De-Politicizing Our Institutions

I can’t help but notice the overt politicization of so many of our common American institutions.

For example, I have noticed the damage to Christianity in the long-run done by aligning ourselves with one political party.

Rightly or wrongly, we are now perceived as carrying water for our political masters, as a special interest group that forms part of one party’s “base”.

But the Church is hardly alone in this error.

Party Schools

Take public education, for example.

Employee unions spend lavish funds on supporting one party, and unite themselves with other progressive movements and social agendas.

So of course the other side no longer trusts them and wants to put someone like Betsy DeVos over them.

In our area, more than a few teachers wore black in their classrooms the day after Hilary Clinton lost.

The “core values” that our school system promotes read like a laundry list of progressive priorities.

How is that neutral, balanced, fair, or impartial from an ideological or partisan point of view?

Our public education system is as identified with the Democratic party and with advancing progressive ideology as the Evangelical church is with the Republicans and ideological conservatism.

To be a public school teacher is to be a liberal and to use the classroom to promote progressive values.

Much like the church, public school systems and higher education systems are now perceived as “indoctrination centers” and partisan players.

Education has now become thoroughly politicized, greatly to its long-term detriment.

Media Agendas

Consider as well the mainstream media.

I find it both troubling and revealing that the new administration perceives the media as the true opposition party, as the mouthpiece and tool of their ideological and partisan opponents.

Again, when overwhelming majorities of journalists and editors align with one political party, the perception of bias will be difficult if not impossible to shake.

And the easier it will be for the other side to self-censor their exposure to sources that reinforce their own ideology–creating parallel partisan universes with alternative facts.

Satisfying But Untrusted

So here’s my point:  I think our nation would be far better served if far more of its institutions and professions were non-aligned and non-partisan in staffing, in representation, in contributions, in advocacy, and in subject matter.

In a deeply and increasingly polarized society, every institution will feel pressure to get into bed with one or the other party, with one or the other dominant ideology of our times.

And therefore every institution will find itself perceived as bias, non-credible, and antagonistic towards the “other side”–losing that side’s trust.

This has happened to journalism, and to Federal agencies like the IRS, State Department, Justice Department, and, especially, the EPA.

Economic policy is highly politicized, as is our moral policy.

We are picking economic winners and losers, moral winners and losers, every time we vote.

Even science has become politicized, with the global warming debate serving the interests of environmentalists and progressives, and now being resisted by “climate deniers” defending their resource-based livelihoods through alignment with the other party.

Trust levels in all of our institutions, unsurprisingly, is at record lows.

Whose fault is it that education, the legal system, journalism, religion, foreign policy, moral policy, economic policy, and environmental policy is no longer bi-partisan but overtly partisan?

All of ours for a long, long time.

Backing Up the Bus

So I ask, what now?

So I ask, where do we go from here?

So I ask, how do we back out of this dead end?

The problem is, once ideological warfare is entrenched, it becomes almost impossible to dislodge it.

It would take a lot of sustained courage for principals and school boards to demand a non-partisan, neutral, non-ideological, non-indoctrinating approach to the classroom, the school culture, and the curriculum.

It would be tough for newsrooms and cable channels to replace ideology-driven advocates with a more detached, above the fray cadre of journalists.

It would take great bravery for pastors and denominational leaders to renounce political activism of all kinds, and speak prophetically to correct the excesses (and idols) of both parties as God’s representatives.

It would take tremendous political willpower for governors and presidents to pick non-partisan, non-ideological heads of departments in order to restore public confidence again.

It would take tremendous political courage for legislative bodies to write politically neutral and/or bi-partisan legislation in order to build up the common, shared core again.

Where Will It End

Do we really want all of our public institutions and professions to be politicized and partisan?

Will that turn out well for us in the end?

Will huge swings in policy and huge purges of personnel with every election be best for the USA?

Will that pendulum not destabilize and work against our long-term interests all around the world?

Sadly, this seems to be the new normal.

And only the most-ideologically blinded would welcome our permanent division into two, warring nations living side-by-side.