Christian left

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File:Dorothy Day at City Hall (cropped).jpg
Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, protesting at City Hall

Template:Christian socialism sidebar The Christian left is a range of Christian political and social movements that largely embrace social justice principles and uphold a social doctrine or social gospel based on their interpretation of the teachings of Christianity. Given the inherent diversity in international political thought, the term Christian left can have different meanings and applications in different countries. While there is much overlap, the Christian left is distinct from liberal Christianity, meaning not all Christian leftists are liberal Christians and vice versa.

In the United States, the Christian left usually aligns with modern liberalism and progressivism, using the social gospel to achieve better social and economic equality.[1] Christian anarchism, Christian communism, and Christian socialism are subsets of the socialist Christian left. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, authors of the Communist Manifesto, both had Christian upbringings; however, neither were devout Christians.[2][3]

Terminology

As with any section within the left–right political spectrum, a label such as Christian left represents an approximation, including within it groups and persons holding many diverse viewpoints. The term left-wing might encompass a number of values, some of which may or may not be held by different Christian movements and individuals. As the unofficial title of a loose association of believers, it provides a clear distinction from the more commonly known Christian right, or religious right, and from its key leaders and political views. The Christian left does not hold the notion that left-leaning policies, whether economic or social, stand in apparent contrast to Christian beliefs.[4]

The most common religious viewpoint that might be described as left-wing is social justice, or care for impoverished and oppressed minority groups. Supporters of this trend might encourage universal health care, welfare provisions, subsidized education, foreign aid, and affirmative action for improving the conditions of the disadvantaged. With values stemming from egalitarianism, adherents of the Christian left consider it part of their religious duty to take actions on behalf of the oppressed. Matthew 25:31–46, among other verses, is often cited to support this view. As nearly all major religions contain the concept of a Golden Rule as a requirement to help others,[5] adherents of various religions have cited social justice as a movement in line with their faith.[6] The term social justice was coined in the 1840s by Luigi Taparelli, an Italian Catholic scholar of the Society of Jesus, who was inspired by the writings of Thomas Aquinas.[7] The Christian left holds that social justice, renunciation of power, humility, forgiveness, and private observation of prayer (as in Script error: No such module "Bibleverse".) as opposed to publicly mandated prayer, are mandated by the Gospel. The Bible contains accounts of Jesus repeatedly advocating for the poor and outcast over the wealthy, powerful, and religious. The Christian left maintains that such a stance is relevant and important. Adhering to the standard of "turning the other cheek", which they believe supersedes the Old Testament law of "an eye for an eye", the Christian left sometimes hearkens towards pacifism in opposition to policies advancing militarism.[8]

The medieval Waldensians sect had a leftist character.[9] Some among the Christian left,[10] as well as some non-religious socialists, find support for anarchism, communism, and socialism in the Gospels, for example Mikhail Gorbachev citing Jesus as "the first socialist".[11] The Christian left is a broad category that includes Christian socialism, as well as Christians who would not identify themselves as socialists.[4]

History

Christians and workers

To a significant degree, the Christian left developed out of the experiences of clergy who went to do pastoral work among the working class, often beginning without any social philosophy but simply a pastoral and evangelistic concern for workers. This was particularly true among the Methodists and Anglo-Catholics in England, Father Adolph Kolping in Germany and Joseph Cardijn in Belgium.[12]

Christian left and campaigns for peace and human rights

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Some Christian groups were closely associated with the peace movements against the Vietnam War as well as the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Religious leaders in many countries have also been on the forefront of criticizing any cuts to social welfare programs. In addition, many prominent civil rights activists were religious figures.[13]

In the United States

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In the United States, members of the Christian Left come from a spectrum of denominations: Peace churches, elements of the Protestant mainline churches, Catholicism, and some evangelicals.[14]

Beliefs

Homosexuality

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The Christian left generally approaches homosexuality differently from some other Christian political groups. This approach can be driven by focusing on issues differently despite holding similar religious views, or by holding different religious ideas. Those in the Christian left who have similar ideas as other Christian political groups but a different focus may view Christian teachings on certain issues, such as the Bible's prohibitions against killing or criticisms of concentrations of wealth, as far more politically important than Christian teachings on social issues emphasized by the religious right, such as opposition to homosexuality. Others in the Christian left have not only a different focus on issues from other Christian political groups, but different religious ideas as well.

For example, some members of the Christian left may consider discrimination and bigotry against homosexuals to be immoral, but they differ on their views towards homosexual sex. Some believe homosexual sex to be immoral but unimportant compared with issues relating to social justice, or even matters of sexual morality involving heterosexual sex. Others assert that some homosexual practices are compatible with the Christian life. Such members believe common biblical arguments used to condemn homosexuality are misinterpreted, and that biblical prohibitions of homosexual practices are actually against a specific type of homosexual sex act, i.e. pederasty, the sodomizing of young boys by older men. Thus, they hold biblical prohibitions to be irrelevant when considering modern same-sex relationships.[15][16][17][18]

Consistent life ethic

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". A related strain of thought is the (Catholic and progressive evangelical) consistent life ethic, which sees opposition to capital punishment, militarism, euthanasia, abortion and the global unequal distribution of wealth as being related. It is an idea with certain concepts shared by Abrahamic religions as well as some Buddhists, Hindus, and members of other religions. The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago developed the idea for the consistent life ethic in 1983.[19] Sojourners is particularly associated with this strand of thought.[20][21]

Liberation theology

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File:Gustavo gutierrez (Peruvian theologian).jpg
Gustavo Gutiérrez, one of the founders of Latin American liberation theology

Liberation theology is a theological tradition that emerged in the developing world, primarily in Latin America.[22] Since the 1960s, Catholic thinkers have integrated left-wing thought and Catholicism, giving rise to Liberation theology.

It arose at a time when Catholic thinkers who opposed the despotic leaders in Southern and Central America allied themselves with the communist opposition. However, it developed independently of and roughly simultaneously with Black theology in the U.S. and should not be confused with it.[23] The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith decided that while liberation theology is partially compatible with Catholic social teaching, certain Marxist elements of it, such as the doctrine of perpetual class struggle, are against Church teachings.[citation needed]

Political parties

Active

State Party Notes
File:Flag of Chile.svg Chile Citizen Left
File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece Christian Democracy
File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy 360 Association, AreaDem, Olivists, Reformist Base, Social Christians, Teodem, The Populars, and Veltroniani Factions within the Democratic Party
Democratic Centre
Solidary Democracy
File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Christian Union Economically left-wing, progressive on matters like climate change and migration, but conservative on matters like abortion, drugs, euthanasia and prostitution
File:Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua Sandinista National Liberation Front
File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland AGROunia Agrarian and nationalist Christian left
Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania Social Democratic Party
File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden Religious Social Democrats of Sweden Faction within the Swedish Social Democratic Party
File:Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland Christian Social Party
File:Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg United Kingdom Christians on the Left Faction within the Labour Party
File:Flag of the United States.svg United States American Solidarity Party Economic left
Prohibition Party
File:Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay Christian Democratic Party of Uruguay

Defunct

State Party Notes
File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium Humanist Democratic Centre Factions only
File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Merged into the New Democratic Party
File:Flag of Chile.svg Chile Citizen Left
File:Flag of East Germany.svg East Germany Christian Democratic Union Until 1989
File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy Merged into the Democratic Party
Italian People's Party Merged into Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy
File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Evangelical People's Party Merged into GroenLinks
Political Party of Radicals

See also

Movements and denominations

A number of movements of the past had similarities to today's Christian left:

Other

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Stanton, Zack (25 February 2021). "You Need to Take the Religious Left Seriously This Time". Politico. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Boer, Roland. "Engels and revolutionary religion". culturematters.org.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Religion as Opium of the People". Learn Religions. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Williams, Anthony A. J. (2022). The Christian Left: an introduction to christian socialism. Newark: Polity Press. ISBN 978-1-5095-4281-9.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The "Golden Rule" (a.k.a. Ethics of Reciprocity)". Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  6. ^ Leilah Danielson, Marian Mollin, Doug Rossinow, The Religious Left in Modern America: Doorkeepers of a Radical Faith, Springer, USA, 2018, p. 27
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About Social Justice". 17 August 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Damon, Linker (31 March 2014). "Why Christianity demands pacifism". The Week. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, E. (1974). Leftism: from de Sade and Marx to Hitler and Marcuse. Arlington House. ISBN 978-0-87000-143-7. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cort, John C. (1988). Christian Socialism. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. p. 32. ISBN 0-88344-574-3.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Mikhail S. Gorbachev Quotes". Brainyquote.com. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
  12. ^ Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953.
  13. ^ Bass, S. Jonathan (2001) Blessed Are The Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the "Letter from Birmingham Jail". Baton Rouge: LSU Press. Template:ISBN
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hall, Charles F. (September 1997). "The Christian Left: Who Are They and How Do They Differ from the Christian Right?". Review of Religious Research. 39: 31–32. doi:10.2307/3512477. JSTOR 3512477.
  15. ^ Why TCPC Advocates Equal Rights for Gay and Lesbian People Script error: No such module "webarchive".
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Equality for Gays and Lesbians – Christian Alliance for Progress". 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 1 December 2005.
  17. ^ Bible & Homosexuality Home Page Script error: No such module "webarchive".. Pflagdetroit.org (11 December 1998). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  18. ^ [1] Script error: No such module "webarchive".
  19. ^ Bernardin, Joseph. Consistent ethics of life 1988, Sheed and Ward, p. v
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McKanan, Dan (November 2011). Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition. Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807013168.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dorrien, Gary (25 March 2009). Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781444305777.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Løland, Ole Jakob (July 2021). Usarski, Frank (ed.). "The Solved Conflict: Pope Francis and Liberation Theology" (PDF). International Journal of Latin American Religions. 5 (2). Berlin: Springer Nature: 287–314. doi:10.1007/s41603-021-00137-3. eISSN 2509-9965. ISSN 2509-9957.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Prophets of a Modern Era: An Introduction to Liberation Theology". Koinonia Revolution. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.

Bibliography

  • Young, Shawn David (2015). Gray Sabbath: Jesus People USA, the Evangelical Left, and the Evolution of Christian Rock. New York: Columbia University Press.

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