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We Need to Have Faith in our Faith
Governor Huckabee’s claim is breathtaking. I can say that because I have to confess that I’ve given in to the temptation of that kind of thinking.
In the 1970s I ministered in a suburban parish where I was, among other things, youth minister with a couple hundred teenagers in my charge. In a prosperous community, these kids didn’t lack for opportunities, and I was jealous of how filled their calendars were. My program—and church time in general—was usually not the great priority.
Conventional church life was then helped by a state law. Believe it or not, Maryland still had blue laws strictly regulating what stores could open on Sundays. A convenience store and a gas station were the only visible distractions in that small community. The mall, one town over, was shuttered, and we had at least a fighting chance for people’s “Sabbath” attention.
But what Caesar gave, Caesar taketh away. Suddenly, the blue laws were overturned, the mall opened, and we lost a little prop for our offerings. At almost the same time, the local soccer league caught on and decided to switch the “select” games to Sundays. I didn’t take this blow lying down. I tracked down the league officials and called on them. “Funny,” they said. “You’re the first minister to complain. We moved the games because the rabbis asked us to.” I convened a local clergy meeting and we cut a deal—half the games Saturdays, the other half Sundays.
Small stuff compared to the Mr. Huckabee’s suggestion that we trifle with the constitution. I admit I wanted protection for my religion from outside my little religious world. Today, my passion to reach as many people as possible with our message is undimmed. But I’ve grown out of the desire for enshrining religious privilege in the law. If what we have to say is useful, we will be heard in the marketplace of ideas.
In this country, we are remarkably free of restraint to practice our faith. Truly dedicated religious people will rely on what they believe to be divine strength. Anyway, who gets to define what “God’s standards” are? I want to do my work with our people in such a way that the old song will be true, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
If we have faith in our faith, that’s breathtaking enough. We shouldn’t need civil law to make our point. The really faithful position is make common cause with those who want to keep a real and robust boundary between church and state.
By
William Tully
|
January 28, 2008; 8:30 AM ET
| Category:
Religion & Politics
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Posted by: Mike Goldsmith | February 9, 2008 11:27 AM
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Reverend Tulley:
Thanks for an excellent post. I expect that people would know your mission just as you said, by your love, service to others, and good common sense regarding the separation of church and state.
In all that I can support you 100%
Posted by: Jeff P | January 28, 2008 8:36 PM
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Nonsense.
Posted by: garyd | January 28, 2008 6:37 PM
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You're almost there. Next step is a new source for, "God’s standards." The old one is broke.
http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul says with authority that it's well beyond broke and all the way to dangerous. The greatest difficulty with “God’s standards” comes when we find that the source of “God’s standards” is Devil.
I'm sure you did a lot of good work with the youngsters and kept at least one off drugs which is plenty enough to make all your efforts worth while. You can still do that no matter how the Bible fares. Keeping our youth on the right track is independent of supernatural beings.
One can make a fairly good case that the introduction of "assumptions" about God has a negative effect on the young. Now take Huck for example, his readiness to establish the kingdom of God without ever questioning just which supernatural being that was in the burning bush or ponder the consequences of unwittingly establishing the kingdom of Devil.
I would have no difficulty sending my child to your youth group because you understand that we have no absolute source of, “God’s standards.” Before we start applying “God’s standards” to negate the constitution, substitute the Bible in it's place we must be a little more sure of what we are doing. We have a lot of history to guide us but history ignored soon becomes history repeated.
Red Fox said, "a dummy and his money are soon parted." There's a few too many 'free lancers' using the Bible to that end that fog the good work done by folks like you.
Posted by: BGone | January 28, 2008 2:41 PM
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"If we have faith in our faith, that’s breathtaking enough."
Indeed it is. But what does it mean?
Posted by: E Favorite | January 28, 2008 12:03 PM
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Rev. Tully writes: "If what we have to say is useful, we will be heard in the marketplace of ideas."
Well said sir.
Posted by: TJ | January 28, 2008 9:56 AM
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Yet we are Beginning to succeed.
Posted by: Garyd | January 27, 2008 9:53 PM
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To quote Daniel Dennett:
Nothing has done more to discredit religious faith in recent years than the self-righteous overconfidence with which our leaders have “listened to God” instead of listening to the knowledgeable secular advisors who have warned them, repeatedly, of the follies they were embarking on.
Defenders of religion are eager to point out that the motivation for this war was not religious, in spite of President Bush’s blunder in calling it a “crusade,” but they must admit that the administration’s faith in faith over faith in facts has probably been the principle cause of the moral calamity that now confronts us.
Posted by: Mavaddat | January 26, 2008 2:54 PM
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Any attempt to fall back on government to enforce our faith is in it's self a true lack of faith, If be have true faith then we will rely on to the power of the spirit to guide us and not some political stuffed shirt who treats faith as if it were his own personal idea.