I have a feeling I am not going to run short of material about the intersection of faith and the public square this election season. With the heightened awareness of the Democratic party and their increasing response to issues of faith in this election it is proving to be a fascinating run up to November.
Just yesterday, James Dobson came out strong against Barack Obama’s use of the Bible in a June 28, 2006, speech to the group Call to Renewal. Call to Renewal is the parent organization of Sojourners, founded by Jim Wallis, amongst others. Needless to say, Call to Renewal is a bit more liberal than Focus on the Family, Dr. Dobson’s organization.
In that speech, Obama had challenged typical conservative understandings of the guidance of Scripture in making political and legal decisions, focusing attention on Old Testament levitical codes and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Dobson critiqued Obama’s words, saying: “I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view, his own confused theology.” He went on to say that Obama is “dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.” You can watch Dr. Dobson’s response at the Focus on the Family web-site.
What is fascinating about this discussion is that Dobson’s critique was front-page material for CNN’s webs-site yesterday. The challenge within the Christian church – not to mention other religions – of how we are to interface with the public square and be faithful to our religious tenants is becoming an issue of national proportions.
Regardless of your political leanings, Obama’s speech in 2006 provides us with a very interesting look inside the Democratic party following the 2004 election. Whereas John Kerry has largely ignored issues of faith publicly – or at least with too little fervor and much too late, Barack Obama, as well as other liberal candidates, were giving strong attention to this issue very early on and with great fervor.
I would encourage you to read both Obama’s speech and listen to Dobson’s critique to make your own judgment. But, needless to say, the interaction of faith in the public square, and the hermeneutical issues we engage with to make a stance there, are coming increasingly to become one of the top issues in the 2008 election.
A couple of other responses to the Obama-Dobson conflict can be found here:
- Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Call to Renewal
- Jacques Berlinerblau of Georgetown University at the Washington Post’s blog
- Frank Schaeffer (son of Francis) in the Huffington Post
- Keith Fournier of the Catholic Online
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Matthew Erickson 
Thanks Matt for drawing attention to this and the other responses. I did read about this in the news previously and have enjoyed reading the other links you posted. It is good to be as informed as we can be and to hear both sides before drawing our conclusions….I also think you did a great job NOT metioning your own opinion 🙂
Thanks, Heather. I’d rather have people engage with the thought and draw their own conclusions on this, then tell them to think like me.
It’s so important for us to think well about these things, not to be told what to think.
Amen! I hear you…I have found that I have to be very careful…in the position I am in my views can mistakely be taken to represent the Chapel’s views. I would assume that you are in the same position.
Yep