, and it is on this basis that I am called the adopted son of God.

I’m a pretty thoughtful person, so these thoughts don’t get in my head and screw with me. But they used to. And they screw with a lot of people I know and care about. I have friends who automatically assumed that because they were Christian that they had to vote for Bush. I have others who assume they cannot become believers because of their political stance, or the fact that they buy into evolutionary theory. This kind of thinking subtly turns people away from the Savior by setting for them a standard which is at once far too low, and far too high. It is far too low in that God has much higher aspirations for our sanctification than the refinement of our political beliefs and the elimination of personal intellectual diversity and dialogue. It is too high in that there is no room for doubt, disagreement, shades of gray, or even for thinking for oneself. One is expected, upon coming to Christ, to immediately know all the answers to all the questions, when in fact, the moment of one’s conversion is the moment at which questioning finally becomes okay, and safe.

I’m trying really hard not to judge the modern church too harshly, because she is the Bride of Christ, and we all know that she is flawed, and being dragged along toward redemption. Still, when I see the Gospel - and God’s people - being screwed with like this, I can’t help but get angry. So I must pray for repentance, for the courage to look inside and see my own sin, to love the people who are causing me so much offense.

Also, I must repent of my evil Commie ways and turn to a worldview that is more friendly to rich, white, upperclass straight fundamentalists. Because they don’t have it easy enough.

We’re still a work in progress here.