I am a Democrat.

Even more…by most metrics, I’m a progressive or liberal Democrat. There, I said it.

My Facebook friends won’t be surprised by this. I haven’t hidden my political orientation, but I’ve also never really publicly proclaimed it. Something is pressure-inducing about the prospect, especially as one who works in evangelical circles. Anyone who watches politics in the United States knows that evangelical and Republican are almost synonymous. That makes it all the stranger when you are an evangelical and not a Republican. Christian Democrats are an oddity to many, and an evangelical Democrat seems an oxymoron.

I remember visiting a friend’s house for Thanksgiving during my first year teaching at a Southern Baptist college. One of the theology professors said something derogatory about Democrats. My wife and I looked at each other and then told him we were Democrats. One of the funniest things ever was to watch him back peddle. To be fair, he is a good guy and we became friends. It is just that within evangelical circles, one is assumed to be a Republican. The Religious Right is a given to American politics, American society, American Christians, and the American Church.

My Liberal History

If evangelicals are Republicans, or so it is assumed, how did I end up as an evangelical Democrat? Part of the answer is that I come from Democratic stock. My father, Cruz Reynoso, was an important figure in the Chicano Civil Rights movement and a strong advocate for social justice and racial reconciliation. He was the first Hispanic on the California Supreme Court, Vice-Chair of the US Civil Rights Commission, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton, and was part of the transition team for Barack Obama. To an extent, political involvement and engagement with social issues were a part of my upbringing. A friend reminded me a couple of years ago that during the 1984 presidential election campaign, when I was in 5th grade, I organized a recess dodgeball game between Walter Mondale supporters and Ronald Reagan supporters. I know… really nerdy for an eleven-year-old!

My Conservative History

The political side, though, is only one part of the story. My religious tradition comes from my mother, who was a Baptist from the Appalachian hills of east Tennessee. I was raised in a conservative, rural Southern Baptist church. I’ve spent most of my life in Southern Baptist Churches. When I lived in NYC, I even was a member and taught the youth at an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church. The religious people in my life are largely conservative Christians and Republican voters. So, it isn’t that I only had exposure to the liberal Democratic worldview. I am very familiar with the conservative perspective, and I love many people who hold that perspective. Among my siblings, we have all maintained Democratic affiliation. I think out of respect for my father. But my siblings do comment that the Democratic party does not represent their views, and they call themselves a “Conservative Democrat” or an “old-fashioned Democrat” and vote conservatively. Several even voted for former President Donald Trump.

Democratic Conviction by Reflection

I have landed where I am politically, not by default from my upbringing or despite my religious identity. I have arrived here because of my faith. In the conservative evangelical circles where I have spent my life, Democrat is a seldom-heard word, at least as anything other than an insult. Liberal is darn near a curse word. One of the most derogatory things a conservative evangelical can say about someone is to call them a liberal. Very little attention is paid to distinctions between theological and political liberalism. For many, the assumption is the two go hand in hand. They believe that if there are religious Democrats, they must be liberal mainline protestants who have abandoned the heart of the gospel and embraced all aspects of the social gospel. Of course, many Black protestants and nonwhite evangelicals are Democrats interested in economic justice and other political issues, but that receives a handwave.

For me, theological and political liberalism are quite different. In the essay “Am I a Liberal?“, I address my theological convictions and leave it for the reader to judge, though I believe it is clear that I am not a theological liberal. My political convictions are an outgrowth of my faith, even if the two don’t seem to go together to some white evangelical Christians. They are a commitment to the biblical concepts of shalom and justice, which I believe any bible-believing Christian should embrace.

How can this be!?

I know this will leave some born-again Christians with questions. How can you be a Christian and a Democrat? What about this issue or that issue? In the future, I hope to write essays answering those questions. I had someone on Facebook send me a message which included:

I grew up in a typical republican southern baptist democrat demeaning family. And I’ve not spoken with many evangelical democrats. So I’m curious about what exactly are your democratic views.

This post is the beginning of the process of answering that question. But he isn’t the only person. I’ve had people ask me about specific issues. For example, how could I support progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders (or anyone on the left side of the political spectrum) considering his stance on abortion rights? For some, it is the bearded woman syndrome, and they just want to look at what, to them, is strange and bizarre. I think most, though, genuinely want to understand how Liberal Democratic politics is at all consistent with my religious beliefs.

When I first started this website, I wrote in the About section:

Honestly, as an artist and art historian it is a bit nerve-racking to put my faith “out there” for the public to see. Religion and contemporary art have a very uncomfortable relationship, sometimes with good reason (from both sides). Finally though, I conceded that transparency is one of my core values and as such this blog seeks to be transparent.

Something very similar can be said about evangelicalism and the Democratic party. They have a very uncomfortable relationship, but transparency, one could say authenticity or vulnerability, is a core value of mine. This is what I am. This is what I believe. And I will, in future essays, try to explain why I believe the way I do. For some, I am a curiosity, for some an embarrassment, for some a danger. But for others, maybe I can be a light who has questions, seeks answers, and follows where those answers lead, even if it is not within the traditional evangelical package.

Seek Truth

The friend who reminded me about my politically-themed dodgeball game is now an atheist. He was raised in a church, but when he reflected on his faith, it could not hold to the scrutiny. Once, he commented to me that “unreflected faith is not a virtue.” He is right. Blindly following a religion without questioning or internalizing is not a virtue. I’m not even sure it is faith. Many have the veneer of faithfulness, yet when they scratch it, they find that there is no faith underneath. The church, too often, encourages people not to scratch. Then, they never have to confront the vacuum in their souls. They are whitewashed but don’t know what is beneath. That isn’t a virtue. Scratch. Scratch hard. Test your faith and challenge your assumptions. If you end up a Democrat or even a Republican, it is okay. The Kingdom of God is not tied to political parties. 

A reflective faith is a virtue even if it doesn’t look exactly like your parents’ or your pastor’s or your friend’s or even if it does.

As a final note, I’m a Liberal Democrat. But neither the Democratic Party nor the progressive “agenda” own God. Neither does the Republican party or Conservatism. Each of them is correct only so far as they reflect the heart of God. I know good, faithful people who are conservative Republicans. Reasonable people can come to different conclusions.

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This essay is from our Anastasis Series, where we resurrect articles from the past that are either still relevant today or can be easily updated. It was first published on October 7, 2015, and has been lightly edited and updated.

 

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