22 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Religion, Politics, and Civil Discourse: Thoughts for Christian Leaders Jack Goodyear, Ph.D. Dr. Jack Goodyear is Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Dallas Baptist University. In the pluralistic society of America, a multitude of religious and political debates exist, of which individuals and groups alike adamantly defend the stances to which they adhere. Issues facing the United States today are packed with theological or religious arguments and undertones. LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, environmentalism, immigration, refugees, war, terrorism, and poverty are a mere sampling of the issues presented using religious language. In addition, political campaigns, especially recent ones, use religion and faith to secure votes. From Bush naming Jesus as his favorite philosopher, to Kerry in the 2004 election declaring that he was once an altar boy, Obama giving a talk at a Sojourners event and discussing his Christian faith, Trump saying he was “the best thing that ever happened to evangelicals” (bigger than Jesus!), and Biden discussing how his Christian faith guided him through tragedy and loss, government officials are openly and unashamedly sharing their religious leanings. Conservatives and liberals alike have seen ministers enter the political forum both as campaigners and candidates. Although the United States claims to be a nation that separates church and state, the same cannot be said for religion and politics. These two spheres undoubtedly overlap, if not symbiotically coexist, in American culture. While it is questionable as to whether religion should or should not factor into the political arena of America, religion has been a prominent player in the annals of U. S. history. Examples of the ways in which the religious current brought about positive change in America include both the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. (Although
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODc4ODgx