Column's Final Reflections

Faith in the Public Square
Lompoc Record
June 15, 2008

The public square might not be naked, but religion's place within its confines remains contested. The loudest voices in this contest tend to be the most extreme - complete dominance, on one hand or a complete and thorough ban on the other. Even religious people aren't of one mind when it comes to the role of religion in public life. There are advocates of separation from society and advocates of something that looks a lot like theocracy. And, let me say that this isn't a simple left versus right perspective.

It would come as a surprise, hopefully, to readers of this column to see me embrace either of these poles. Having given this column the name “Faith in the Public Square,” I have tried these past two and a half years to advocate for a thoughtful and reasoned engagement between religion and public life.

The late Christian Social Ethicist Reinhold Niebuhr suggested that when it comes to the relationship of religion and politics, there are two positions that are equally wrong. On one hand it is an error to insist that there is no “relevance at all between our faith and our political actions.” As I've argued before, religion is deeply personal, but it's not simply a private matter. If we are people of faith, it should be expected that our beliefs will influence our political actions and views. On the other hand, it is equally wrong to “regard every political decision as simply derived from faith.” We will face many decisions where religious views and values will have little input or there is no clearly discernible faith position. Ultimately, we live in between these two extremes, and our job is to find a balance that respects faith, but doesn't overly burden it. In that regard, Niebuhr suggested that we balance idealism with realism.

Over the past several years, I have attempted to bring to the public square a faith perspective. In my columns, I've addressed local issues and global ones, theological issues and political ones. In doing so, I've tried to keep in mind that mine is simply one voice. I don't claim to represent the views of all religions or even my own denomination. I write as a Christian, but mine isn't the only Christian voice. Indeed, not everyone within my own congregation would agree with everything I write, and that is as it should be. It's my belief that people of faith can play an important role in public life, but only if we come to the public square with humility and grace.

With that said, I must announce that this will be my final column for the Lompoc Record. In the coming weeks my family and I will be relocating to Troy, Mich., where I will become Senior Pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church. As I make this transition to this new ministry, I will conclude my ministry with First Christian Church of Lompoc next Sunday (June 22).

In bringing to a close this column, as well as my ministry in Lompoc, I would like to express my gratitude first to my congregation and then to my editor at the paper. Although the views expressed in this column are my mine alone, and not necessarily those of my congregation, they have been extremely supportive of this column - even when they don't agree with what I've written. One member in particular deserves a word of deep appreciation - the Rev. Bill Denton, Pastor Emeritus and Minister of Visitation - is a stickler for grammar, and early on he offered to proof read my manuscripts, an offer I quickly accepted! Finally, I want to thank the Record's managing editor, Bo Poertner, for welcoming my contributions - and giving them a prominent position.

Although I'll be bringing my relationship with the Record to an end - at least for now - I will continue to address the issues of the day in other forums. These may include contributions to a Detroit area paper, but in the meantime I'll continue to speak out on my blog, Ponderings on a Faith Journey (http://pastorbobcornwall.blogspot.com/). As I say farewell, I hope to continue the conversation that we've begun here, so stop in the blog and say hello!

Dr. Bob Cornwall is Pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org). He blogs at http://pastorbobcornwall.blogspot.com and may be contacted at faithinthepublicsquare@gmail.com or c/o Central Woodward Christian Church, 3955 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48084.

June 15, 2008

Comments

John Shuck said…
Bob,

The folks in Michigan are a fortunate crew. I always admire your intelligence and style! Thanks for the blog and I look forward to reading you from Michigan.

Peace,
john

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