Don’t judge based on how grand a stage

Aston Pittman tweeted a thread in response to someone tweeting there is no meaningful religious left and there won’t be one in the USA. Pittman first lists a couple of the accomplishments of the religious left: the Civil Rights Movement and LGBT religious leaders. The Pittman gets into crucial differences between the religious left and right.

The right is a top-down organization. It dominates from the top. It seeks to wield its influence in the government. It is driven by a few loud voices (mostly white men). They tell congregations their identity is under attack. They ask their people to vote for those who respect them and frame elections as referendums on “Christianity” (theirs) v. the world.

The left is a bottom-up movement, building influence with those of common cause. Their “Christian” part is not trumpeted, but implied by values and the work they do. Their leaders don’t demand recognition and control as end goals. They aren’t concerned whether the religious part is credited. They don’t frame opposition as “an attack on Christianity!” and don’t see elections as referendums on their religion. They don’t try to supplant government with religion. They do want government to further religious goals: civil rights, helping the sick, poor, immigrants, prisoners, etc.

That doesn't mean the Christian left isn't significant or effective. Its effects just aren't as obviously tied to it, & it doesn't tend to make capturing the White House with one of its own acolytes a goal (electing ppl w/similar values matters more than shared religion).

If you don't think the Christian left is real, go to a US immigrants rights group's meeting. You'll often find priests & other Xian devotees in their ranks. You'll also find people who are driven to stand up for immigrants by deep religious convictions they rarely speak of.

Once you stop judging the significance and size of religious social movements by how powerful an office and grand a stage their leaders have obtained, and by how loudly their adherents proclaim that faith instead of the work they do, you'll discover you've missed *a lot.*

D. Carlisle replied:

I've mentioned to people on the left that we lefty Christians do exist. Almost every time I get comments back that amount to "Why aren't you organizing to compete for power like the Christian right?!" …angry with me, even. What the Christian right is doing is antithetical to my faith. I don't want to mimic it to "compete."

My summary: The Christian right is about supremacy. The Christian left, like Jesus, isn’t.