Notes from Ohio: Mixing Religion and Politics, Lefty Style
This week hundreds of clergy and concerned laity met at a playhouse theater in Cleveland, Ohio and proclaimed the founding of “We Believe - Cleveland,” a movement growing out of a similar initiative in Columbus, commited to promoting compassion, inclusion, and social justice. It doesn’t sound necessarily political, but that’s exactly what it is. The group’s “action steps” include educating congregations on moral and social issues such as education, child welfare, poverty, health care, and housing; “engaging members of our congregations in the democratic process, including voting;” and working with other communities to build a statewide movement. In short, it is part of a growing reaction to the deliberate mixing of politics and religion by right-wing evangelical pastors such as Rev. Rod Parsley and Rev. Russell Johnson, founders of the Ohio Restoration Project, whose goal is to use the hot-button issues of abortion and gay marriage to herd hundreds of thousands of “values voters” to the polls to vote for preferred conservative candidates such as gubernatorial hopeful Ken Blackwell. Alarmed by the Christian right’s exclusive focus on such divisive issues, and offended by their sanctimonious self-righteousness, religious leaders with moderate or progressive political views are reacting with anger and are determined to counter the political influence of right-wing clergy.
At the same time, the Democratic candidate for governor, Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon), is an ordained Methodist minister from southeastern Ohio. He does not generally cite scripture in his campaign speeches, nor does he push his religious faith to the foreground, but it is an important part of his appeal as a candidate. The candidate’s wife, Francis Strickland, is quoted in an interesting post by Renee in Ohio on her blog Faithful Ohio. Responding to the question how people of faith are responding to his candidacy, she said:
Religion is being put into politics to be divisive, and most people that I know, that are sincere about their faith don’t like that. And basically what we want to do is just to try to keep the focus on the things like healthcare that really matter, and the things that have gotten this state in trouble. And to try not to participate in any way that’s divisive.
Asked whether Ted Strickland ever pushes his status as a minister while campaigning, she said:
Not much. As a minister, that’s one of his fears–that politics is going to hurt the church, rather than the church helping politics, or the political field. … Somebody said once, “I think in the future some time we’re going to have Democratic churches and Republican churches!” And that really disturbs him. … And so, he can–if somebody asks him about a scripture, he’ll know it and respond. He can, but it just needs to be appropriate. He will not deliberately use that to try to make points.
Also, the Ohio Democratic Party is fielding legislative candidates who are pro-life and belong to evangelical Christian churches. A few days ago I accompanied one such candidate while she knocked on voters’ doors in a suburb of Columbus, and blogged about the experience here. The candidate, Emily Kreider, is running for the Ohio Senate. She is a supporter of the 95-10 plan of Democrats for Life, an initiative to reduce the number of abortions by 95% in ten years though legislation intended to improve family planning and to improve the financial situation of women who may otherwise feel compelled to choose abortion. Kreider does not support or expect a reversal of Roe v. Wade, but she considers herself to be pro-life. While religion is very important to her, and she feels that it is appropriate for faith to inform decision-making by public officials, she does not feel it is necessary to bring up religion on the doorstep when meeting voters. In one instance, however, I heard her casually ask a voter where the voter went to church, and she then invited the voter to try attending the church to which Kreider belongs - a conversation which shocked me but seemed prefectly natural to the candidate and to the voter as far as I could tell. Another such evangelical Christian Democratic candidate is R. Kirk Kelly, running for the Ohio House of Representatives, subject of a story posted on my blog here.
The resurgence of religious faith in Democratic politics has sparked debate among progressives. This post at the Ohio progressive community site Buckeye State Blog, for example, is dubious about mixing faith and politics, and the comments reflect sharply contrasting opinions. A supporter of “We Believe - Cleveland” wrote this:
The only reason the extreme fundamentalists have gotten this far is because reasonable people of faith have wrung their hands and said they don’t want to get them dirty by “politicizing” religion. I was at the We Believe Ohio- Cleveland event at the Cleveland Play House and found it inspiring, energizing and essential. One thing the “relgious left” has been criticized for correctly- is that in its fear of seeming “political” it has allowed the religious right to completely define what faith values are.
Another disagreed strongly:
I don’t believe religion and politics should mix. My religion to me is a personal decision. Nor do I think that a pastor, rabbi, priest, pope, shaman whatever title they have in a religion should be in a position where they try to influence voters. It puts people of faith at possible odds with the person that is at the most basic description a part of their spirituality.
May 19th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
“Uniting Diverse Religious Voices to Achieve Social Justice” http://www.webelieveohio.org/
I attended the debut for “We Believe” Ohio in the Columbus neighborhood of Old Town East last March. I found this group inspiring even though I’m not religious.
http://www.webelieveohio.org/events/picslaunch.html
Since then, I attended a potluck, at Rev. Eric William’s Northwest Columbus church, for a screening of PBS “NOW” show featuring Ohio Patriot Pastors Russell Johnson and Rod Parsely as well as Rev. Williams who spoke on behalf of progressive pastors who filed an IRS complaint against Johnson and Parsley’s religious political organizations.
Because this show aired prior to Ohio’s primary, Ken Blackwell and Jim Petro, the Republican primary candidates for Governor, were also featured to show the division within Ohio’s Republican Party between moderates and conservatives. (via Brad Blog)
http://tinyurl.com/qgmfr
I spoke with Eric Williams at a Downtown Columbus reception after a debate between Russell Johnson and Jim Wallis that had seated nearly 400 people at Captial Theatre. (Incidentally, an promotional folder that I picked-up here, regarding Johnson’s Ohio Restoration Project was sent to PBS “NOW” producers prior to taping the above show)
Also, I sat across from Rev. Tim Ahrens during The Free Press Annual Awards banquet in Columbus. Rev. Ahrens received an award for “We Believe Ohio” and other causes
http://www.freepress.org/index2.php
I believe “We Believe” is more about Social Justice than being partisan. But, from my observations, “We Believe” has many “progressive” issue supporters
“We Believe” mission below
http://www.webelieveohio.org/about/index.html
“Since November 2005, a group of over 100 pastors, priests, rabbis, cantors, and actively committed lay leaders from Roman Catholicism, two traditions of Judaism, and over fifteen Protestant denominations have met to discuss what we as people of faith can say as one voice speaking on behalf of the poor and on behalf of those who have a wide-ranging viewpoint on the intersection of faith and public policy
We are racially diverse. We are men and women. We come from a range of theological diversity as well. We are conservative, moderate, and liberal on the spectrum of faith and public policy! We serve urban, suburban, and rural people in our houses of worship. We hold in common a deep and abiding love of the God whom we serve
We also share in common our strong belief that we must act and speak in public ways to support the poor, the children, and those who are voiceless and un represented in our times. We will speak with love to power as we serve God in these times”
—-
Next meeting for “We Believe Ohio” will address
“voter turnout for the November 2006 elections”
among other important Social Justice topics.
Thursday, May 25th at 9:00am
First Congregational Church
444 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
http://www.first-church.org/
Rev. Tim Ahrens
614-228-1741
tim@first-church.org
(more on May 25th meeting below)
http://www.webelieveohio.org/events/TO_ALL_PARTICIPANTS_IN_WE_BELIEVE_OHIO.pdf
May 19th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
News and responses to expansive momentum of “We Believe Ohio”
Report: Cleveland’s daily newspaper, The Plain Dealer - “More ministers enter politics”
(with links to audio excerpts of the event)
http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/openers/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_openers/archives/2006_05.html#142064
“More than 100 religious leaders from Northeast Ohio threw themselves into statewide politics Wednesday with the launch of a campaign to counter the influence of religious conservatives.
At an event punctuated by praying, singing, and cheering from hundreds of people, the assembled ministers, rabbis and other clergy kicked off We Believe Cleveland, a coordinated effort to promote discussions among their congregations on issues such as housing, health care and education, rather than gay-marriage and abortion.”
Follow-up: Cleveland’s daily newspaper, The Plain Dealer - “Right reacts to left”
http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/openers/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_openers/archives/2006_05.html#142306
“Evangelical church leader Russell Johnson of the Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster responded late Wednseday to the launch of We Believe Cleveland, a campaign to counter the influence of Johnson and other religious conservatives who want to keep cultural issues at the center of political debate.
‘We Believe represents a small group of liberal congregations who are activating special rights for deviant behavior instead of Biblical truth,’ Johnson said in a statement. ‘This same vein of toxic theology has decided to stand with Planned Parenthood rather than protecting the dignity of the unborn.’”
From “We Believe Ohio” website:
http://www.webelieveohio.org/events/TO_ALL_PARTICIPANTS_IN_WE_BELIEVE_OHIO.pdf
“We are not a freight train steaming our way through Central Ohio rather we are… more like a passenger train deliberatively organizing in order to pick up others along the way that value a diverse religious voice. We seek to be a voice that does not demonize and divide rather one that represents religion at its best as a binding force.”
May 20th, 2006 at 1:33 am
Washington Post - Front Page - Saturday, May 20, 2006
“Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility - A Different List Of Moral Issues”
By Caryle Murphy and Alan Cooperman - Washington Post Staff Writers
“The religious left is back.
Long overshadowed by the Christian right, religious liberals across a wide swath of denominations are engaged today in their most intensive bout of political organizing and alliance-building since the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s, according to scholars, politicians and clergy members.
In large part, the revival of the religious left is a reaction against conservatives’ success in the 2004 elections in equating moral values with opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.
Religious liberals say their faith compels them to emphasize such issues as poverty, affordable health care and global warming. Disillusionment with the war in Iraq and opposition to Bush administration policies on secret prisons and torture have also fueled the movement.
‘The wind is changing. Folks — not just leaders — are fed up with what is being portrayed as Christian values,’ said the Rev. Tim Ahrens, senior minister of First Congregational Church of Columbus, Ohio, and a founder of We Believe Ohio, a statewide clergy group established to ensure that the religious right is ‘not the only one holding a megaphone’ in the public square.”
(story continues)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/19/AR2006051901813.html
May 20th, 2006 at 5:42 am
A friend of mine calls me a grumpy old woman. Mind you, I am still in my 30s and I hardly feel old, and I probably have a few more jokes in my quiver, a few more laughs in my belly, and a few more paper umbrellas than most people because I am rather a positive, upbeat, happy, glass overflowing kind of person. But I am deeply concerned about the future of OUR country. Not Mexico. Not Zimbabwe. Not Cuba. Or even France. I am concerned about the United States of America. Yes, I am grumpy about a lot of things. I write this with PhD, 15 years international development experience and author of 7 books of which two are adpated in over 70 countries.
MANNERS. I grump when six under 30 types revel on a balcony at three on a Wednesday morning and wake up an entire condominium unit of over 500 people. My friend says I should have just joined the party. But I remain incredulous that most people don’t send thank you notes, RSVP, or bring flowers or wine to a party. Most people dump friendships as easily as losing interest in a sitcom. Most people almost find it demeaning to hold open a door for someone or feel their personal space is invaded if some dares smile or talk to someone in an elevator. Is it just me or are we interrupting each other more? Putting each other on hold at the hint of another call coming in? Do you read your e-mail while someone is talking to you? If you don’t want to respond to someone, you don’t, right? You increasingly don’t care what another person thinks about you, do you? Do you say things that hurt others and you really don’t care? What happened to the promise?
CELL PHONES. If you’re in a public place, don’t use your cell phone. Period. Not while standing in line or on line, not while sitting in front of a computer at an Internet cafe, not while waiting to board a plane, not while sitting in a plane, not anywhere near a train unless you are in a crowded car where they cram all of you together in one room to talk on your cell phone, not while waiting for your gynecologist, not while waiting for a movie to begin, and certainly not while waiting for a friend in a restaurant. It is rude. We can hear you. Put the phone DOWN. Didn’t you hear? Congress just passed a law that you are allowed to use your cell phone only when in a grocery store, while parked or driving with a hands-free device, or walking down the street. Oh, that’s right. You missed that. You were too busy talking on your cell phone to read a newspaper.
CULTURE. We worship youth and ignore the wisdom of our elders. We are drawn to faux reality shows to learn how others act in completely unreal situations. We would never see someone over 30 on American Idol because anyone over 30 has no talent left, right? We think Oprah is a new religion and I have a lot of respect for Oprah but she’s just what most of us were like 30 years ago - caring, polite, warm, and wanting to help others.
YOUNG WHITE MALES. Why are they still living with their parents well into their 20s and 30s? Do they care that GenY women are buying homes and adopting children in droves? Their college graduation rates have plummeted. They are being surpassed by girls not only in terms of college enrollment but also in academic performance. And yet they continue to wander listlessly with a straw stuck in their mouth and Razr cell phone in one ear and an iPod in another as they head toward home to plop in front of a violent video game or watch some vapid “reality” show.
YOUNG WHITE FEMALES. Put some clothes on.
VIOLENCE. Do you remember less violent, less corrupt times? Do you think there is a connection between the violence we see and the violence that is committed? I sure do. When are we going to step up and demand that the media stop producing television, movies, and music that is so very violent, and most of it directed at women? I’ve stopped reading articles about the latest person who was found murdered or dismembered. Of course it is tragic but it is not news. It is gruesome and should not be “reported” outside of a local community. Because the more murder and mayhem that is reported as “news”, the more we become accustomed to the violence, the more “normal” it becomes.
GENOCIDE. I grump when our complete lack of interest in genocidal wars allows governments around the world to abuse their people under the guise of sovereign rights, and there is nothing the United Nations can or will do top stop it from happening.
ECONOMY. Our savings rate is the lowest ever since the year before the Great Depression. Gas prices hit an all-time high a few weeks back and yet we have the technology to make alternative fuels - just as we have the technology to make runless nylons and chipless nail polish but what’s the incentive? There is genuine concern about how we are going to pay for the retirement of millions of baby boomers when the Social Security accounts don’t have enough in them. And we had a record budget surplus in 2000, and we are now facing an annual deficit of $368 billion this year and a 10-year projected deficit on $1.35 trillion.
LIBERTIES. I’m grumpy that my e-mails are being read at work and home. I’m grumpy that a stranger could have listened to any number of my phone conversations. I’m grumpy that some low level clerk in the alumni office of where I went to any number of colleges is selling my social security number, mother’s maiden name, and my date of birth. I’m grumpy that three times last year someone tried to steal my identity. I’m grumpy that some cyber-thief in Russia can quietly go into my bank account and take a few hundred bucks without my realizing it.
POLITICS. I’m grumpy that you never hear about how computer-based elections are stolen because techno-wizards go into a database on election night to silent and anonymously change a few votes in a few hotly contested counties to declare the winner of their choice. Not our choice. I’m grumpy that it has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt that the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections, and yet the media won’t touch this story with gloves and a gas mask because it stinks and our very democracy is at stake on this one. Best not to think about it.
LEADERSHIP. And I’m grumpy that the Democrats haven’t a clue about how to do anything about it, and I am fascinated how the Republicans and religious right will continue to dominate politics until this country is brought to its knees. And I’m grumpy that I’d love to step up but I didn’t go to an Ivy League school, don’t keep company at the right clubs, and God forbid that I have an opinion.
THIRD PARTY. It is appalling that we’re all sick of the Democrats and Republicans but not one of us has the courage, creativity, and conviction to start a viable third party. Someone with courage, creativity, conviction, and about ten thousand bucks could start a third party. With the Internet, blogs, social networks, Podcasts, SMS, RSS, and AdWords, it wouldn’t be difficult to up-end the two-party system. But oh. That’s right. We’re too busy watching American Idol and talking on our cell phones at Starbucks to give a hoot about this.
RELIGION. Speaking of God, I am grumpy that we have become so intolerant of someone’s particular brand of religion. I call them “brands” because, really, all religions teach the basic tenets of good behavior. Where are the religious leaders to help solve these problems? And who in their right mind would produce a movie that leads unknowing masses to believe that Mary and Jesus were more than Son and Mother? People are going to start believing the fiction they read and see because the DaVinci Code is just too close to promoting it as fact.
GAY RIGHTS. Am I the only one of the planet who believes that being gay is as genetically-based as being male or female? I believe every day babies are born heterosexual, bi-sexual, or gay. Simple as that for me. So can we please conduct some sound scientific research into this so that we can allow people to live in peace and love, no matter their genetic makeup?
HEALTH. Cancer rates at all age levels are the highest ever. Why? The food we eat, the air we breathe, and the junk we drink. One in three people will get cancer because we are drinking chemical-laden sodas, water, and coffee; eating anti-biotic laden chickens and cows; and do we even LOOK at the ingredient list of most of the things we eat? It is so sad but eating a strawberry is like eating a dollop of Draino. Don’t do it, no matter how delicious it looks. All organic all the time.
ENVIRONMENT. Tsunamis, earthquakes, massive rainfall, hurricanes, more tornadoes than usual, warmer winters, cooler summers, huge spikes in skin cancer. Hey hey! Global warming’s here to stay.
COMMUNICATION. It is increasingly impossible to communicate with immigrants. I don’t sense many seeming to care that they can’t communicate with us, and I don’t sense native-born Americans seeming to care to communicate with them. What is wrong with requiring that English and Spanish be required languages in school? When my brother-in-law speaks English with a heavy accent and is called a French Pig and should return to his home country, we have some serious problems.
And our biggest problem is that not enough of us care to demand that our leaders address these issues. Oh now here’s something really important - cappucino or latte, anyone?