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| Should a person’s faith convictions influence his/her public policy perspectives? Clearly this is a relevant question in this election year. President George W. Bush is criticized for bringing his faith into his politics. John Kerry is denied access to communion by his church because his public position on abortion is contrary to its clear position and teaching. But to suggest that our convictions should not affect our public policy perspectives is nothing less than weird. And the fact that few people seem to notice that it is weird is even stranger. This is a question about whether people should live with integrity!
Although the constitutional doctrine of separation of church and state is hotly debated today it must not mean that privately held convictions should not influence our politics. Sometimes it seems as if our society thinks that faith should be irrelevant to public life, that it is a private matter and should be kept private. Are we to act publicly as if what we believe does not matter? Is faith, with its convictions, nothing more than a hobby? On the contrary, faith informs and establishes our view of the world, our view of what really matters, and our view of right and wrong, of justice, freedom, goodness, and peace.
As part of a democratic system of government religious people of all stripes—including Christians—have the right, opportunity and civic responsibility to influence political decisions and the direction of our policies. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13-16) Jesus taught that His followers are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” He warns us not to lose our saltiness—our moral character as portrayed a few verses earlier in the Beatitudes. And He cautions us not to hide our light (truth and goodness) but rather to put it on display to enlighten the world around us. “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Should your faith convictions influence your public policy perspectives? Absolutely! Furthermore, integrity demands that our candidates be candid and forthright about their convictions. We should expect such straightforward expressions of their convictions whether they are religiously motivated or not and whether they help them get elected or not. To hold a private conviction that is contrary to your public position is by its nature not an integrated position, that is, you are not living as a person of integrity! Even when we disagree, let’s at least be people of integrity. |
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by Dr. J. Patrick Curtis, Senior Pastor |
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