"Now we believe in the separation of church and state but we do not believe in the separation of faith and politics."
--Rick Warren
On Saturday night Pastor Rick Warren held a civil forum at his church in California (Saddleback). He interviewed the two presidential nominees Barak Obama and John McCain. He did it in a different, but, I think, a very effective way: he interviewed Barak first for one hour and then interviewed McCain, asking the same questions. McCain was isolated so that he could not hear the questions or Obama's answers, in what Warren called a "cone of silence". There is a bit of controversy stirring around this actually (for more on this) -- supposedly Larry King will address this question tonight (August 18) on his show.
The point of these interviews was to expose the candidates to the evangelical Christian community. Which, of course, is hugely important for both candidates as this is a huge voting block (estimated at between 20-40 million people). The issues that were discussed were those which have become extremely important to evangelicals over the last 20 years:personal faith, abortion, evil, morality, supreme court justices, and gay marriage.
Here is a sample of what they said on a few of these issues.
Christian Faith
Explaining what it meant to him to be a Christian, Obama, a long time member of Trinity United Church of Christ, in Chicago, said he works on
walking humbly with our God...I know that I don't walk alone, and I know that if I can get myself out of the way, that I can maybe carry out in some small way what he intends.
He also paraphrased a line from the New Testament to answer Warren's question about what had been America's greatest moral failure saying:
We still don't abide by that basic precept of Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.
McCain, an Episcopalian who attends a Baptist church in Phoenix, when asked what it meant to be a Christian, said:
It means I'm saved and forgiven.
Abortion
Obama said,
I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.
He then offered an explanation of his views, saying he supports the landmark abortion-rights decision Roe vs. Wade, adding to that a stress upon his commitment to reducing the number of abortions.
McCain, when asked by Warren "At what point does a baby get human rights?" immediately responded that a baby's rights begin at conception. Adding also, in light of his recently criticized comments that he's open to a running mate who favors abortion rights:
I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies.
Moral Failure
Obama's greatest moral failure, he said, was his use of drugs and alcohol as a youth.
McCain said his greatest moral failure was "the failure of my first marriage," alluding to his 1980 divorce from his wife Carol McCain, of fourteen years, because of admitted affairs after returning from Vietnam, and the meeting of his present wife Cindy.
Gay Marriage
Obama called marriage "a sacred union," drawing laughter and applause when he added, "God is in the mix." But he also said he did not support a constitutional amendment to ban Gay Marriage, a position he shares with McCain, who believes it is an issue best left to the state.
Obama did express support for civil unions, which McCain does not support. Obama said:
...historically, we have not defined marriage in our constitution. It's been a matter of state law. That has been our tradition. I mean, let's break it down. The reason that people think there needs to be a constitutional amendment, some people believe, is because of the concern about same-sex marriage. I am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage, but I do believe in civil unions. I do believe that we should not — that for gay partners to want to visit each other in the hospital for the state to say, you know what, that's all right, I don't think that in any way inhibits my core beliefs about what marriage is. I think my faith is strong enough and my marriage is strong enough that I can afford those civil rights to others even if I have a different perspective.
When asked to define marriage McCain said
Union - a union between man and a woman, between one man and one woman. That's my definition of marriage.
Warren then asked McCain about California's Proposition 8, which hopes to overturn this year's gay marriage win. Saying he believes the state's Supreme Court made the wrong decision, McCain reiterated his support for federalism - the state's right to determine its same-sex fate.
In my state, I hope we will make that decision, and other states, they have to recognize the unique status between man and woman. And that doesn't mean that people can't enter into legal agreements. That doesn't mean that they don't have the rights of all citizens. I'm not saying that. I am saying that we should preserve the unique status of marriage between one man and one woman. And if a federal court — if a federal court decided that my state of Arizona had to observe what the state of Massachusetts decided, then I would favor a constitutional amendment. Until then, I believe the states should make the decisions within their own states.
Conclusion
At the beginning of the debate Warren made it clear that its purpose was to promote dialogue and discussion without a systematic demonization of candidates. I think this is a great goal. And one to keep in mind as the debates and discussions move forward from here to November and beyond, both on a national and personal level. Especially in the midst of our Christian communities.
We as Christians have things that we value and care about, some of which were included in this discussion, and many that were absent, or which were not discussed as much (war, the environment, social justice, AIDS relief, and so on) -- and because we care we must be engaged in the democratic process of discussion, questioning, accountability and voting. And in this way we live out the teachings of Jesus and proactively "give to Caesar that which is Caesar's". Existing as good citizens in both the City of God and the City of Men as St. Augustine said, to the glory of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment