The Religious Left Is Losing Touch
James w.Skillen
July 1, 1996
IDENTIFYING THE RELIGIOUS LEFT in American politics is a little more difficult than pinning down the religious right. Three decades ago the opposite would have been true. Today, a few major organizations such as the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, and Concerned Women of America, to name but three, have a clear identity and speak for millions of Americans. Who represents the religious left? What do its representatives represent? Some church lobby groups in Washington clearly stand opposed to the right. A few Catholic and Protestant organizations, such as the Center of Concern and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice can, each in its own way, be considered left of center. The religious left, however, is now scattered across a diverse range of issues and no longer shows up as a large and unified movement in national politics. Why is this the case? From my vantage point, the religious left (and I am particularly concerned with Christians here) is losing touch with both the biblical vision of life and changing political realities. My criticism is not that the left is not conservative enough but that it is not Christian enough. I would indict the left on three counts: its uncritical course of political pragmatism; its reliance on a moralistic rhetoric insufficient for dealing with real public policy choices; and its gravitation toward an avant-gardism that increasingly appears deja vu. Let me cite just two examples of the first two counts. Last April, President Clinton vetoed a bill, passed by substantial margins in both houses of Congress, to outlaw partialbirth abortions. Clearly this was a minor skirmish in the ongoing battle over abortion. Nevertheless, the event raised the question about life protection ...
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