Recently, I attended a couple of Democratic Party events in
Hawaii. Although I am a member of the Democratic Party, I am on its fringe in
terms of participation. The events interested me more from a sociological than political
perspective.
Political tribalism dominated. For many attendees, the local
party functions as an important, perhaps even their primary, community. Few
legislators or their staff members attended; none spoke or were key
participants. Attendees expressed desires to include shared meals and other
social events in the party’s activities. Importantly, participants with whom I
spoke sought a Democratic victory in all elections and on all legislative issues.
Compromise and bipartisan cooperation were unthinkable. Tribe defined identity,
eclipsing concern for good government.
The core membership of the Republican, Socialist, Green, or
any other political party in the U.S., and perhaps in other countries, is most
likely equally tribal. On reflection, the tribalism I observed in those
political events reminded me of the tribalism that prevailed in the military
before the full implementation of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act designed to
end inter-service rivalry, e.g., Army vs. Navy.
Researchers now report that political tribalism has reached
the point where many parents are more upset when a child announces her/his
engagement to a person of a different political party that when their child
becomes engaged to a person of a different race or religion. Political
tribalism is a key symptom of the polarization that causes gridlock in the
federal government and in some state government. Compromise has become
unthinkable; bipartisanship is a dirty word.
Other forms of tribalism also create fault lines along which
societies and cultures fracture and become polarized. Religion is sometimes a
prominent form of tribalism, e.g., Sunni vs. Shiite Muslims in much of the
Middle Et, but not in Europe; Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic Christians in much of
Eastern Europe but not in the U.S.; Buddhist vs. Muslim in Myanmar. Pro-life
vs. pro-choice groups sometimes represent tribes in parts of the U.S. Economic
disparities sometimes create tribes. Fans of one sports team vs. fans of another
team may represent tribes. And so on – the types of tribes and the various
identities that they entail are too numerous to delineate.
Tribalism is literally a dead end. The planet faces
existential threats from the climate crisis and global heating. While
competition and diffuse identities undeniably enrich life, tribal identities
must be subordinated to globalization if humanity and life as we know it are to
survive. The climate crisis adds fuel to tribal fires, threatening to intensify
and spread those fires. The climate crisis has contributed to armed conflict in
Syria, the Horn of Africa, and elsewhere as “tribes,” sometimes fighting as
proxies of other “tribes” fight for their fair share of scarce resources, resources
the climate crisis makes increasingly scarce.
Christianity that follows in Jesus’ footsteps insists upon its
adherents adopting a global identity and belonging to an inclusive community
that welcomes everyone. Illustratively, Christianity is not defined by party
membership. Even as it was once an expression of the Episcopal Church having
lost its way in the wilderness to caricature Episcopalians as the GOP at
prayer, so now it is equally an expression of the Episcopal Church having lost
its way in the wilderness to caricature Episcopalians as Democrats in action.
Faithful Christian Churches have room in their pews and warmly welcome people
of all political parties and no political party (independents!).
Contrary to Christian groups such as the Mennonites,
Hutterites, and others that teach or require their members to withdraw from the
world in order to remain faithful to Jesus, God calls the Church to live out
its mission in the world. Jesus described Christians as salt and as leaven.
Neither salt nor leaven is of any use stored in a container on a shelf; both
must be proportionately mixed with other ingredients to be of any value.
Additionally, Jesus sent his disciples into the world; he never instructed them
to withdraw from the world. Going into the world obeys Jesus’ teachings and
follows his example.
Christianity acknowledges that to be human is to have
multiple identities. A person is invariably somebody’s child, perhaps someone’s
parent, perhaps a spouse, maybe an employee or employer, perhaps a member of a
union or organized group, certainly a citizen of some country, and so forth. Christianity
hopes to shape and influence all of those identities, but never invalidates or
cancels our multiple identities.
Ultimately, Christianity reminds us that our primary
identity is as a child of God, an identity share with people of other
religions, persons who identify as spiritual but not religious, and even
atheists.
Christianity calls its adherents to promote justice –
economic, social and political – for all creation. Christianity teaches that we
collectively will live or die together. Savor your tribal identity(ies), always
remembering that our primary identity as God's child places loyalty to all
creation before loyalty to any particular tribe. This is our best hope for our broken, badly damaged world.