JESUS DONE WRONG: Bush's Proclamation of Jesus Day

 

A Scholar's Trenchant Analysis

Bruce Lincoln is the Caroline E. Haskell Professor of History of Religions at the University of Chicago.

So what's wrong with Jesus Day? Let's start with a short Civics lesson. The very first items in the Bill of Rights are two clauses treating the issue of State and Church. One prohibits any law that would interfere with the "free exercise" of religion, which protects religious institutions from governmental meddling. The second bars any law that would "establish" a religion, and this keeps the state from favoring any specific doctrine or group. Above all, it ensures neutrality and protects the people against the creation of a State Church, such as the nation's founders knew in England. They fled that institution to pursue religious liberty and made the Constitution's "establishment clause" their bulwark against its recurrence. This is why courts frown upon Bible reading in schools, civic sponsorship of Nativity displays, and the like.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of American history, law, and government must be aware of these principles, and whatever his limitations, George W. Bush is surely no exception. In fact, the way he went about naming June 10 as "Jesus Day" in Texas shows he was acutely aware of them. But where other governors had the sense to uphold the Constitution, he sought ways to evade its unambiguous intent and demands.

Last April, Governor Bush had his staff draft a proclamation, following requests from leaders of the Atlanta-based "March for Jesus." The full text is available. One can speculate about the relative importance of his much-publicized religious convictions and his desire to court the votes of evangelical Christians in this decision. But he clearly knew he was running afoul of the establishment clause, which he tried to sidestep in two ways. His first tactic was the audacious claim inscribed in the proclamation's first sentence, which made it seem that Jesus was being honored, not as the central figure of one religion, but because "people of all religions recognize Jesus Christ as an example of love, compassion, sacrifice and service." This is the same kind of mock-inclusiveness that dominated the Republican convention, and it reveals how much genuine concern Mr. Bush has for minorities. Jesus holds no special reverence in any religion other than Christianity, with the sole exception of Islam, where he is accorded the status of a prophet. Like the smiling people of color on display in Philadelphia, here Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, and others were drafted for purely symbolic service, in which form they were used to advance projects antithetical to their own concerns and interests.

Now a bit of Christian theology. Bush's proclamation treats Jesus almost exclusively as a model of human excellence: "Reaching out to the poor, the suffering and the marginalized, he provided moral leadership that continues to inspire countless men, women, and children today." It barely mentions his divinity, however, and this raises some problems, since the core doctrine of the Incarnation treats Jesus as simultaneously human and divine, insisting that both sides be acknowledged in equal measure. Privileging his human aspect over the divine is defined as a heresy -- that of Arianism -- and orthodox Christians are enjoined to recognize Jesus not just as a philosopher or role model, but as deity and savior.

The dilemma is inescapable. The proclamation is unconstitutional if it names Jesus as God and heretical if it doesn't. So Governor Bush attempted to blur the issues and have it both ways. On the surface, his proclamation concentrates on Jesus the man, but it also "challenges people to follow Christ's example" and has Governor Bush speak in the first person, urging all Texans to "follow Christ's message of love and service." Use of the title "Christ" attempts to solve the problem, with a broad wink to those steeped in the Bible, who can be trusted to know that this term acknowledges Jesus as Lord and means, most literally "the anointed, the Messiah, God's chosen."

Mr. Bush's "Jesus Day" shows sides of the Governor that are important to recognize. In his willingness to pander to core constituencies on the right, he permits himself to be slyly disingenuous in the language he uses and the postures he strikes. Particularly cynical is his misuse and misrepresentation of minorities (a strategy his father pioneered with the nomination of Clarence Thomas). Most troubling, though, is Mr. Bush's disregard for the Constitution. Indeed, it is striking to observe how someone so attentive to the Second Amendment can be so contemptuous of the First.

Published: Aug 16 2000