Pope Obama And The Will Of The People

Newsweek has another big article that is unintentionally humorous because it is so theologically clueless. But it is telling nonetheless. A sample excerpt from Is Obama More Catholic Than the Pope?:

Obama’s pragmatic approach to divisive policy (his notion that we should acknowledge the good faith underlying opposing viewpoints) and his social-justice agenda reflect the views of American Catholic laity much more closely than those vocal bishops and pro-life activists. When Obama meets the pope tomorrow, they’ll politely disagree about reproductive freedoms and homosexuality, but Catholics back home won’t care, because they know Obama’s on their side. In fact, Obama’s agenda is closer to their views than even the pope’s.

In Catholicism’s own self-understanding, the members are supposed to conform their views to the pope’s. Here the assumption is that the pope should conform his views to the members. President Obama agrees more with Catholic laypeople; therefore, he is more of a Catholic leader than the pope.

It’s ludicrous, but a similar assumption–which must come from the American political principle of popular sovereignty–is everywhere in American Christianity. Americans don’t want anyone telling them what to believe, not a pastor, a church body, or the Bible itself. We have trouble with recognizing any kind of authority. So pastors and church bodies increasingly plan worship and teachings so that they will correspond to the will of the people.