Reflecting on the Red Blue Christian blog...

GENEROUS POLITICS

Why am I + Religious Righty + Lefty Liberal +

Republican + Democrat + Libertarian +

Pro-life + Pro-Choice +

Christian America + Church State Separationist +

Closed Border + Illegals Welcome +

Heterosexual + Choose your sex +

Global War + Passivist +

No Tax + Tax the hell out of everyone +

School Choice + Gov ed. Only + Poor + Rich +

UNFINISHED RED BLUE CHRISTIAN

This is part of the banner at RedBlue Christian. I am trying to figure out what it means. It's being a new blog + that last line with the word unfinished suggests that it is a work in progress. I hesitate to use the word "progress" lest it appear to lead to the word "progressive." Something tells me that progressive is not exactly where the blog host wants to travel.

I do like that "generous politics" part at the top. It seems so...so...tolerant. You know, we all like to be tolerated. Especially those of us over at the edge. People in the mainstream have no idea what it is to be tolerated. Their mission is simply to learn the virtue of bearing the burden of tolerance. (I suppose that is why there is so much defensiveness about subversive groups out to get us, bias in media reporting, and unpatriotic America-bashing in general. The enlightened observer has to push hard on his tolerance button all the time on the outside chance that this or that group might prove worthy of being tolerated. Besides, even the most sinister of outfits serves a very real purpose, especially if it poses an existential threat to our very being.)

I am resolved to read this blog for a while trying to keep an open mind, confessing from the start that I am fighting a bad attitude. I sense a worm-in-the-apple initiative more than a sincere quest for understanding. Could be that spelling of passivist (for pacifist?) rubbed me the wrong way. I dunno.

So far I'm not sensing much in the way of nuance.

What I am sensing is a serious need to formulate some kind of politic... some stripe of political positioning that can be harnessed to issues and campaigns, ostensibly for the advancement of the Kingdom, the Great Commission, the Salvation of mankind. I came to the conclusion a few years back that politics is not the substance we seek. Politics is nothing but the glue. The building blocks have to do with values, principles, laws, goals and the like. Politics, though, is the mortar that steadies the pile, the nails that hold the platform together. In and of itself, politics is only connective tissue. Too much politics and too little content is a sure way to cobble together something that will fall. Content is always much more important than form.

This "red" versus "blue" taxonomy is interesting, but deceptive. We tend to look at a map of the US and declare that this state is blue, another one red, a region this or that. But by naming we tend to overlook the fact that in almost every community, every county, every big organization there are both blue and red schools of thought. It's not necessary to travel out of state to meet someone of another disposition. All one has to do is politely ask a few questions and listen to the answers without insulting the speaker. It is surprising how many angles one can find just by driving a car with no bumper stickers or asking a quesion or two without trying to anticipate the reply.

Interesting blogroll, too. Makes my own look downright polyglot.