Last week, the New Yorker published a fairly long article on Michelle Bachmann, spending significant time on some of the authors who have influenced her political views. And while I have my own reservations on Bachmann, this particular piece has drawn some justifiable criticism--not the least because it resurrects the Dominionist conspiracy.
But as interesting as that is, this post is about a separate response. Alisa Harris, some time contributor to World Magazine, wrote a piece for CNN entitled: I Could Have Become Michelle Bachmann, where she explains her disinfatuation with the conservative evangelical political tradition that has influenced Bachmann.
I hope to sort out and write up my own thoughts on the Harris piece in the near future. She does have some valid criticisms. And, for better or worse (and often worse), she does appeal to my own political angst. However, I am left wondering whether this particular article’s purpose is to call for a more rigorous evangelical conservative political theory (which is commendable) or whether it is a call to her fellow readers to abandon ship. Harris accuses the conservative/worldview crowd of equating their politics with religion, but does she subordinate her Christianity to her politics?
I will have to read her book
to find out.
But as interesting as that is, this post is about a separate response. Alisa Harris, some time contributor to World Magazine, wrote a piece for CNN entitled: I Could Have Become Michelle Bachmann, where she explains her disinfatuation with the conservative evangelical political tradition that has influenced Bachmann.
I hope to sort out and write up my own thoughts on the Harris piece in the near future. She does have some valid criticisms. And, for better or worse (and often worse), she does appeal to my own political angst. However, I am left wondering whether this particular article’s purpose is to call for a more rigorous evangelical conservative political theory (which is commendable) or whether it is a call to her fellow readers to abandon ship. Harris accuses the conservative/worldview crowd of equating their politics with religion, but does she subordinate her Christianity to her politics?
I will have to read her book
to find out.
I agree with you that her article seems to go a bit too far. I too feel the angst and am also looking for a way of living Christianly without subjecting my faith to politics. Ultimately I believe the Christian Left and Right alike are insufficiently Christian, insufficiently theological, rather than excessively religious.
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