{"id":2007,"date":"2013-02-14T13:01:51","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T20:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithfuldemocrats\/?p=2007"},"modified":"2013-02-14T13:15:11","modified_gmt":"2013-02-14T20:15:11","slug":"an-evening-with-david-p-gushee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithfuldemocrats\/2013\/02\/an-evening-with-david-p-gushee\/","title":{"rendered":"An Evening with David P. Gushee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Last week, Evangelical scholar and Christian ethicist David Gushee visited The University of Virginia to give two lectures. I attended the first \u2013 \u201cSacredness of Life,\u201d which received its title from his latest book<\/a>.\u00a0 If I recall, the poster advertising his visit said something along these lines. \u201cChristian Ethicist David P. Gushee argues that culture wars and political polarization have misrepresented, obscured, and endangered one of the most precious legacies of Biblical faith \u2013 the sacredness of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hmm, potentially messy.<\/p>\n

But when it came time to talk, Gushee tossed his formal notes and spoke candidly about his book and the \u2018sacredness of life\u2019 ethic that runs through it. He talked about the ethic\u2019s foundation in biblical sources, its historical trajectory, and how it applies to some contemporary issues (not always an easy task).<\/p>\n

I think Gushee deserves tremendous credit for doing what he does. His ethic is consistent, accessible, and true to the Christian tradition. In the best way, Gushee\u2019s \u201cSacredness of Life\u201d ethic is non-partisan and deeply profound in that it appeals to something higher and longer lasting \u2013 the Judeo-Christian tradition. It is accessible and consistent, historically reinforced and contemporarily relevant.<\/p>\n

In all seriousness, I think my head was nodding up and down for the duration of his talk.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t be \u2018for the sanctity of life\u2019 and also be for<\/em> pre-emptive war, the death penalty, and torture. You can\u2019t be \u2018for the sanctity of life\u2019 and also be for<\/em>\u00a0cutting social services and funding for education,\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n

Given my interest in religion and politics, there was one talking point that struck me as particularly relevant. In response to a question about human dignity, Gushee spoke a little bit about how Christians talk about the sacredness of life in the secular\/political sphere. Somewhere in the transition from a religious space to a secular one, the term \u2018sacredness of life\u2019 gets translated to \u2018human dignity.\u2019 This, Gushee said, is okay. Without a doubt, Christians can and should participate in public discourse. But \u201cdignity language, already indicates the secularization of sacredness of life.\u201d So while we can and should use it, it is important to remember the theology behind it. Furthermore, we must not be afraid to say why <\/em>we believe each human has dignity.<\/p>\n

And so, when Obama addressed America in Tuesday night\u2019s State of the Union saying, \u201cWe know our economy is stronger when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence\u201d and then \u201cTonight, let\u2019s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty,\u201d I think it\u2019s important to think about and remember that Christian theology lies behind those statements. Obama doesn\u2019t explicitly say, of course, that feminist Christian texts influence how we treat women or that liberation theology tells us to lift up the poor\u2026 but it\u2019s there behind that secular language. And it\u2019s all part of the sacredness of life.<\/p>\n

As always, e-mail me at church.jessicarae@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter at @MissAnalytical.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, Evangelical scholar and Christian ethicist David Gushee visited The University of Virginia to give two lectures. I attended the first \u2013 \u201cSacredness of Life,\u201d which received its title from his latest book.\u00a0 If I recall, the poster advertising his visit said something along these lines. \u201cChristian Ethicist David P. Gushee argues that culture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[357,360,293,358,359,361],"class_list":["post-2007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-david-gushee","tag-human-dignity","tag-jessica-church","tag-sacredness-of-life","tag-state-of-the-union","tag-university-of-virginia"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Evening with David P. 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