Turning Off Rush!

During the late 1980s and early 1990s I was a huge fan of Rush Limbaugh. I listened faithfully to Rush each day as I commuted home from work. He was my voice of reason, or so I thought.

I am sad to say that I believed much of what Rush spewed forth and allowed his right wing narrative to shape my own view of the world. I even found myself parroting some of Rush’s talking points whenever I engaged others in political discussions. 

The problem is that Rush’s view of the world makes sense. It is so neat and tidy. There is no room for ambiguity or complexity. A black and white view of the world is just too good to be true.

More significantly, according to Rush, all liberals were evil American hating monsters who were hell bent on destroying our Democracy. He painted a rather broad stroke when it came to defaming liberals. I knew who the enemy was for sure, or I thought I did.

But something happened. Something happened to me that actually compelled me to turn off Rush Limbaugh. It was like suddenly I was listening to Rush through a different filter and his ranting no longer made sense to me.

In fact, his right-wing rhetoric began sounding nothing like the Gospel narrative I thought I had fully embraced. I realized that I had gone adrift and needed a serious course correction in the way I viewed my world, at least politically speaking.

So I abandoned Rush’s toxic conservatism and opted for a worldview that was based on a more hopeful and robust narrative. Now, please understand that I am not suggesting that all forms of conservatism are as toxic as the right-wing (think alt-right) brand of Rush Limbaugh. They are not.

I would also argue that a far left-wing liberal view of the world is not preferable either. I am reminded of the wisdom of my theology professor in seminary who warned us against the dangers of right and left extremes, both in politics and theology. Extremes in either case are dangerous. 

So where have I landed you may be wondering? I have landed in a place that actually transcends right or left views of the world. My position on many of the current issues that divide us today is grounded firmly in the ethic of Christ’s kingdom; a kingdom Jesus inaugurated at his first coming (Mark 1:15).

It is this kingdom ethic that gives shape to my own personal politics. 

For many of my conservative friends it looks as though I have fallen into a deep “liberal” abyss. I assure you I have not fallen into any abyss but rather I have been elevated to a kingdom ethic firmly grounded in the work of Jesus Christ.

It is an ethic that eschews any and all prejudice based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. 

It is an ethic that invites and welcomes all comers, no one is excluded for any reason. 

It is a kingdom ethic that cares for the poor, the oppressed, the underprivileged, the widows, the orphans, and the powerless. In other words, "the least of these" in Matthew 25.

It is a kingdom ethic that is not driven by unfettered capitalism but rather an economy that works for all people and not just a privileged few at the top.

It is a kingdom ethic that desires to make health care a real possibility for everyone simply because it reflects the compassion of the Great Physician Jesus Christ. 

It is a kingdom ethic that honors and respects diversity as much as uniformity—in fact, it celebrates diversity rather than being threatened by it.

It is a kingdom ethic that refuses to scapegoat whole groups of people (Mexicans or Muslims) simply because they are easy targets.

It is a kingdom ethic that strives to make peace, not through the use of violence but rather by self-giving love, using the cross of Jesus as the template for how we are to respond to evil and violence in the world. 

It is a kingdom ethic that is consistently pro-life from the womb to the grave, respecting and protecting the sacredness of all life in every situation.

It is a kingdom ethic that honors the creation and protects it like we would our own homes—it is the only planet we have to inhabit thus far.

Finally it is a kingdom ethic whose task it is to reflect the image of God to the whole world, thus making John 3:16 much more than some religious slogan.  

This kingdom ethic transcends all partisan politics and can be labeled neither as conservative or liberal; it should be the foundation upon which every Christian bases his or her own politics.

 It is an ethic that demands full loyalty to God's kingdom above all others.

The ultimate realization of Christ’s kingdom remains our only true hope for the future. 

Yet our responsibility to live according to this kingdom ethic should never be avoided.

 It is indeed implied in the words of Jesus when he said: “Follow me!”