Obama News and Speeches

Call to Renewal Keynote Address

June 28, 2006
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Speech(On(-a%th(And(.ol%t%cs"asp/
0ash%n+ton, 1C
2ood morn%n+" 3 apprec%ate the opportun%ty to spea# here at the Call to Renewal4s
)u%ld%n+ a Co*enant &or a New Amer%ca con&erence" 34*e had the opportun%ty to ta#e a
loo# at your Co*enant &or a New Amer%ca" 3t %s &%lled w%th outstand%n+ pol%c%es and
prescr%pt%ons &or much o& what a%ls th%s country" So 34d l%#e to con+ratulate you all on the
thou+ht&ul presentat%ons you4*e +%*en so &ar about po*erty and 5ust%ce %n Amer%ca, and
&or putt%n+ &%re under the &eet o& the pol%t%cal leadersh%p here %n 0ash%n+ton"
)ut today 34d l%#e to tal# about the connect%on between rel%+%on and pol%t%cs and perhaps
o&&er some thou+hts about how we can sort throu+h some o& the o&ten b%tter ar+uments
that we4*e been see%n+ o*er the last se*eral years"
3 do so because, as you all #now, we can a&&%rm the %mportance o& po*erty %n the )%ble6
and we can ra%se up and pass out th%s Co*enant &or a New Amer%ca" 0e can tal# to the
press, and we can d%scuss the rel%+%ous call to address po*erty and en*%ronmental
stewardsh%p all we want, but %t won4t ha*e an %mpact unless we tac#le head(on the
mutual susp%c%on that somet%mes e/%sts between rel%+%ous Amer%ca and secular Amer%ca"
3 want to +%*e you an e/ample that 3 th%n# %llustrates th%s &act" As some o& you #now,
dur%n+ the 2007 8"S" Senate 2eneral 9lect%on 3 ran a+a%nst a +entleman named Alan
Keyes" :r" Keyes %s well(*ersed %n the Jerry -alwell(.at Robertson style o& rhetor%c that
o&ten labels pro+ress%*es as both %mmoral and +odless"
3ndeed, :r" Keyes announced towards the end o& the campa%+n that, ;Jesus Chr%st
would not *ote &or )arac# Obama" Chr%st would not *ote &or )arac# Obama because
)arac# Obama has beha*ed %n a way that %t %s %nconce%*able &or Chr%st to ha*e
beha*ed";
Jesus Chr%st would not *ote &or )arac# Obama"
Now, 3 was ur+ed by some o& my l%beral supporters not to ta#e th%s statement ser%ously,
to essent%ally %+nore %t" <o them, :r" Keyes was an e/trem%st, and h%s ar+uments not
worth enterta%n%n+" And s%nce at the t%me, 3 was up 70 po%nts %n the polls, %t probably
wasn4t a bad p%ece o& strate+%c ad*%ce"
)ut what they d%dn4t understand, howe*er, was that 3 had to ta#e :r" Keyes ser%ously,
&or he cla%med to spea# &or my rel%+%on, and my 2od" ,e cla%med #nowled+e o& certa%n
truths"
:r" Obama says he4s a Chr%st%an, he was say%n+, and yet he supports a l%&estyle that the
)%ble calls an abom%nat%on"
:r" Obama says he4s a Chr%st%an, but supports the destruct%on o& %nnocent and sacred
l%&e"
And so what would my supporters ha*e me say= ,ow should 3 respond= Should 3 say
that a l%teral%st read%n+ o& the )%ble was &olly= Should 3 say that :r" Keyes, who %s a
Roman Cathol%c, should %+nore the teach%n+s o& the .ope=
8nw%ll%n+ to +o there, 3 answered w%th what has come to be the typ%cally l%beral
response %n such debates ( namely, 3 sa%d that we l%*e %n a plural%st%c soc%ety, that 3 can4t
%mpose my own rel%+%ous *%ews on another, that 3 was runn%n+ to be the 8"S" Senator o&
3ll%no%s and not the :%n%ster o& 3ll%no%s"
)ut :r" Keyes4s %mpl%c%t accusat%on that 3 was not a true Chr%st%an na++ed at me, and 3
was also aware that my answer d%d not ade>uately address the role my &a%th has %n
+u%d%n+ my own *alues and my own bel%e&s"
Now, my d%lemma was by no means un%>ue" 3n a way, %t re&lected the broader debate
we4*e been ha*%n+ %n th%s country &or the last th%rty years o*er the role o& rel%+%on %n
pol%t%cs"
-or some t%me now, there has been plenty o& tal# amon+ pund%ts and pollsters that the
pol%t%cal d%*%de %n th%s country has &allen sharply alon+ rel%+%ous l%nes" 3ndeed, the s%n+le
b%++est ;+ap; %n party a&&%l%at%on amon+ wh%te Amer%cans today %s not between men and
women, or those who res%de %n so(called Red States and those who res%de %n )lue, but
between those who attend church re+ularly and those who don4t"
Conser*at%*e leaders ha*e been all too happy to e/plo%t th%s +ap, cons%stently rem%nd%n+
e*an+el%cal Chr%st%ans that 1emocrats d%srespect the%r *alues and d%sl%#e the%r Church,
wh%le su++est%n+ to the rest o& the country that rel%+%ous Amer%cans care only about
%ssues l%#e abort%on and +ay marr%a+e6 school prayer and %ntell%+ent des%+n"
1emocrats, &or the most part, ha*e ta#en the ba%t" At best, we may try to a*o%d the
con*ersat%on about rel%+%ous *alues alto+ether, &ear&ul o& o&&end%n+ anyone and cla%m%n+
that ( re+ardless o& our personal bel%e&s ( const%tut%onal pr%nc%ples t%e our hands" At
worst, there are some l%berals who d%sm%ss rel%+%on %n the publ%c s>uare as %nherently
%rrat%onal or %ntolerant, %ns%st%n+ on a car%cature o& rel%+%ous Amer%cans that pa%nts them
as &anat%cal, or th%n#%n+ that the *ery word ;Chr%st%an; descr%bes one4s pol%t%cal
opponents, not people o& &a%th"
Now, such strate+%es o& a*o%dance may wor# &or pro+ress%*es when our opponent %s
Alan Keyes" )ut o*er the lon+ haul, 3 th%n# we ma#e a m%sta#e when we &a%l to
ac#nowled+e the power o& &a%th %n people4s l%*es (( %n the l%*es o& the Amer%can people ((
and 3 th%n# %t4s t%me that we 5o%n a ser%ous debate about how to reconc%le &a%th w%th our
modern, plural%st%c democracy"
And %& we4re +o%n+ to do that then we &%rst need to understand that Amer%cans are a
rel%+%ous people" ?0 percent o& us bel%e*e %n 2od, '0 percent a&&%l%ate themsel*es w%th an
or+an%@ed rel%+%on, A8 percent call themsel*es comm%tted Chr%st%ans, and substant%ally
more people %n Amer%ca bel%e*e %n an+els than they do %n e*olut%on"
<h%s rel%+%ous tendency %s not s%mply the result o& success&ul mar#et%n+ by s#%lled
preachers or the draw o& popular me+a(churches" 3n &act, %t spea#s to a hun+er that4s
deeper than that ( a hun+er that +oes beyond any part%cular %ssue or cause"
9ach day, %t seems, thousands o& Amer%cans are +o%n+ about the%r da%ly rounds (
dropp%n+ o&& the #%ds at school, dr%*%n+ to the o&&%ce, &ly%n+ to a bus%ness meet%n+,
shopp%n+ at the mall, try%n+ to stay on the%r d%ets ( and they4re com%n+ to the real%@at%on
that someth%n+ %s m%ss%n+" <hey are dec%d%n+ that the%r wor#, the%r possess%ons, the%r
d%*ers%ons, the%r sheer busyness, %s not enou+h"
<hey want a sense o& purpose, a narrat%*e arc to the%r l%*es" <hey4re loo#%n+ to rel%e*e a
chron%c lonel%ness, a &eel%n+ supported by a recent study that shows Amer%cans ha*e
&ewer close &r%ends and con&%dants than e*er be&ore" And so they need an assurance that
somebody out there cares about them, %s l%sten%n+ to them ( that they are not 5ust
dest%ned to tra*el down that lon+ h%+hway towards noth%n+ness"
And 3 spea# w%th some e/per%ence on th%s matter" 3 was not ra%sed %n a part%cularly
rel%+%ous household, as undoubtedly many %n the aud%ence were" :y &ather, who
returned to Kenya when 3 was 5ust two, was born :usl%m but as an adult became an
athe%st" :y mother, whose parents were non(pract%c%n+ )apt%sts and :ethod%sts, was
probably one o& the most sp%r%tual and #%ndest people 34*e e*er #nown, but +rew up w%th
a healthy s#ept%c%sm o& or+an%@ed rel%+%on hersel&" As a conse>uence, so d%d 3"
3t wasn4t unt%l a&ter colle+e, when 3 went to Ch%ca+o to wor# as a commun%ty or+an%@er
&or a +roup o& Chr%st%an churches, that 3 con&ronted my own sp%r%tual d%lemma"
3 was wor#%n+ w%th churches, and the Chr%st%ans who 3 wor#ed w%th reco+n%@ed
themsel*es %n me" <hey saw that 3 #new the%r )oo# and that 3 shared the%r *alues and
san+ the%r son+s" )ut they sensed that a part o& me that rema%ned remo*ed, detached,
that 3 was an obser*er %n the%r m%dst"
And %n t%me, 3 came to real%@e that someth%n+ was m%ss%n+ as well (( that w%thout a
*essel &or my bel%e&s, w%thout a comm%tment to a part%cular commun%ty o& &a%th, at some
le*el 3 would always rema%n apart, and alone"
And %& %t weren4t &or the part%cular attr%butes o& the h%stor%cally blac# church, 3 may ha*e
accepted th%s &ate" )ut as the months passed %n Ch%ca+o, 3 &ound mysel& drawn ( not 5ust
to wor# w%th the church, but to be %n the church"
-or one th%n+, 3 bel%e*ed and st%ll bel%e*e %n the power o& the A&r%can(Amer%can
rel%+%ous trad%t%on to spur soc%al chan+e, a power made real by some o& the leaders here
today" )ecause o& %ts past, the blac# church understands %n an %nt%mate way the )%bl%cal
call to &eed the hun+ry and cloth the na#ed and challen+e powers and pr%nc%pal%t%es" And
%n %ts h%stor%cal stru++les &or &reedom and the r%+hts o& man, 3 was able to see &a%th as
more than 5ust a com&ort to the weary or a hed+e a+a%nst death, but rather as an act%*e,
palpable a+ent %n the world" As a source o& hope"
And perhaps %t was out o& th%s %nt%mate #nowled+e o& hardsh%p (( the +round%n+ o& &a%th
%n stru++le (( that the church o&&ered me a second %ns%+ht, one that 3 th%n# %s %mportant to
emphas%@e today"
-a%th doesn4t mean that you don4t ha*e doubts"
Bou need to come to church %n the &%rst place prec%sely because you are &%rst o& th%s
world, not apart &rom %t" Bou need to embrace Chr%st prec%sely because you ha*e s%ns to
wash away ( because you are human and need an ally %n th%s d%&&%cult 5ourney"
3t was because o& these new&ound understand%n+s that 3 was &%nally able to wal# down
the a%sle o& <r%n%ty 8n%ted Church o& Chr%st on ?Cth Street %n the Souths%de o& Ch%ca+o
one day and a&&%rm my Chr%st%an &a%th" 3t came about as a cho%ce, and not an ep%phany" 3
d%dn4t &all out %n church" <he >uest%ons 3 had d%dn4t ma+%cally d%sappear" )ut #neel%n+
beneath that cross on the South S%de, 3 &elt that 3 heard 2od4s sp%r%t bec#on%n+ me" 3
subm%tted mysel& to ,%s w%ll, and ded%cated mysel& to d%sco*er%n+ ,%s truth"
<hat4s a path that has been shared by m%ll%ons upon m%ll%ons o& Amer%cans (
e*an+el%cals, Cathol%cs, .rotestants, Jews and :usl%ms al%#e6 some s%nce b%rth, others at
certa%n turn%n+ po%nts %n the%r l%*es" 3t %s not someth%n+ they set apart &rom the rest o&
the%r bel%e&s and *alues" 3n &act, %t %s o&ten what dr%*es the%r bel%e&s and the%r *alues"
And that %s why that, %& we truly hope to spea# to people where they4re at ( to
commun%cate our hopes and *alues %n a way that4s rele*ant to the%r own ( then as
pro+ress%*es, we cannot abandon the &%eld o& rel%+%ous d%scourse"
)ecause when we %+nore the debate about what %t means to be a +ood Chr%st%an or
:usl%m or Jew6 when we d%scuss rel%+%on only %n the ne+at%*e sense o& where or how %t
should not be pract%ced, rather than %n the pos%t%*e sense o& what %t tells us about our
obl%+at%ons towards one another6 when we shy away &rom rel%+%ous *enues and rel%+%ous
broadcasts because we assume that we w%ll be unwelcome ( others w%ll &%ll the *acuum,
those w%th the most %nsular *%ews o& &a%th, or those who cyn%cally use rel%+%on to 5ust%&y
part%san ends"
3n other words, %& we don4t reach out to e*an+el%cal Chr%st%ans and other rel%+%ous
Amer%cans and tell them what we stand &or, then the Jerry -alwells and .at Robertsons
and Alan Keyeses w%ll cont%nue to hold sway"
:ore &undamentally, the d%scom&ort o& some pro+ress%*es w%th any h%nt o& rel%+%on has
o&ten pre*ented us &rom e&&ect%*ely address%n+ %ssues %n moral terms" Some o& the
problem here %s rhetor%cal ( %& we scrub lan+ua+e o& all rel%+%ous content, we &or&e%t the
%ma+ery and term%nolo+y throu+h wh%ch m%ll%ons o& Amer%cans understand both the%r
personal moral%ty and soc%al 5ust%ce"
3ma+%ne D%ncoln4s Second 3nau+ural Address w%thout re&erence to ;the 5ud+ments o& the
Dord"; Or K%n+4s 3 ,a*e a 1ream speech w%thout re&erences to ;all o& 2od4s ch%ldren";
<he%r summon%n+ o& a h%+her truth helped %nsp%re what had seemed %mposs%ble, and
mo*e the nat%on to embrace a common dest%ny"
Our &a%lure as pro+ress%*es to tap %nto the moral underp%nn%n+s o& the nat%on %s not 5ust
rhetor%cal, thou+h" Our &ear o& +ett%n+ ;preachy; may also lead us to d%scount the role
that *alues and culture play %n some o& our most ur+ent soc%al problems"
A&ter all, the problems o& po*erty and rac%sm, the un%nsured and the unemployed, are
not s%mply techn%cal problems %n search o& the per&ect ten po%nt plan" <hey are rooted %n
both soc%etal %nd%&&erence and %nd%*%dual callousness ( %n the %mper&ect%ons o& man"
Sol*%n+ these problems w%ll re>u%re chan+es %n +o*ernment pol%cy, but %t w%ll also
re>u%re chan+es %n hearts and a chan+e %n m%nds" 3 bel%e*e %n #eep%n+ +uns out o& our
%nner c%t%es, and that our leaders must say so %n the &ace o& the +un manu&acturers4 lobby
( but 3 also bel%e*e that when a +an+(ban+er shoots %nd%scr%m%nately %nto a crowd
because he &eels somebody d%srespected h%m, we4*e +ot a moral problem" <here4s a hole
%n that youn+ man4s heart ( a hole that the +o*ernment alone cannot &%/"
3 bel%e*e %n *%+orous en&orcement o& our non(d%scr%m%nat%on laws" )ut 3 also bel%e*e that
a trans&ormat%on o& consc%ence and a +enu%ne comm%tment to d%*ers%ty on the part o& the
nat%on4s C9Os could br%n+ about >u%c#er results than a battal%on o& lawyers" <hey ha*e
more lawyers than us anyway"
3 th%n# that we should put more o& our ta/ dollars %nto educat%n+ poor +%rls and boys" 3
th%n# that the wor# that :ar%an 0r%+ht 9delman has done all her l%&e %s absolutely how
we should pr%or%t%@e our resources %n the wealth%est nat%on on earth" 3 also th%n# that we
should +%*e them the %n&ormat%on about contracept%on that can pre*ent unwanted
pre+nanc%es, lower abort%on rates, and help assure that that e*ery ch%ld %s lo*ed and
cher%shed"
)ut, you #now, my )%ble tells me that %& we tra%n a ch%ld %n the way he should +o, when
he %s old he w%ll not turn &rom %t" So 3 th%n# &a%th and +u%dance can help &ort%&y a youn+
woman4s sense o& sel&, a youn+ man4s sense o& respons%b%l%ty, and a sense o& re*erence
that all youn+ people should ha*e &or the act o& se/ual %nt%macy"
3 am not su++est%n+ that e*ery pro+ress%*e suddenly latch on to rel%+%ous term%nolo+y (
that can be dan+erous" Noth%n+ %s more transparent than %nauthent%c e/press%ons o& &a%th"
As J%m has ment%oned, some pol%t%c%ans come and clap (( o&& rhythm (( to the cho%r" 0e
don4t need that"
3n &act, because 3 do not bel%e*e that rel%+%ous people ha*e a monopoly on moral%ty, 3
would rather ha*e someone who %s +rounded %n moral%ty and eth%cs, and who %s also
secular, a&&%rm the%r moral%ty and eth%cs and *alues w%thout pretend%n+ that they4re
someth%n+ they4re not" <hey don4t need to do that" None o& us need to do that"
)ut what 3 am su++est%n+ %s th%s ( secular%sts are wron+ when they as# bel%e*ers to lea*e
the%r rel%+%on at the door be&ore enter%n+ %nto the publ%c s>uare" -reder%c# 1ou+las,
Abraham D%ncoln, 0%ll%ams Jenn%n+s )ryant, 1orothy 1ay, :art%n Duther K%n+ (
%ndeed, the ma5or%ty o& +reat re&ormers %n Amer%can h%story ( were not only mot%*ated
by &a%th, but repeatedly used rel%+%ous lan+ua+e to ar+ue &or the%r cause" So to say that
men and women should not %n5ect the%r ;personal moral%ty; %nto publ%c pol%cy debates %s
a pract%cal absurd%ty" Our law %s by de&%n%t%on a cod%&%cat%on o& moral%ty, much o& %t
+rounded %n the Judeo(Chr%st%an trad%t%on"
:oreo*er, %& we pro+ress%*es shed some o& these b%ases, we m%+ht reco+n%@e some
o*erlapp%n+ *alues that both rel%+%ous and secular people share when %t comes to the
moral and mater%al d%rect%on o& our country" 0e m%+ht reco+n%@e that the call to sacr%&%ce
on behal& o& the ne/t +enerat%on, the need to th%n# %n terms o& ;thou; and not 5ust ;3,;
resonates %n rel%+%ous con+re+at%ons all across the country" And we m%+ht real%@e that we
ha*e the ab%l%ty to reach out to the e*an+el%cal commun%ty and en+a+e m%ll%ons o&
rel%+%ous Amer%cans %n the lar+er pro5ect o& Amer%can renewal"
Some o& th%s %s already be+%nn%n+ to happen" .astors, &r%ends o& m%ne l%#e R%c# 0arren
and <"1" Ja#es are w%eld%n+ the%r enormous %n&luences to con&ront A31S, <h%rd 0orld
debt rel%e&, and the +enoc%de %n 1ar&ur" Rel%+%ous th%n#ers and act%*%sts l%#e our +ood
&r%end J%m 0all%s and <ony Campolo are l%&t%n+ up the )%bl%cal %n5unct%on to help the
poor as a means o& mob%l%@%n+ Chr%st%ans a+a%nst bud+et cuts to soc%al pro+rams and
+row%n+ %ne>ual%ty"
And by the way, we need Chr%st%ans on Cap%tol ,%ll, Jews on Cap%tol ,%ll and :usl%ms
on Cap%tol ,%ll tal#%n+ about the estate ta/" 0hen you4*e +ot an estate ta/ debate that
proposes a tr%ll%on dollars be%n+ ta#en out o& soc%al pro+rams to +o to a hand&ul o& &ol#s
who don4t need and weren4t e*en as#%n+ &or %t, you #now that we need an %n5ect%on o&
moral%ty %n our pol%t%cal debate"
Across the country, %nd%*%dual churches l%#e my own and your own are sponsor%n+ day
care pro+rams, bu%ld%n+ sen%or centers, help%n+ e/(o&&enders recla%m the%r l%*es, and
rebu%ld%n+ our +ul& coast %n the a&termath o& ,urr%cane Katr%na"
So the >uest%on %s, how do we bu%ld on these st%ll(tentat%*e partnersh%ps between
rel%+%ous and secular people o& +ood w%ll= 3t4s +o%n+ to ta#e more wor#, a lot more wor#
than we4*e done so &ar" <he tens%ons and the susp%c%ons on each s%de o& the rel%+%ous
d%*%de w%ll ha*e to be s>uarely addressed" And each s%de w%ll need to accept some
+round rules &or collaborat%on"
0h%le 34*e already la%d out some o& the wor# that pro+ress%*e leaders need to do, 3 want
to tal# a l%ttle b%t about what conser*at%*e leaders need to do (( some truths they need to
ac#nowled+e"
-or one, they need to understand the cr%t%cal role that the separat%on o& church and state
has played %n preser*%n+ not only our democracy, but the robustness o& our rel%+%ous
pract%ce" -ol#s tend to &or+et that dur%n+ our &ound%n+, %t wasn4t the athe%sts or the c%*%l
l%bertar%ans who were the most e&&ect%*e champ%ons o& the -%rst Amendment" 3t was the
persecuted m%nor%t%es, %t was )apt%sts l%#e John Deland who d%dn4t want the establ%shed
churches to %mpose the%r *%ews on &ol#s who were +ett%n+ happy out %n the &%elds and
teach%n+ the scr%pture to sla*es" 3t was the &orbearers o& the e*an+el%cals who were the
most adamant about not m%n+l%n+ +o*ernment w%th rel%+%ous, because they d%d not want
state(sponsored rel%+%on h%nder%n+ the%r ab%l%ty to pract%ce the%r &a%th as they understood
%t"
:oreo*er, +%*en the %ncreas%n+ d%*ers%ty o& Amer%ca4s populat%on, the dan+ers o&
sectar%an%sm ha*e ne*er been +reater" 0hate*er we once were, we are no lon+er 5ust a
Chr%st%an nat%on6 we are also a Jew%sh nat%on, a :usl%m nat%on, a )uddh%st nat%on, a
,%ndu nat%on, and a nat%on o& nonbel%e*ers"
And e*en %& we d%d ha*e only Chr%st%ans %n our m%dst, %& we e/pelled e*ery non(
Chr%st%an &rom the 8n%ted States o& Amer%ca, whose Chr%st%an%ty would we teach %n the
schools= 0ould we +o w%th James 1obson4s, or Al Sharpton4s= 0h%ch passa+es o&
Scr%pture should +u%de our publ%c pol%cy= Should we +o w%th De*%t%cus, wh%ch su++ests
sla*ery %s o# and that eat%n+ shell&%sh %s abom%nat%on= ,ow about 1euteronomy, wh%ch
su++ests ston%n+ your ch%ld %& he strays &rom the &a%th= Or should we 5ust st%c# to the
Sermon on the :ount ( a passa+e that %s so rad%cal that %t4s doubt&ul that our own
1e&ense 1epartment would sur*%*e %ts appl%cat%on= So be&ore we +et carr%ed away, let4s
read our b%bles" -ol#s ha*en4t been read%n+ the%r b%bles"
<h%s br%n+s me to my second po%nt" 1emocracy demands that the rel%+%ously mot%*ated
translate the%r concerns %nto un%*ersal, rather than rel%+%on(spec%&%c, *alues" 3t re>u%res
that the%r proposals be sub5ect to ar+ument, and amenable to reason" 3 may be opposed
to abort%on &or rel%+%ous reasons, but %& 3 see# to pass a law bann%n+ the pract%ce, 3
cannot s%mply po%nt to the teach%n+s o& my church or e*o#e 2od4s w%ll" 3 ha*e to e/pla%n
why abort%on *%olates some pr%nc%ple that %s access%ble to people o& all &a%ths, %nclud%n+
those w%th no &a%th at all"
Now th%s %s +o%n+ to be d%&&%cult &or some who bel%e*e %n the %nerrancy o& the )%ble, as
many e*an+el%cals do" )ut %n a plural%st%c democracy, we ha*e no cho%ce" .ol%t%cs
depends on our ab%l%ty to persuade each other o& common a%ms based on a common
real%ty" 3t %n*ol*es the comprom%se, the art o& what4s poss%ble" At some &undamental
le*el, rel%+%on does not allow &or comprom%se" 3t4s the art o& the %mposs%ble" 3& 2od has
spo#en, then &ollowers are e/pected to l%*e up to 2od4s ed%cts, re+ardless o& the
conse>uences" <o base one4s l%&e on such uncomprom%s%n+ comm%tments may be
subl%me, but to base our pol%cy ma#%n+ on such comm%tments would be a dan+erous
th%n+" And %& you doubt that, let me +%*e you an e/ample"
0e all #now the story o& Abraham and 3saac" Abraham %s ordered by 2od to o&&er up h%s
only son, and w%thout ar+ument, he ta#es 3saac to the mounta%ntop, b%nds h%m to an
altar, and ra%ses h%s #n%&e, prepared to act as 2od has commanded"
O& course, %n the end 2od sends down an an+el to %ntercede at the *ery last m%nute, and
Abraham passes 2od4s test o& de*ot%on"
)ut %t4s &a%r to say that %& any o& us lea*%n+ th%s church saw Abraham on a roo& o& a
bu%ld%n+ ra%s%n+ h%s #n%&e, we would, at the *ery least, call the pol%ce and e/pect the
1epartment o& Ch%ldren and -am%ly Ser*%ces to ta#e 3saac away &rom Abraham" 0e
would do so because we do not hear what Abraham hears, do not see what Abraham
sees, true as those e/per%ences may be" So the best we can do %s act %n accordance w%th
those th%n+s that we all see, and that we all hear, be %t common laws or bas%c reason"
-%nally, any reconc%l%at%on between &a%th and democrat%c plural%sm re>u%res some sense
o& proport%on"
<h%s +oes &or both s%des"
9*en those who cla%m the )%ble4s %nerrancy ma#e d%st%nct%ons between Scr%ptural ed%cts,
sens%n+ that some passa+es ( the <en Commandments, say, or a bel%e& %n Chr%st4s d%*%n%ty
( are central to Chr%st%an &a%th, wh%le others are more culturally spec%&%c and may be
mod%&%ed to accommodate modern l%&e"
<he Amer%can people %ntu%t%*ely understand th%s, wh%ch %s why the ma5or%ty o& Cathol%cs
pract%ce b%rth control and some o& those opposed to +ay marr%a+e ne*ertheless are
opposed to a Const%tut%onal amendment to ban %t" Rel%+%ous leadersh%p need not accept
such w%sdom %n counsel%n+ the%r &loc#s, but they should reco+n%@e th%s w%sdom %n the%r
pol%t%cs"
)ut a sense o& proport%on should also +u%de those who pol%ce the boundar%es between
church and state" Not e*ery ment%on o& 2od %n publ%c %s a breach to the wall o&
separat%on ( conte/t matters" 3t %s doubt&ul that ch%ldren rec%t%n+ the .led+e o& Alle+%ance
&eel oppressed or bra%nwashed as a conse>uence o& mutter%n+ the phrase ;under 2od"; 3
d%dn4t" ,a*%n+ *oluntary student prayer +roups use school property to meet should not
be a threat, any more than %ts use by the ,%+h School Republ%cans should threaten
1emocrats" And one can en*%s%on certa%n &a%th(based pro+rams ( tar+et%n+ e/(o&&enders
or substance abusers ( that o&&er a un%>uely power&ul way o& sol*%n+ problems"
So we all ha*e some wor# to do here" )ut 3 am hope&ul that we can br%d+e the +aps that
e/%st and o*ercome the pre5ud%ces each o& us br%n+ to th%s debate" And 3 ha*e &a%th that
m%ll%ons o& bel%e*%n+ Amer%cans want that to happen" No matter how rel%+%ous they may
or may not be, people are t%red o& see%n+ &a%th used as a tool o& attac#" <hey don4t want
&a%th used to bel%ttle or to d%*%de" <hey4re t%red o& hear%n+ &ol#s del%*er more screed than
sermon" )ecause %n the end, that4s not how they th%n# about &a%th %n the%r own l%*es"
So let me end w%th 5ust one other %nteract%on 3 had dur%n+ my campa%+n" A &ew days
a&ter 3 won the 1emocrat%c nom%nat%on %n my 8"S" Senate race, 3 rece%*ed an ema%l &rom
a doctor at the 8n%*ers%ty o& Ch%ca+o :ed%cal School that sa%d the &ollow%n+
;Con+ratulat%ons on your o*erwhelm%n+ and %nsp%r%n+ pr%mary w%n" 3 was happy to *ote
&or you, and 3 w%ll tell you that 3 am ser%ously cons%der%n+ *ot%n+ &or you %n the +eneral
elect%on" 3 wr%te to e/press my concerns that may, %n the end, pre*ent me &rom
support%n+ you";
<he doctor descr%bed h%msel& as a Chr%st%an who understood h%s comm%tments to be
;total%@%n+"; ,%s &a%th led h%m to a stron+ oppos%t%on to abort%on and +ay marr%a+e,
althou+h he sa%d that h%s &a%th also led h%m to >uest%on the %dolatry o& the &ree mar#et
and >u%c# resort to m%l%tar%sm that seemed to character%@e much o& the Republ%can
a+enda"
)ut the reason the doctor was cons%der%n+ not *ot%n+ &or me was not s%mply my pos%t%on
on abort%on" Rather, he had read an entry that my campa%+n had posted on my webs%te,
wh%ch su++ested that 3 would &%+ht ;r%+ht(w%n+ %deolo+ues who want to ta#e away a
woman4s r%+ht to choose"; <he doctor went on to wr%te
;3 sense that you ha*e a stron+ sense o& 5ust%ce"""and 3 also sense that you are a &a%r
m%nded person w%th a h%+h re+ard &or reason"""0hate*er your con*%ct%ons, %& you truly
bel%e*e that those who oppose abort%on are all %deolo+ues dr%*en by per*erse des%res to
%n&l%ct su&&er%n+ on women, then you, %n my 5ud+ment, are not &a%r(m%nded""""Bou #now
that we enter t%mes that are &rau+ht w%th poss%b%l%t%es &or +ood and &or harm, t%mes when
we are stru++l%n+ to ma#e sense o& a common pol%ty %n the conte/t o& plural%ty, when we
are unsure o& what +rounds we ha*e &or ma#%n+ any cla%ms that %n*ol*e others"""3 do not
as# at th%s po%nt that you oppose abort%on, only that you spea# about th%s %ssue %n &a%r(
m%nded words";
-a%r(m%nded words"
So 3 loo#ed at my webs%te and &ound the o&&end%n+ words" 3n &a%rness to them, my sta&&
had wr%tten them us%n+ standard 1emocrat%c bo%lerplate lan+ua+e to summar%@e my pro(
cho%ce pos%t%on dur%n+ the 1emocrat%c pr%mary, at a t%me when some o& my opponents
were >uest%on%n+ my comm%tment to protect Roe *" 0ade"
Re(read%n+ the doctor4s letter, thou+h, 3 &elt a pan+ o& shame" 3t %s people l%#e h%m who
are loo#%n+ &or a deeper, &uller con*ersat%on about rel%+%on %n th%s country" <hey may not
chan+e the%r pos%t%ons, but they are w%ll%n+ to l%sten and learn &rom those who are
w%ll%n+ to spea# %n &a%r(m%nded words" <hose who #now o& the central and awesome
place that 2od holds %n the l%*es o& so many, and who re&use to treat &a%th as s%mply
another pol%t%cal %ssue w%th wh%ch to score po%nts"
So 3 wrote bac# to the doctor, and 3 than#ed h%m &or h%s ad*%ce" <he ne/t day, 3
c%rculated the ema%l to my sta&& and chan+ed the lan+ua+e on my webs%te to state %n
clear but s%mple terms my pro(cho%ce pos%t%on" And that n%+ht, be&ore 3 went to bed, 3
sa%d a prayer o& my own ( a prayer that 3 m%+ht e/tend the same presumpt%on o& +ood
&a%th to others that the doctor had e/tended to me"
And that n%+ht, be&ore 3 went to bed 3 sa%d a prayer o& my own" 3t4s a prayer 3 th%n# 3
share w%th a lot o& Amer%cans" A hope that we can l%*e w%th one another %n a way that
reconc%les the bel%e&s o& each w%th the +ood o& all" 3t4s a prayer worth pray%n+, and a
con*ersat%on worth ha*%n+ %n th%s country %n the months and years to come"
<han# you"