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Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics
Split Ticket takes on one of the most critical issues in the public eye right the complicated relationship between religious belief and political engagement. This collection of essays reflect the many different perspectives on this subject, not only on the reductive liberal-conservative axis, but also by taking the diversity of American Christianity (and America) into consideration.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 25, 2014
If the reports are to be believed, young adults are leaving the church, either because it has become too politicized or because institutional religion has become corrupt and moribund. They are, for instance, turned off by their perception that churches tend to be anti-homosexual. And if truth be told, they’re probably correct in this perception, for at most, a majority of churches have followed the lead of the military and have instituted a policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” In other words, stay in the closet.
Of course, not all young adults are leaving the church. Neither are all young adults rejecting what some would call political agendas (definitions are important here, because many consider social justice advocacy/action to be political, while others see it as a proper extension of the gospel). As is true of people of every generation, today’s young adults are not of one mind when it comes to the question of politics and religion. Things are complex!
Split Ticket, the book that is under review here, is the second book in Chalice Press’s WTF (Where’s the Faith?) Series, a series that is edited by, authored by, and intended for young adults. The first book in the series, provocatively titled O God! O God! O God!, (reviewed here) looked at the issue of sex, and this book will be just as provocative as the first. Focusing here on the relationship between faith and politics, we are presented with a series of nineteen essays that range from anarchist to prophetic to politically engaged. The theology evidenced by the writers runs from evangelical to liberationist. Authors are gay and straight, male and female, clergy and laity, and from most every ethnic community. As is true in the first volume in this series, the essays are extremely personal. These volumes are designed to start a conversation, which is why each chapter ends with three discussion questions.
To Continue click here: http://www.bobcornwall.com/2010/10/sp...
Of course, not all young adults are leaving the church. Neither are all young adults rejecting what some would call political agendas (definitions are important here, because many consider social justice advocacy/action to be political, while others see it as a proper extension of the gospel). As is true of people of every generation, today’s young adults are not of one mind when it comes to the question of politics and religion. Things are complex!
Split Ticket, the book that is under review here, is the second book in Chalice Press’s WTF (Where’s the Faith?) Series, a series that is edited by, authored by, and intended for young adults. The first book in the series, provocatively titled O God! O God! O God!, (reviewed here) looked at the issue of sex, and this book will be just as provocative as the first. Focusing here on the relationship between faith and politics, we are presented with a series of nineteen essays that range from anarchist to prophetic to politically engaged. The theology evidenced by the writers runs from evangelical to liberationist. Authors are gay and straight, male and female, clergy and laity, and from most every ethnic community. As is true in the first volume in this series, the essays are extremely personal. These volumes are designed to start a conversation, which is why each chapter ends with three discussion questions.
To Continue click here: http://www.bobcornwall.com/2010/10/sp...
April 10, 2011
Gopp, Amy, Christian Piatt, and Brandon Gilvin, eds. Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2010.
Split Ticket is a book of essays regarding the intersection of faith and politics. The essays discuss a variety of issues from the decision to vote to various social issues. The writing style is conversational and informal. The book's audience is people in their 20's and 30's, which is the age of the authors of the essays. However, any person with an interest in this subject can find the book profitable.
The author's positions are those that are represented within the mainline tradition of Protestant churches. In some ways, this aspect of the book was a bit surprising, in that the cover and title suggested that it would represent a variety of views. Perhaps the idea of the book was to represent a Christian reflection on social issues that are not reported by the mainstream media.
The essays, as a whole, were of high quality. The authors had an opinion and used the various sources for Christian theology in explaining their point. However, it should be said that the Scripture/Experience part took precedence over the reason/tradition part. While I found the essays to be engaging and well thought out, in an edited work there always seems to be that essay that is the exception to the rule. The essay by Garrison was rather sophomoric. For a satirist it was not good satire, not even funny. So my recommendation is to read the book, I think you would get something out of it, but skip the Garrison essay.
Split Ticket is a book of essays regarding the intersection of faith and politics. The essays discuss a variety of issues from the decision to vote to various social issues. The writing style is conversational and informal. The book's audience is people in their 20's and 30's, which is the age of the authors of the essays. However, any person with an interest in this subject can find the book profitable.
The author's positions are those that are represented within the mainline tradition of Protestant churches. In some ways, this aspect of the book was a bit surprising, in that the cover and title suggested that it would represent a variety of views. Perhaps the idea of the book was to represent a Christian reflection on social issues that are not reported by the mainstream media.
The essays, as a whole, were of high quality. The authors had an opinion and used the various sources for Christian theology in explaining their point. However, it should be said that the Scripture/Experience part took precedence over the reason/tradition part. While I found the essays to be engaging and well thought out, in an edited work there always seems to be that essay that is the exception to the rule. The essay by Garrison was rather sophomoric. For a satirist it was not good satire, not even funny. So my recommendation is to read the book, I think you would get something out of it, but skip the Garrison essay.
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April 1, 2015This book seeks to set (protestant, evangelical, Christian) faith in the context of politics... non-partisan does not equal apolitical. The 'independent' and 'non-partisan' descriptors in the title are largely borne out by the essays, which encourage one to think about issues that have been politicized in the context of one's faith, but not in a simplistic way that may be promoted by political or religious organizations. It tries to show that any form of acting out one's faith in the public sphere becomes a political act, and even not participating in voting (for example) is both a political and a spiritual statement. However, one should be aware that for most of the young essayists, their views on sociopolitical issues are progressive, and their faith is heavily influenced by the social justice stream of Christianity. Some of the essays felt redundant or repetitive, and the partitioning of the essays into three distinct sections felt arbitrary. Overall, however, it provides a contemporary voice for progressive Christianity in the realm of social activism.
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