Do Red and Blue Christians Belong Together?

Abstract

This chapter builds on the book’s prior observations of the distinctive priorities and the out-grouping tendencies of progressive versus conservative Christians. Not only are these groups distinct from each other, but they also view each other with suspicion. The chapter first briefly looks at the construction of the distinctive social identities and cultural toolkits of progressive Christians and conservative Christians. These social mechanisms illustrate the enormous gap in the goals and direction of both groups. It then looks at the Hinduism-Buddhism conflict to gain a better perspective on the depth of the differences between progressive and conservative Christians. Differences between progressive and conservative Christians resemble the Buddhist and Hinduist distinctions, indicating a possible split into two distinct religious entities. Ultimately, the conclusion is that it is no longer useful to consider progressive and conservative Christians as members of the same religion.