Eugene weekly., July 29, 2004, Page 7, Image 7

BY THE REV. JOAN PIERSON
God Gets Out the Vote
Two views of faith involvement in politics.
T
he season of intense partisan politics has
just begun, and already we are learning
that this election will be different from
any that we have known. The growing intrusion of
religious concerns, particularly from the evangeli-
cal and fundamentalist right, has already shaped
this current Bush administration and will be a
large and influential part of the election campaign.
Let me say that I am part of a mainline
Protestant tradition that sees a vital connection
between personal faith and our call to heal and in-
vigorate the social world. I work out of faith for
justice and peace. As the leader of Presbyterian
and Methodist churches in Newport, Reedsport,
Harrisburg and Coburg, and in two vibrant Portland neighborhoods, I have encouraged
my congregations to join this work. Many of my church leaders have also been commu-
nity leaders and their church congregations have worked to heal hunger, homelessness,
joblessness, lack of medical care and other painful social inequities.
So I am pleased at the new connections between church and world — and deeply dis-
turbed by some of the forms it is currently taking. At worst, there is a kind of religious
partisanship that threatens the wise, freedom-giving clarity of our Bill of Rights. Two re-
cent events in Eugene show me the difference between appropriate faith involvement
and a religious outreach that threatens our traditional ways of relating church and
state.
R
ecently, the Rev. James Forbes, pastor of Riverside Church in New York City,
made the kind of visit to Eugene that enhances the possibilities of church-
community relationships. Forbes is leading a campaign called Let Justice Roll.
The campaign addresses the growing gap in this country and the world between rich
and poor. It calls for public solutions to the pain of poverty and it seeks to bring change,
in part, through increased voter registration, as well as discourse in the churches and in
the public square.
At the heart of Forbes’ call to action is a profound commitment to the prophetic
voice in all religions, the Voice that calls for human dignity, social well-being, daily bread
and hope for the future. He speaks for a compassionate God who cares for the “least”
among us, and for a passionate Jesus who called us to feed the hungry, clothe the
naked, heal the sick, and bring the “oil of gladness” to those in despair.
Forbes spoke at the First Congregational Church, a “welcoming and affirming”
church. It was widely announced in the community as an interfaith event open to any-
one. Leaders in the event included people of many faiths and leaders of community ac-
tion of various political venues. Forbes spoke slowly and eloquently, and there was time
for questions and discussion.
Quite different was this week’s religious-political event sponsored by the Republican
National Committee at the Willamette Faith Center, an attempt to foster a very partisan
participation in our political process.
Speaker David Barton is an historian and founder of a Texas-based organization
called Wallbuilders. Barton is a prolific writer of historical tracts and creator of videos
and CDs. One of his goals is to counter historical writing that sees our government as
founded in secularism. In contrast, he wants to revitalize what he admires as many
years of life-giving connection between church and state. His lengthy presentation was
rapid-fire, laden with information, and he offered no room for questions and discussion.
The Republican gathering, unlike the Forbes gathering, was a closed-door affair.
Attendance was by invitation only and attendees, while warmly greeted, were vetted at
the doors. The press was excluded, so reports in the media came from interviews after
the event.
Barton’s initial presentation, historical in nature, with its genuine recovery of our
roots, soon gave way to the partisan purposes of the gathering. We were instructed in
the evangelical agenda: school prayer, preservation of the “under God” statement in
the Pledge of Allegiance, use of the Ten Commandments in public places, the end of
abortion rights, the selection of judges who use God’s law. All these things, we were
told, are the desire of a vast majority of Americans, whose will is thwarted by biased
judges and Democrats in Congress.
We were urged to get out the evangelical vote, which has been too small in recent
elections. And we were urged to tap into the widespread and growing anger about gay
marriage. Gay marriage, we were told, has lighted a fire in the hearts of evangelicals
that can be used to bring in their votes.
Evangelicals taught me to pray, and I am grateful for their concern for social values
often neglected in our wealthy, consumption oriented, pleasure-seeking society. But a
presentation like this makes impossible the dialogue we need about the truths we each
might bring to the social world.
Who Would
Jerry Bomb?
JUST ARRIVED!
* Political & environmental t-shirts,
stickers, buttons & magnets
* Grateful Dead t-shirts
* Glass from all your favorites!
Happy Birthday Jerry❣ We miss you!
Mon-Sat 10-9/ Sun 12-6
Corner of 11th & Willamette in the ❤ of Downtown Eugene
The Rev. Joan Pierson of Eugene is a retired Presbyterian minister.
JULY 29, 2004 7