I recommend John Gardner’s "Self Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society," Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1963. Sometimes it makes sense to go back and reread what our founding fathers and mothers were trying to say to us that just may be relevant for our times.

John Gardner, the founder of both Common Cause and Independent Sector, was always perceptive and inspiring. He talked about the reality of CHANGE in our lives and the need to keep pace with it, maintaining a HOPE-FILLED spirit.

Here is his challenge: "Life isn't a train ride where you choose your destination, pay your fare and settle back for a nap. It's a cycle ride over uncertain terrain, with you in the driver's seat, constantly correcting your balance and determining the direction of progress. It's difficult, sometimes profoundly painful." In this present Presidential Election Season, these are important lessons to keep in focus and to inspire the faithful voter.”

The Question: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 40 years ago. What are your memories of that day? What impact did it have on you? How is King relevant to you and to us today?

I met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on a February day in 1968, when, as a seminary student, I took a long bus ride to Washington D.C. to hear him speak at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church about the connection between the cost of the war in Vietnam and its devastating impact on the poor.

His courageous words that day -- earnest, unafraid, challenging America’s moral failings without judgment or alienation -- changed my life. He inspired my political activism that came to include serving in Congress for 12 years, and now serving as the president of Common Cause.

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Faith is a central tenant in the lives of many people, including many of the the candidates we see running for president today, and voters have every right to be curious and inquire about the faith of their favorite political candidates. But each candidate’s faith should be “modeled” and “owned” by the candidate.

It should be a natural part of their total life experience. Faith should never be waved around in place of real character or real solutions. It should never be used as a substitute for honest discussion of ideas in a political campaign. Instead, faith in politics can be best seen in the ethical ways candidates conduct themselves when the cameras are off, and in the policies they propose to help society's most needy as well as they serve the public interests, not the special interest.

Oh, and one more thing: every religious tradition on planet earth suggests that God cares about ending poverty, healing the earth and peacefully living together as brothers and sisters. Perhaps all candidates should have their faith statements judged by how effectively they work for PEACE, ENDING POVERTY AND CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

Given the current virus sweeping our nation elevating GREED as a central tenet of capitalism, I think GREED and its brothers and sisters ARROGANCE AND SELFISHNESS lead the pack. While the Seven Deadly Sins in Christian theology are important, I think Mahatma Gandhi may have said it just as well for our current cultural experience. Gandhi listed the Seven Deadly SOCIAL Sins as Politics without Principle, Wealth without Work, Commerce without Morality, Pleasure without Conscience, Education without Character, Science without Humanity and Worship without Sacrifice.

I think even Jesus would have agreed with Gandhi.

This is why Mother Teresa is a SAINT! She lives in my SOUL!

Doubt is essential to an authentic life of faith. Several of those we call saints talk of the same kind of things we read in Mother Teresa's letters. St. John of the Cross called this time in his life as "the dark night of the soul."

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It should come as no surprise that the news media focuses on sex at a national church meeting.

Now don’t get me wrong. Sex is important. Without it none of us would be here. It is part of God’s creative plan and it is a marvelous gift the creator has bestowed on us to cherish and celebrate.

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I laughed out loud when I read this week’s question. Since I’ve preached and written about “Blessed are those who read the whole Bible,” it seemed something of a quandary to identify one passage or verse. I can’t.

The reality is there are many. The thousands of Bible passages about peace and poverty have shaped me in my work to stop war before it begins or seek a living wage for Americans.

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Christian physicians don’t have to look very far for an example of what to do about this.

Jesus was a healer. He touched people that would make him unclean.

Or he healed people on the Sabbath to the chagrin of his religious authorities. Time and time again throughout the gospels you find him touching people in order to heal them when such an act would violate his religious laws.

I spent part of my early ministry as a chaplain. When someone is trained to be a hospital chaplain the stated goal is to meet the spiritual needs of the patient without them knowing what the chaplain’s religious beliefs are.

The physical well-being of the patient should be the physician’s primary responsibility without judgment or imposition of a particular religious point of view. Should a doctor find that to be a dilemma she or he should refer the patient to another physician whose religious convictions do not get in the way of patient care.

In the Gospel of John, all of Chapter 17 is a remarkable prayer of Jesus to God in heaven. It is there we find one of the reasons for the ecumenical movement in the world: “...that they may all be one.”

For Christians who take the Bible seriously the ecumenical movement is very important. Whatever a pope says about other Christians is worth consideration.

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Worship, or liturgy, is built on tradition. Much of what we do in our houses of faith has roots in history. Even the self-described non-denominational or non-liturgical churches perform actions done thousands of years ago.

Singing in church has roots in the ancient Hebrews singing the Psalms. Processions down church center aisles finds its tradition in early Christianity parading from one location for reading of Holy Scripture to a second location for the breaking of the bread.

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If there are growing numbers in the military who list "pagan" as a religion, then it would seem appropriate for the military to have chaplains available to minister to their members. While such a step will challenge the structure that defines "chaplain" I see no harm if there is a demonstrated need. That begs the question, "What is a pagan?"

As for voting for a "pagan" for public office, again that begs the question, "What is a pagan?"

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When I was a teenager and attending church camp, a creative Methodist minister preached on this very question. He said to picture a lovely garden where everything is perfect. The flowers are all beautiful, the deer are running through the woods, people are spread out on the lawn have a really fun picnic. The children are all playing on the swings and laughing. The birds are singing. Everything is in just right. For that minister, that was “heaven.”

Then he said, picture that entire beautiful pastoral environment enclosed in a giant glass bubble. Now, picture people outside the giant glass bubble lying on top and looking in. That’s hell. That image has always stuck with me.

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Which is the higher morality for the United States: to get out of Iraq now, or stay until civil order is restored?

The question is being asked all over the world: in government, in houses of worship, in military think tanks and individual households.

The problem is, I find it hard to see the morality in either choice.

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Questioning is the lifeblood of faith. It’s like feeding oxygen to the brain. Without questioning, faith is untilled soil.

There are countless stories of some very serious questioning in the life of faith of many of the saints who have gone before us. St. John of the Cross called his time of deepest questioning, “the dark night of the soul.” And even Jesus experienced what is called “the agony in the garden,” where “he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from me.” (Matthew 26:39)

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This question has divided Christians for centuries. Some have placed more importance on saving one’s soul over doing good works. But being saved and following the example of Jesus are two sides of the same coin. You cannot separate one from the other.

Martin Luther didn’t want the Letter of James in his New Testament because there is a great emphasis on works. Luther believed strongly that salvation was achieved only by faith alone. He found that in Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

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