I have wanted to be an extremist for much of my life. There is something very attractive about extremism, if I’m being honest. I’m probably not supposed to say that, but it’s true: Extremism is tied to idealism in so many ways. And I love idealism. Idealists and extremists seem to operate with a certainty about how things really are, and they seem serious about consistency. They are rigid about making sure their actions are consistent with their beliefs. Certainty, clarity, consistency – I have always found these things very tempting.
Plus extremists have the benefit of identifying as different from the mainstream, of feeling misunderstood and difficult to categorize. Again, things that are all attractive to me. To look at the average person and believe that if they just knew what I knew they’d be extreme too definitely scratches an itch.
But, you know, my favorite band of all time is The Beatles. Nobody whose favorite band is the Beatles could claim in good conscience to be an extremist. The most popular pop band of all time? Forget it. I’m a moderate. I just am. Let’s be real about my temperament, about my preferences: I like moderation. I like institutions. I like the sense of stability and belonging. I wear a uniform to work! I remember when I took the confirmation class at an Episcopal Church when I was 23. They made an explicit point of telling us over and over that we didn’t have to join – we could just be there, we didn’t have to be Episcopalian. But I like brands and organizations and belonging and I wanted to be called an Episcopalian – a denomination historically known for staid, moderate behavior. The old joke goes how many Episcopalians does it take to change a lightbulb? “What’s change?”
What even is moderation? What is centrism? Is it the idea that there are two extremes and the truth lies somewhere in the middle – in some kind of muddled compromise where nobody is perfectly happy and nobody is perfectly furious? I mean, I love that. I really do. It fits my temperament so well, and frankly it’s convenient to my lifestyle. It is also very often a pragmatic approach to life. And so many of us across the political spectrum have noted the unfortunate move towards extremism in our government – often bolstered by gerrymandering and corporate interference for profit. We would love a representative body that finds some kind of imperfect middle ground.
As a side note, I think it’s worth noting that the onus for being moderate is no longer on our elected leaders – it’s now on us. In our current context, officials on every level of governance right up to the top are free to say whatever they want, and it has somehow become our job to mitigate their words and moderate their actions or we are seen as the extremists. You see the problem in that, don’t you? I hate to be the middle-aged guy who says it wasn’t always like this, but…
I feel compelled also, even in my own predilection for moderation, to say that being moderate cannot possibly always be correct. What, for instance, was the moderate position on slavery? The moderate position on slavery was that it was ok for some states to kidnap and own humans, just not all states. The abolition of slavery was considered immoderate, an extreme, a radical position. What was the moderate position on giving women the right to vote? What was the moderate position on Jim Crow?
I crave the middle ground in my life. But just because I’m comfortable with it doesn’t make it moral. And it certainly doesn’t make it Christian, does it? Jesus was not executed for moderation. Despite our discomfort, we know deep down that there is a limit to moderation. Perhaps this is the spirit behind the maxim, “All things in moderation – even moderation.”
Jesus, by the way, is supposed to be the whole point for the Christian. To follow Jesus in the way of love, to practice love and mercy, to promote peace and justice, to recognize divine indwelling in every person I meet, to honor the dignity of every human being, love my neighbor as I love myself. The literal work of being a Christian. Following Jesus is supposed to supersede my political preferences, my party affiliation, my ideological loyalty. At times it will seem conservative. At times it will seem liberal. At times it will seem moderate. At times it will seem extreme.
I have found in the last few years, in both my personal and my professional life – that when I say I don’t believe in armed masked men roaming the streets of America, stopping people because of the color of their skin or an accent, and detaining, incarcerating, and even deporting people without due process – someone says to me, “You sound like a liberal.” I’m not trying to sound like a liberal, I’m trying to sound like a human – and I’m trying to sound like a Christian. I’m trying to say things that are faithful to Jesus Christ, to his life and teachings, to his witness of God’s presence and reconciling action in the world. I’m not saying I do that perfectly – or even that I do it well. But I am trying.
The reality is that if you take Jesus’ teachings seriously, if ou insist on the utter belonging of all people, if you believe in loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you, if you believe that how you treat homeless people and LGBTQ+ people and immigrants and people of color is how you treat Jesus Christ himself – if you do all these things, you will be called an extremist by some whether you are one or not – regardless of how much moderation, stability, and institutionality you crave.
This past week, our country remembered and honored the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who himself was called an extremist in his time. I would like to quote him at length with words from a letter he wrote while incarcerated for leading a nonviolent protest against racial segregation; a letter he wrote in response to several clergy people – including some Episcopal bishops – who had written to him urging him to be more moderate, to not be so extreme. He wrote these words:
“So I have not said to my people: “Get rid of your discontent.” Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” And John Bunyan: “I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.” And Abraham Lincoln: “This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” And Thomas Jefferson: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . .” So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime–the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
So for all of my love of moderation, am I an extremist after all? Are you? Dear friends, I don’t think that is the point. I think the point Dr. King was trying to make is that when you make love the foundation of your life, when you seek to honestly live with the intention of honoring God’s presence in all people, when you strive for God’s justice, when you partner with God in trying to make Earth a little more like Heaven in real and practical ways – our predetermined categories cease to matter. The work is the work.
The prophet Micah famously asked God what God wanted from him – what a faithful life looked like. God’s answer was quick and clear: “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” Is that moderate or extreme? The work is the work.
Love your neighbor like you mean it. Use your energy to help make other people’s lives better. Transform systems that marginalize, dehumanize, colonize, terrorize, subjugate, or exploit others – even when those systems make your life easier and more comfortable. It’s ok to think of yourself as conservative or liberal or extreme or moderate or some combination of all of the above – but as a Christian, these things cannot define you. You are defined by faith, hope, love, mercy, justice, grace, and peace. The labels don’t matter. The work is the work.
