The new Democratic mantra about the background of Sarah Palin vs. that of Barak Obama is, “Jesus was a community organizer; Pontius Pilate was a governor.” This, they apparently hope, will somehow help their messianic candidate for president compete more effectively with the GOP’s candidate for vice-president.
They’re right about one thing: Their candidate’s background as a Saul-Alinsky-style community organizer does resemble the background of a character in the New Testament; the only problem is that they’ve got the wrong character.
Hardly an Alinsky-style political activist, Jesus eschewed political aspirations and avoided any efforts by others to make him a political leader (John 6:15).
Nor did Jesus organize people to pressure political authorities for benefits from the public purse; rather, he admonished them to render unto Caesar only what is Caesar’s (Mark 12:17) and even utilized St. Peter’s fishing trade as a tax shelter (Matthew 17:27).
When Pontius Pilate demanded to know his political agenda, Jesus indicated that his only agenda was truth (John 18:37) whereupon he was informed that truth was above Pontius Pilate’s pay grade (John 18:38).
Jesus also wasn’t much for building the sort of coalitions that are so essential to community organizing. Instead, he rebuked both the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matthew 3:7) even though a few Pharisees were seeking his guidance in secret (John 3:1–2) while others were plotting to kill him (Matthew 26:4).
No, the New Testament character with a background in Alinsky-style community organizing is not Jesus; it is a fellow named Barabbas.
Barabbas was arrested for organizing a community insurrection (Luke 23:19). To avoid punishment, he needed to win an election (Matthew 27:15). This he did by building a coalition with the Pharisees, who then took care of the grass-roots organizing aspect of his campaign (Mark 15:11). Alinsky would be proud.
The community chose Barabbas over Jesus, acclaiming their choice by jubilantly chanting his name in an ample public arena (Matthew 27:21). This choice would be echoed 2000 years later by advocates of Liberation Theology, who preferred the temporal salvation of a political “liberator” over the eternal salvation of a spiritual redeemer.
But, reports of Jesus’ defeat were premature – we know the rest of the story.
And, if present trends continue, once the 2008 election results are in, the Democrats might find some solace by studying another biblical character, one from the book that DNC Chair Howard Dean once identified as his favorite in the New Testament (sic): a fellow named Job
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Walter Drakis is a new contributor to The Chicago Daily Observer.
spintreebob schmidt says:
Trying to attach an Alinsky type organizer to anything in the New Testament is a stretch.
Alinsky organizing is based on the rescue triangle that has an oppressor/persecutor at one corner, a victim at a second corner, and a rescuer at the third corner. Alinsky organizing sees the traditional rescuer, the liberal social worker, as ineffective because the roles never change. The goal of Alinsky organizing is to flip the roles.
The goal is for the Rescuer to become a community organizer and convince the victim (by whatever means necessary) to gang up on the oppressor and turn the oppressor into the victim. In other words, flip the triangle on the oppressor.
But before the final NIGGYSOB (Now I Got You, You Son-Of-a-Bitch) one of the steps is for the organizer to become the victim and for the victim to rescue the organizer so that the organizer can then rescue the victim.
Obama consciously plays the victim card in an attempt to get the victims to rescue him by voting for him and electing him to be the presidential rescuer of victims from oppressors.
That Obama is struggling right now is for two reasons.
1. He is a second rate organizer.
2. Alinsky says the organizer should never mix roles with the leader. Obama has broken that rule, which proves #1.