When sacred and secular meet: mapping the relationship between christianity and democracy

Resumo

This article examines the many intersections between Christianity and modern, secular and pluralistic democracy, specifi cally in the context of the United States. These two systems, one of belief and one of governance, are in many respects entirely compatible; however, there are also tensions and stresses between them that delineate possible confl icts between certain elements and expressions of Christianity and contemporary democracy. Among the frictions explored here are included the iconoclastic origins of Christianity and the faith’s often contentious association with power and authority; the confl ation of political and ideological platforms with those of a moral and religious character; and the pressures placed on Christian belief and identity by the rapidly changing social landscape. It should be noted that while a number of necessary distinctions are made between Catholic and Protestant Christianity, and between various sects and denominations, the religion is treated here for the most part in a general sense, inasmuch as the foundational tenets of the faith remain consistent. Our purpose is to map a number of specifi c interrelations that challenge and complicate the dynamic between a model of governance that is considered by many to be well -suited to receive the imprint of Christian values and virtues, and particulars unique to Christianity that resist the openness to a plurality that obligates peoples of disparate creeds and orientations accommodate one another. In essence, the continued partnership between Christianity and democracy, established in the late 18th Century, is at a crossroads wherein both systems are being tested each unto itself and in relation to one another; democracy by neo-populism and autocracy, and Christianity by an ultimatum to reassert its continued relevance in a secular environment. The Christian faith is by no means monolithic, and there are some expressions that are likely more suitable to accept the comprises and adaptations that will be necessary to go forward, and others that have aligned themselves with untenable ideological platforms ill -suited to properly represent the values of compassion, tolerance, kindness, and generosity that characterize the essence of Christ’s teachings.