The Times They Are a-Changin’

My interest in social change dates to a seminary lecture by homiletics professor David Buttrick at Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1998. I have always been a big picture thinker, and Prof. Buttrick literally drew a map that has shaped how I see that “big picture” ever since.

The class was Theology of Proclamation and Worship, and in discussing the cultural formations of Christianity, Buttrick pointed to three high cultural periods that shaped the religion: its Greco Roman origins, the high Medieval period, and the Enlightenment. Following such periods, systems and institutions become coercive, prompting protest and ultimately leading to reformation and another period of stability. My notes from that class include a complex diagram with scribbles about literature, drama, language, and theology. (I have been unable to discover whether this was Buttrick’s own construction or if there is a source that goes into more detail.)

Two ideas from that model have remained with me. First is that we are currently in the breakdown of the Enlightenment era, but a new structure is not yet in place. While that provides an opening for something new (“spirit wide open,” I had scribbled), many people hang on to old ways. The preacher’s task, Buttrick taught, is to keep people looking forward, and not let nostalgia tempt us to “preach backward.”

The second idea is that these cycles occur over several centuries so we only recognize the pattern when it has become history. Today time is measured by a 24/7 news cycle and an election cycle of two to six years, eclipsing the larger movement toward change. Placing the current social chaos in this larger context explains the widely divergent responses we see and offers a glimpse of where we might be headed.

A PhD in sociology of religion provided theoretical underpinnings, especially the work of Pierre Bourdieu. My specific interest was why the United Methodist Church was being driven to division by the issue of sexual orientation, despite its relatively weak biblical witness. My dissertation and subsequent book looked at this issue, along with leadership challenges related to race and gender. Bourdieu helped me understand that religious arguments mask an underlying contest between custodians of the past and those pushing for change.

In his complex, elegant theory, Bourdieu articulates a dialectic between human actors who create social structures, which socialize successive generations to the same values and power dynamics. In the west, white, male, Christian power went largely unchallenged for centuries, and their dominance has allowed them to create social institutions and norms and to amass status and wealth that would perpetuate their dominance. As Buttrick’s model explains, these institutions eventually became coercive and are now being challenged. Bourdieu claims that such challenges to the existing order are likely to occur at times of social change, when things already feel unstable, and will prompt a battle with those defending the status quo.

Understanding the current experience begins with a look at the Enlightenment period, dating from the mid 17th to the late 18th century. Privileging rational thought, the Enlightenment de-centered the church as the shaping influence on society and replaced mystery with science. With the rise of modernity in the late 18th century, power shifted from the aristocracy to the populace, exemplified by the American and French revolutions. Modernity changed every aspect of life, including political transition from monarchies to democracies, economic transformation from agriculture to industrial capitalism, and social reorganization from rural villages to urban centers.

We can see within US history how institutions became coercive, prompting smaller waves of challenge, change, and stability. A product of the Enlightenment, American democracy faced its greatest crisis in the Civil War, which challenged the place of slavery in our social and economic foundation. Emerging from that, the US went through several decades of social change related to abolition, immigration, industrialization, urbanization, and the expansion of voting rights to African Americans and women. The social programs of the New Deal and national unity during World War II brought a short period of stability. However the latter half of the 20th century saw another round of social transformation, including Civil Rights, women’s rights, gay rights, anti-war demonstrations, scientific and technological achievements, more immigration, and globalization.

In the first decades of the 21st century, social change has brought us to a breaking point. Not surprisingly, the election of the country’s first Black president was followed by an effort to turn back the clock. In 2016, voters opted for a white wealthy man who had never held public office over a highly qualified woman. Donald Trump’s regressive policies meant to shore up white male Christian privilege and industrial capitalism have been denounced by progressives and staunchly defended by conservatives. These opposing forces have cracked a fissure in American society, and we are more polarized than we have been in 150 years.

The 2020 election may impact America’s future in a way that few have. The coincidence of the election with a global pandemic, an economic depression, demonstrations for racial justice, and the ongoing effects of climate change have increased the sense of turmoil. By failing to re-elect Donald Trump, we have gained a window in which to create more equitable, just, and sustainable institutions.

But change will be met with resistance. The violent storming of the US Capitol confirms that Trump’s defenders are so wedded to the past that they will believe outlandish conspiracy theories rather than clear evidence that he lost the election. These are people desperate to cling to power by whatever means necessary (see previous post). Although social media outlets have muzzled Trump, politicians such as Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley are carrying the banner and the movement is not going away.

While distressing, the breakdown we are experiencing and the desperate tactics on the right give me hope (see previous post) because they push us closer to the next period of stability. According to Bourdieu, socialization occurs at a deep, unconscious level, so unmasking the arbitrary nature of power structures is the first step to changing them. Wide support for the Black Lives Matter, Me Too, and Occupy movements helped to expose white male privilege and economic inequality. The pandemic only amplified those inequities, with African Americans suffering more deaths from the virus, essential but low wage workers facing the greatest hazards, and women bearing the brunt of job losses.

Watch this space for future posts exploring this moment in time, including how social media amplifies propaganda, an extensive grassroots movement for change, and religious upheaval on the scale of the Protestant Reformation. I will also wade into the fields of politics and economics, which are not my area of speciality but are critical aspects of these currents. I hope that placing the difficulties we are experiencing in historical context can help us understand the big picture and our place in a larger arc of change.

Sign up above right to be notified about new posts by emails and please add your thoughts below!