Does Scripture have a place on the campaign trail?
In a previous blog post at chicagotribune.com/seeker about U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s speech Saturday to the United Church of Christ, I mentioned how journalist Bill Moyers tried to rally 10,000 of his brethren to save democracy. In doing so, Moyers reflected on the Gospel of Matthew as a road map for quiet revolution and social change.
When asked earlier this year how Matthew factored into Obama’s political thinking, the Illinois Democrat told me:
“It’s powerful, and I think it’s one that’s important for all of us to pray on. One of the things that I’m always interested in when it comes to politics is making sure I can continually translate values that are grounded in my religious faith into universal values that appeal to all people. If I’m in church I might quote some Scripture. If I’m outside a church I might quote FDR. Hopefully, they both lead to the same place.”
IT’s always the Democratic party’s candidates who seem to make a show of appearing at Religious rallies or in a church pulpit to stump for a cause, issue or just political posturing.
Yet it’s these same candidates who pull out the ‘big gun’ of the “Separation of Church and State” when a conservative or Republican candidate invoke religion or show up at a “Religious Right” (as they seem to call any conservative Christian gathering) function, and insist on apologies, or even calls for resignations.
Hypocracy in action? hmmmm, maaaybe.