Since Johnson’s Christianity is decidedly right-wing, he has faced many critical And reprimand – which is entirely fair for a politician who has chosen to place his religious beliefs at the heart of his public life. But Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), whose progressivism on issues related to economic justice is rooted in the social teachings of her Catholic tradition, has another way of approaching the issue.
DeLauro and I Talk about the connections between religion and politics before, so I wasn’t surprised when she called me recently to tell me that she had thought a lot about Johnson’s commentary on the Bible explaining her view. Her goal, she said, was not to question Johnson’s commitment to Christianity. On the contrary, DeLauro went out of his way to respect Johnson’s spiritual life.
“He’s a man of faith, I’m going from there,” DeLauro said. “And he says his beliefs are rooted in the Bible, and many of us believe that. … The Bible is full of advice, of care to act as a community, to focus on the poor,” she said. “And the Bible presents a political program based on faith. He espouses social justice.
And she left, invoking the commandment of the Exodus not to oppress the poor or the stranger whose cry God would hear; Leviticus on setting aside a portion of the harvest for the poor; the Gospel of Matthew on the need for a decent wage; James’ letter about not showing favoritism to the rich over the needy.
There was much more to be said on this matter, for the Scriptures have much to say on these subjects. But not content to rely solely on instinct, DeLauro also consulted his friend (and principal), the Rev. Frederick Streets of Yale Divinity School, and his allies at the Children’s Defense Fund to consider what Scripture requires. Their conclusion (which I agree with) is that it is difficult to take the Bible seriously and not hear what it teaches about poverty, justice, and victory over oppression.
DeLauro is a tough, practical politician accustomed to tough negotiations. She is capable of playing tough and does not tend to soften her public judgments to be polite. From a practical standpoint, there is no doubt that DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, will have battles with Johnson on budget issues — and those may well be influenced by the way each of them reads the Scriptures.
But in this case, DeLauro wanted to be clear: Even though she disagreed with Johnson on a series of issues, she wasn’t accusing him of anything. Instead, she wants to invite him into a dialogue about what it means to take the Bible seriously. When I asked her what message she was trying to send to the speaker, she offered a sermon, not a speech:
“You are a man of faith. I believe I am a woman of faith. And what our religious traditions, how they guide us, is that we were raised to build bridges, not to divide people. Caring for the vulnerable, feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, acting as a community. Not to take the very important principles of faith that we adhere to – to use them as something that creates division.
“There are only a few thousand of us who have served in this institution,” she continued, referring to Congress. “Let us take advantage of this opportunity to make government an instrument of peace, an instrument of justice and equality to uplift all people, so as to bring people to understand and respect each other. »
The spirit of his intervention reminds us that Christianity is best seen as a challenge, not as an identity, but as a call to reason together. There are so few things like this that happen that it’s a blessing to encounter them.
It is also useful in encouraging recognition that no political party or movement has a monopoly on faith.
As the civil war drew to a close, Abraham Lincoln urged both sides in this bloody struggle to note that “both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes his help against the other”. When it comes to the political life of our now even more religiously diverse nation, it’s always a good idea to heed the first Republican president’s call for humility when it comes to of God and the Scriptures.
