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In an era of extreme partisanship, when running for office has become a zero-sum game in which candidates play exclusively to their ideological bases, Americans on both sides of the political aisle hunger for the return of a commitment to the common good. Too often, it seems, religion has been used as a wedge to divide us in these battles. But is it also the key to restoring our civic virtue?
For more than a decade, John Danforth, who is also an ordained Episcopal priest, has written extensively on the negative use of religion as a divisive force in American politics. Now he turns to the positive, constructive impact faithful religious believers have and can have on our public life. The Relevance of Religion is the product of that period of reflection.
In the calm and wise voice of the pastor he once aspired to be, Senator Danforth argues that our shared religious values can lead us out of the embittered, entrenched state of politics today. A lifelong Republican, he calls his own party to task for its part in creating a political system in which the loudest opinions and the most polarizing personalities hold sway. And he suggests that such a system is not only unsustainable but unfaithful to our essential nature. We are built to care about other people, and this inherent altruism—which science says we crave because of our neurobiological wiring, and the Bible says is part of our created nature—is a crucial aspect of good government.
Our willingness to serve more than our self-interest is religion’s gift to politics, John Danforth asserts. In an era when 75 percent of Americans say they cannot trust their elected leaders, The Relevance of Religion is a heartfelt plea for more compassionate government—and a rousing call to arms for those wishing to follow the better angels of our nature.
Praise for The Relevance of Religion
“Using well-supported arguments deriving from his ministerial as well as legal background, Danforth asserts that traditional religious values of sacrifice, selflessness and a commitment to the greater good can and should have prominent roles in America’s politics. . . . Danforth’s arguments are staunchly supported and clearly explained. . . . For anyone who is faithful as well as political, he provides much food for thought.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“John Danforth does his country another service after many. His book is both a serious critique of politicized religion and a strong defense of religion’s indispensable role in our common life. He talks of faith as an antidote to egotism, as a force for reconciliation, and as a source of public virtue. His case is illustrated through autobiography, in an honest, winsome, and sometimes self-critical tone. Danforth speaks for civility, collegiality, and useful compromise—and is compelling because he has demonstrated all those commitments himself over the decades.”—Michael Gerson, columnist, The Washington Post
“In this wise and urgent book, John Danforth stands in the company of our great public theologians—Paul Tillich, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the brothers Niebuhr—as he envisions both religious and political practices that enable our better selves. Political participation, pursued well, cultivates generosity and patience, and is good for the soul. What better remedy for...
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 13, 2015 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780812997910
- File size: 1323 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780812997910
- File size: 1323 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from November 1, 2015
Former attorney general of Missouri Danforth follows his 2006 book, Faith and Politics, about the dangers of religion in politics with this volume detailing how religious values should impact political behavior. After a brief history of his experience as an ordained minister and politician, the author focuses on the place of virtue in civic life. Although conservative, he faults both parties for pandering to citizen's self-interests, failing to care about others, and elevating opinions to an idolatrous level that makes compromise impossible. Danforth carefully shows how these practices are contrary to religious principles and, as a result, tear the country and government apart. One key phrase states, "I do not think that the gift of religion to politics is the advocacy of...any particular position on an issue. The gift of religion to politics is the insistence that we must serve interests that are greater than our own." The book finishes with a call for faithful believers to impact politics in clear steps that are not typical but that will change the tone and substance of politics. Danforth lays out a clear pathway for transformation that includes both political and religious shifts. VERDICT Readers interested in politics will enjoy this volume, regardless of their political affiliation. Recommended for all libraries.--Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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November 15, 2015
Former U.S. Senator Danforth is also an Episcopal priest who brought communion to shut-ins during his congressional tenure. But politics has been his abiding passion, he confesses. Opening this book, he explains how religion can positively affect politics. Politics and religion are separate realms, and the former is not the realm of absolute truth or the battleground of good and evil. Politically involved Americans should be advocates for the common good, strive to bind America together, and promote compromise. To do so, Danforth says, is to practice the ministry of reconciliation that is at the heart of all religion. With anecdote and reason, he goes on to argue for a more virtuous citizenry (in a very long chapter that includes cogent critiques of libertarianism, Tocqueville, and sensationalizing reportage and documentary filmmaking), re-creating national community, and making Congress perform its constitutional duty to create fair laws in a timely manner. Danforth is the rare politician who has lived long and thoughtfully enough to become a statesman.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
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