Using God Politically

Martin Marty gave me smething to chew on.... again.

Though I must say, it seems to me that it is the self-identified White Evangelicals/Religious Right that are most likely to use "God " for political purposes.

And it is to tempting to say to Ms Palin, who is a self-identified Relgious Conservative that if she is going to use her faith/Bibical values to push for a "social cinservative agenda", that she might want toconsider the following:

1 Timothy 3

1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

Using God Politically

Martin Marty
Award-winning author and professor emeritus, University of Chicago



With all due respect to Pastor Warren and the candidates, and without complaint about what was said, I'm on the side of those who are nervous about the practices that bring this kind of forum about, and its longer-term consequences. . It is almost impossible to stage events with a focus like this without falling into the trap of "using" God.

William Lee Miller a half century ago noted that the American founders, friendly to religion as they were, found ways to draw a line of distinction between religion and the civil authority but still found religion useful. Just as there are "water works" and other utilities, religion (and God) became utilities, noted Miller. They would support morality. Fine. But in the world of party politics it is almost impossible to talk about candidates' inner spiritual life without putting them in the place where they give answers that will help them build support or lose it.

When a Jimmy Carter said that as a Baptist he believed in "soul liberty" and held views about human rights that could complicate foreign policy, we were alerted and took that into consideration when voting. Voters knew what they were getting in policy, not in matters of the heart. Ronald Reagan did the same with other policy issues. But if or when either of them or their successors had or has to show how much they love Jesus and how fervently they call upon God, they are asked to step over a line, and they do. Religion is then a "public utility," something which confuses public policy and does authentic religion no favor

No, it is not violating the separation of church and state to ask and answer "soul" questions, and yes, you cannot keep faith and politics apart. But "faith" as it affects policy is one (admittedly tricky) thing; faith as faith cannot be enlarged upon in the public forum without coming close to exploiting religion and making God part of campaign slogans.

What struck me during the primaries was how one set of candidates wanted to be sure that we knew that they followed Jesus and the gospels. in doing so, they were parading their piety in and for the public, and thus violating the Jesus as revealed in the gospels. It may seem strange to end a blog with a Bible verse, but the candidates and "the process" got me into it, so I'll ask Jesus to get me out of it, quoting his words in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:

"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. . . . Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you,they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, gointo your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret;and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."


The "street corners" today are television interviews, speeches, and news conferences, through which politicians "receive their rewards," along with great risks to them and to all of us.