By Christopher Cudworth
In 2007 while completing the manuscript for The Genesis Fix, A Repair Manual for Faith in the Modern Age, I created an infographic (see link above) categorizing the ideologies and how they relate “across the gap” of issues. Clicking on the link above will open the map in PDF form so that you can review it.
What this chart does is illustrate the dividing points and how they are expressed in practice and policy. What this chart does not do is attempt to illustrate ways to bridge the gap.
In The Genesis Fix I propose that this chart does show the way to common ground, but not in ways you might think. Real reconciliation requires going back to the core values of each ideology, and look for common ground there.
If we focus on the religious side of conservatism and liberalism, we find that these two factions regularly resort to the Bible for foundational support on their respective positions.
For example, conservatives cite the word “dominion” in the book of Genesis as a clear sign that God has given the world over to purposes determined by humans to be necessary.
Meanwhile, liberals cite more than 1000 other passages that contradict the notion of dominion, converting that word into a commitment to stewardship of creation.
If we trace back all the issues on this chart to their sometimes biblical sources, we find similarl value displacements and disagreements over what our “fundamental” values really mean.
In the next blog I will elucidate the nature of some of the opportunities available to conservatives and liberals, and how they truly can “bridge the gap” by challenging some of the presumptions held by each side.
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