The excerpt below from Jim Wallis’ speech to the Democratic Party’s People of Faith Luncheon. It was an appeal to not allow the Religous Right to completely frame what is and is not a moral issue of our National Life. Wallis feels it is possible (and so do I) to speak of issues of justice and democracy in theological terms while “still respecting the pluralism of American democracy”. I call it a form a univeralism; the idea that God speaks across cultures , which includes religions. In fact , many of the world’s religions have a deep fabric of engagement with civic and public life, and affirm the common values of love, peace, understanding, and aid to those in need and with “getting back up” and participating in life fully. This does not have to be a dark, fundamentalist “theocratic” totalitarianism. What Call to Renewal envisions is anythign but that. It recognizes that God is deeply concerned about ALL of creation, ALL people, regardless of where. For Wallis, God is present where the the work of justice is being done, and not only where a particular sectarian doctrine is being required .
Call to Renewal: Policy Updates
It is possible (and necessary) to express one’s faith and convictions about public policy while still respecting the pluralism of American democracy. Rather than suggesting that we not talk about “God,” we should be arguing — on moral and even religious grounds — that all Americans should have economic security, health care and educational opportunity, and that true faith results in a compassionate concern for those on the margins.
How a candidate deals with poverty is a religious issue.
Neglect of the environment is a religious issue.
Fighting pre-emptive and unilateral wars based on false claims is a religious issue.
Such issues could pose problems for both the religious and the political right–IF someone were to define them in moral terms. The failure to do so is not just a political miscalculation. It shows a lack of appreciation for the contributions of religion to American life.
God is always personal, but never private. It is wrong to restrict religion solely to the private sphere, as one side has done; and it is wrong to define it solely in terms of individual moral choices and sexual ethics, as the other side has done. In an election year, people of faith are called to see our political responsibilities in light of our religious faith and our deepest held values.