Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

John Kerry And Religion

Beliefnet.com editor Steve Waldman has caused something of a stir with his recent essay about how John Kerry is dealing with religious issues in the campaign. “He seems to have decided that the best way to deal with religion in this campaign is the same way Kennedy (the last Catholic Democratic contender) did. JFK1 emphasized the separation of church and state and so, therefore, should Kerry,” writes Waldman, who thinks this is a mistake. Voters want to know what drives a candidate and Kerry claims that his faith is important to his decision making process. Why not showcase that? Waldman has a theory:

….the Kerry campaign suffers from the fact that while most Democrats are religious, many liberal Democratic activists are not. Perhaps the real problem with the paucity of African-Americans at senior levels of the Kerry campaign is not that he doesn't understand racial language but that—forgive the gross stereotyping—the white aides tend to be more tone deaf about religion than the black ones.

Is it true that liberal activists are uncomfortable about religion? My sense is that in some cases that is true and maybe it is the reason that Kerry shies away from religious talk. As I’ve written before, religious progressives are not always welcomed to the table by progressive secularists. That’s unfortunate. Most Americans understand religious language and respect those who share their faith without trying to impose it on others. We want to know that our leaders are more than unfeeling technocrats. We want to know that our leaders believe in something larger than themselves and their politics.

John Kerry, no doubt, has those qualities. He is clearly a man of great faith. So far, however, his campaign themes have largely ignored that. All that Americans know is Kerry wants to be President. Very few have any idea why. Being more open with his faith might give people a better idea of who he is and why he wants to be president.

Happy 4th Of July

Here is Liz now 36 weeks pregnant with our twin girls. We are only five days away from the planned C-section. My mother will arrive on Wednesday night and Liz's mother gets here on Thursday afternoon. We're pretty excited as the day gets close. Our 4th of July was pretty tame. We went to see Spiderman and hung around the house. This picture of Liz, however, shows that she is in the 4th of July mood.

Patriotism & Faith On The 4th of July

During times of partisan political campaigns (which these days seem to never end) there are voices on the political right who consistently charge that those who share progressive political beliefs are somehow less patriotic than those, for example, that support the use of military power as a first tool of diplomacy rather then a last resort.

Patriotism is a love of country and is something that most Americans share in common – both on the political left and the right. Most Americans want to make their country better for their families and their friends. We just sometimes come to different conclusions about what is best.

My American heroes are people like Thomas Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony, William Jennings Bryan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar E. Chavez and Robert F. Kennedy. These patriots all shared a vision – shaped by the times in which the lived – that our nation should always be looking for ways to expand our democracy. It is that experience of growth that has set our nation apart and at different points in world history made it a beacon of hope.

Since September 11th it has been popular during a new grief-inspired wave of patriotism to invoke the name of God as if God supported America alone during times of peril. “God Bless America” is uttered in nearly every political speech. “God bless our troops” is a popular bumper sticker. It is one thing to ask for God’s blessing in our grief, but Christians should know better than to invoke the name of God in moments of nationalist pride. That is just what some have done during the war with Iraq. God is the ally of all people.

As Christians, we are called by God to love our country by seeking to improve it and in shared sacrifice and partnership to improve the lot of the entire world. “May God Bless This Earth” would be a better statement for us to make in these times of war and deep world-wide economic poverty.

Our patriotism should never overshadow our faith in God. It is written:

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

- Matthew 22:36-40 (NRSV)

What should we celebrate this Fourth of July? Celebrate that the people of this nation throughout history have struggled to right the wrongs of the past and to make life better. Celebrate that there are still people today who seek, as God requires, to do justice. As patriots, we can both love our country for what it is and what it still should be.

Patriotism can be wonderful, inspiring, uplifting, and unifying. But we should never forget that we are all children of God. After we sing “God Bless America” this Fourth of July weekend it might be a good idea to remember this by also signing “This Is My Song” (New Century Hymnal 591).

This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,

A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine.

But other hearts in other lands are beating

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean.

And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine:

But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, O God for all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and mine.

Happy 4th of July.

Help End Ethnic Cleansing In Sudan

Human Rights Watch is asking for our help to stop the ongoing violence in Sudan. "The government of Sudan is responsible for “ethnic cleansing” and crimes against humanity in Darfur, one of the world’s poorest and most inaccessible regions, on Sudan’s western border with Chad," they write. Visit their special report on Sudan and the action alert they have put together with ways we can get involved. The National Council of Churches issued a statement on Sudan on May 18th. You can read it here.

Interfaith Alliance Warns Churches to Beware of Legal, Ethical Violations

Bush-Cheney campaign tempts houses of worship to possibly violate ethics, laws, IRS regulations

Washington, July 1-Today, The Interfaith Alliance issued a strong warning to churches and other religious organizations that an initiative by the Bush-Cheney campaign could possibly lure them into jeopardizing their tax-exempt status, violating privacy laws, diminishing the positive role of religion, and dividing congregations along political lines.

Among the 22 “duties” of religious volunteers listed by the Bush-Cheney document, volunteers are expected to send church directories to the Bush-Cheney campaign, which would then compare the names on the church directory with county voter registration rolls so that any non-registered church members could be contacted by “Pro-Bush Conservatives” and encouraged to register and vote for Bush-Cheney.

Full story

Even The Southern Baptists Are Mad

The Bush campaign sent out organizing manuals earlier this year to conservative Christians telling them it was their “duty” to turn over church membership lists and to use Sunday services for “get-out-the-vote” efforts on behalf of the Bush-Cheney campaign. Reuters reports:

"We expect this election to be potentially as close as 2000, so every vote counts and it's important to reach out to every single supporter of President Bush," campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

But the Rev. Richard Land, who deals with ethics and religious liberty issues for the Southern Baptist Convention, a key Bush constituency, said he was "appalled."

"First of all, I would not want my church directories being used that way," he told Reuters in an interview, predicting failure for the Bush plan.

The conservative Protestant denomination, whose 16 million members strongly backed Bush in 2000, held regular drives that encouraged church-goers to "vote their values," said Land.

"But it's one thing for us to do that. It's a totally different thing for a partisan campaign to come in and try to organize a church. A lot of pastors are going to say: 'Wait a minute, bub'," he added.

When the Southern Baptists tell a Republican they’ve crossed the line you know they are in real trouble.

Nader To Debate Dean -- About Nader

Howard Dean will be debating Ralph Nader on July 9th. The topic: Nadar’s candidacy. Hopefully, Dean will ask the ethically challenged independent about his backing from anti-gay and Republican organizations. NPR will host the debate.