Christ and Pop Culture
He steps to the podium with strength and poise. He looks over the gathered thousands without the honeyed smile of a salesman or the weepy countenance of one trying to gain sympathy. His measured words fill the stadium and, on the brink of a possible presidential run, he calmly declares his affinity with those who love America, but who love the living Christ even more. He closes with a prayer requesting health for the country, wisdom for the president, and for God to hear the cries of repentance from the gathered throng. Nowhere is there a hint of partisanship, and yet his actions polarize people across the political spectrum. This is Rick Perry, and he represents something rare.
Rick Perry seems the ideal Republican candidate. He is an Eagle Scout. He flew C-130’s in the military. His father fought in World War II. He is a committed Christian. He was a powerful and effective legislator. He is the classic southern Democrat-turned-Republican. He believes in a limited federal government, greater strength for state governments, and lower taxes. He is a proponent of the death penalty. He is pro-life. He is against gay marriage. He is popular in the business community. He can organize and lead a massive prayer rally without it coming off as insincere. He has an excellent record of executive leadership over a large state. And he is amazingly comfortable in a room full of church-goers. In a year when the Republican primaries are full of silly candidates and devoid of those with much potential to win, it is difficult to imagine a better fit for the republican nomination than Rick Perry.
What makes Governor Perry so striking, though, is not merely that he is all the things just mentioned. It’s that he is fully those things. Let me explain.
We have grown accustomed to the ways political candidates build their resumes and explain their beliefs. While we don’t usually doubt the truth of their words, we can be forgiven for doubting the degree to which they believe. Politician’s beliefs tend to be strongly stated but lightly held, depending on which way the wind is blowing.
When politicians tell us how strongly they believe something, we trust them to an extent, but we also know that their beliefs are usually subordinate to their ambition. That’s why accusations of flip-flopping are so damaging to the John Kerrys and Mitt Romneys of the world. When we see changes in position, we are quick to assume that it highlights willingness to change for the sake of votes rather than legitimate conviction.
Rick Perry seems different. He does not hesitate to articulate positions he knows are unpopular with independents or academics. He does not dance with language to avoid stating his views on Christ’s exclusivity. In a world of leaders who seem desperate to fill some hole in their lives with the accumulation of power, he is a man wholly complete in himself and happy to be so.
The confidence and completeness of Rick Perry will make for a fascinating election storyline if he decides to run. As we look back across the presidents of the 20th and 21st centuries, even those with the most loudly declared faith were quickly revealed as men with hardened political instincts and pragmatically ambitious agendas. Perry does not seem nearly so invested in his own accomplishments.
But perhaps more important and interesting for the Christian and the country is the challenge such a man presents to our idea of leadership. When we vote for our leaders, their ambition and desire for an exalted place in history is actually comforting to us. A man who wants your approval is a man who can be controlled. But how comfortable can one be with a leader who is actually more responsive to the will of God than the will of the electorate?
Our country really is changing. We do not look for men on the basis of their morals, their leadership, their consistency, their experience, or their executive chops (though we do use these things to disparage candidates we don’t like). If we did, Rick Perry would be far and away the best candidate in the field. Instead we look for candidates who seem most likely to do the things we want them to do. We look for representatives who are in line with our vision, invested in our issues, connected to our circles, in step with our philosophies, and responsive to the changes in our lives. Vicariously, we want to sit on the throne.
As a result, we fear any candidate who seems committed to anything other than us. In fact, it is a common tactic for political opponents to find labels for each other to exploit this very fear. When Kennedy ran, opponents tried to suggest that as a Catholic he would be subject to the pope (a fear which is now laughable). When Romney became a viable candidate in the last election, some questioned how Mormonism would influence his politics. And with George Bush, many felt his strong faith would prevent him from being sensitive to the needs of minority groups like atheists or Muslims.
But none of the above had the level of complete, comfortable, seemingly ambition-less confidence of Rick Perry. If he runs for president, I expect him to have a very difficult time among independents, not just be because of differences on the issues, but because a man so certain of his faith and so comfortable with subordinating his politics to that faith doesn’t sit well with our national religion – the “be good, feel good, God is out there somewhere,” creed of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.
For Christians, the obstacles to a Rick Perry presidency should remind us how carefully we must separate our political goals from our religious goals. Are we certain that we want a president who doesn’t scramble to keep us happy? Can we say with certainty that it will be easier to advance the cause of Christ in an America led by such an unflappable character?
To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not sure whether I would be comfortable with this man as my leader. That’s one of the values of a long election period: there’s still time to get to know him. But I am fascinated that a person like this has gained such a national following, and he would be a striking contrast when set against President Obama on a variety of issues.
For that reason, I find myself hoping Perry runs. If nothing else, it will hold a fascinating mirror up to American politics and American Evangelicalism, forcing both to face some things we’ve been able to avoid for a long, long time. Is it possible for authentic Christianity to be communicated in a way that makes non-Christians comfortable with a deeply religious President? How will independent voters sort through their displeasure toward President Obama in the face of their discomfort with Governor Perry? Are Christians obligated to vote for one of their own? Perhaps most importantly, what are the church’s goals within a secular governmental system?
When Rick Perry prayed at The Response, he looked and sounded presidential. He is clearly a strong and confident leader. But he was leading a rally to confess the sins of the nation against the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It remains to be seen how those who claim other gods will view the prospect of a Perry presidency.
Illustration courtesy of Seth T. Hahne.
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