The Church of Christ and Politics
Since the most recent presidential election, I've read a lot of pundits who are mystified as to why evangelicals broke so hard for Trump, given that the thrice-married adulterer and admitted sexual assaulter doesn't live up to their much-vaunted family values. I wasn't a bit surprised because, in my experience, people in these conservative churches tend to be deeply sexist and authoritarian, and they will ALWAYS vote for a man, especially one who tries to bully and intimidate his opponents.
There is no doubt that the culture of the Church of Christ is sexist. They openly teach (and quote scripture trying to prove) that men are in charge and women are to be subservient to them. I've heard COC preachers say that, if a woman ever becomes president, they're moving to Canada because they believe it is sinful for a woman to have any sort of authority over a man, let alone millions of men. Satan himself could have run for president against Hillary Clinton, and COC voters would have voted for him because he's not a woman (I assume).
Here's another example: I was a child in the 1970s when the Equal Rights Amendment came close to being passed. Despite the fact that, in order to maintain their tax-free status, churches aren't supposed to get involved in politics, I heard more than one preacher tell us from the pulpit that it was our Christian duty to pray against passage of the ERA because it was the work of the devil. They tried to scare us by telling us that the amendment would mean that all our bathrooms would be unisex, leading to women and girls being raped in restrooms (much like the scare-mongering today over which bathroom transgender people are allowed to use), and that women would be forced to sign up for the military draft like men. There were also dire warnings that this would mean that women would be forced to get jobs, rather than staying at home with their kids as God ordained. They fought tooth and nail against any legislation that would put men and women on equal footing in this country because they believe that women are inferior to men.
The authoritarian streak in the COC goes hand-in-hand with its sexism. The only authority figures they ever see in church or at home are men. They are indoctrinated from birth to believe that there is a big, powerful daddy figure in the sky who will give them whatever they want and smite their enemies, so when a fraud like Trump comes along promising to magically make their lives better, they are primed to believe that and follow him. They are also taught that obedience is the highest virtue a Christian can attain. If a male authority figure tells you to do something, then unquestioning obedience is the only proper response. But what if that figure tells you to do something wrong? Well, God wouldn't have put that man in charge if he didn't know what's best for us. Even if that man is flawed, he is an instrument of God. So who are we to question him and, by extension, God?
To be fair, I did know some people in the COC who were more contrarian and didn't fall in lockstep with the rest of them with regard to politics, but they were rare. And most of them ended up leaving the church, either voluntarily or by being disfellowshipped, because they asked too many questions. The COC is neither welcoming nor forgiving of those who question authority and don't submit to the hive mind.
There is no doubt that the culture of the Church of Christ is sexist. They openly teach (and quote scripture trying to prove) that men are in charge and women are to be subservient to them. I've heard COC preachers say that, if a woman ever becomes president, they're moving to Canada because they believe it is sinful for a woman to have any sort of authority over a man, let alone millions of men. Satan himself could have run for president against Hillary Clinton, and COC voters would have voted for him because he's not a woman (I assume).
Here's another example: I was a child in the 1970s when the Equal Rights Amendment came close to being passed. Despite the fact that, in order to maintain their tax-free status, churches aren't supposed to get involved in politics, I heard more than one preacher tell us from the pulpit that it was our Christian duty to pray against passage of the ERA because it was the work of the devil. They tried to scare us by telling us that the amendment would mean that all our bathrooms would be unisex, leading to women and girls being raped in restrooms (much like the scare-mongering today over which bathroom transgender people are allowed to use), and that women would be forced to sign up for the military draft like men. There were also dire warnings that this would mean that women would be forced to get jobs, rather than staying at home with their kids as God ordained. They fought tooth and nail against any legislation that would put men and women on equal footing in this country because they believe that women are inferior to men.
The authoritarian streak in the COC goes hand-in-hand with its sexism. The only authority figures they ever see in church or at home are men. They are indoctrinated from birth to believe that there is a big, powerful daddy figure in the sky who will give them whatever they want and smite their enemies, so when a fraud like Trump comes along promising to magically make their lives better, they are primed to believe that and follow him. They are also taught that obedience is the highest virtue a Christian can attain. If a male authority figure tells you to do something, then unquestioning obedience is the only proper response. But what if that figure tells you to do something wrong? Well, God wouldn't have put that man in charge if he didn't know what's best for us. Even if that man is flawed, he is an instrument of God. So who are we to question him and, by extension, God?
To be fair, I did know some people in the COC who were more contrarian and didn't fall in lockstep with the rest of them with regard to politics, but they were rare. And most of them ended up leaving the church, either voluntarily or by being disfellowshipped, because they asked too many questions. The COC is neither welcoming nor forgiving of those who question authority and don't submit to the hive mind.
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