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From the Pastor

A Moderate Proposal

This from John C. Danforth, Episcopal minister and former Republican senator from Missouri:

"It would be an over simplification to say that America's culture wars are now between people of faith and nonbelievers. People of faith are not of one mind...With due respect for our conservative friends, equally devout Christians come to very different conclusions.
"It is important for those of us who are sometimes called moderates to make the case that we, too, have strongly held Christian convictions, that we speak from the depths of our beliefs, and that our approach to politics is at least as faithful as that of those who are more conservative. Our difference concerns the extent to which government should, or even can, translate religious beliefs into the laws of the state.
"Moderate Christians are less certain about when and how our beliefs can be translated into statutory form, not because of a lack of faith in God but because of a healthy acknowledgement of the limitations of human beings. Like conservative Christians, we attend church, read the Bible, and say our prayers.
"But for us, the only absolute standard of behavior is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Repeatedly in the gospels we find that the love commandment takes precedence when it conflicts with laws. We struggle to follow that commandment as we face the realities of everyday living, and we do not agree that our responsibility to live as Christians can be codified by legislators.
"For us, living the love commandment may be at odds with efforts to encapsulate Christianity in a political agenda. We strongly support the separation of church and state, both because that principle is essential to holding together a diverse country and because the policies of the state always fall short of the demands of the treasure of religion in the earthen vessel of government, we proceed in a spirit of humility lacking in our conservative colleagues.
"Moderate Christians see ourselves, literally, as moderators. Far from claiming to possess God's truth, we claim only to be imperfect seekers of the truth. We reject the notion that religion should present a series of wedge issues useful at election time for energizing a political base. We believe it is God's work to practice humility, to wear tolerance on our sleeves, to reach out to those with whom we disagree, and to overcome the meanness we see in today's politics...Christians who hold these convictions ought to add their clear voice of moderation to the debate on religion in politics."

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