TEXAS FAITH: Has the God-and-candidates connection gone too far?
August 13, 2009
12:05 PM Tue, Aug 11, 2009
Religious historian Randall Balmer's written a new book, "God in the White House," in which the Columbia University professor suggests we've moved too far away from John Kennedy's line that his faith would not have the final say in his political decisions. Balmer, who considers himself a liberal evangelical, worries that candidates in both parties are trying too hard to persuade voters that they are people of faith.
We don't need to go into the details of Balmer's book to know that the connection between religion and politics is one of the hottest topics around in American elections. Whether it's Barack Obama and Bill Clinton or George W. Bush and John McCain, candidates regularly trot out their religious credentials.
With that as the new reality, here's this week's question of the week for our panelists:
via religionblog.dallasnews.com to READ THE DISCUSSION
The Dallas Morning News continues their excellent panel discussions on timely subjects from the world of religion.
MATTHEW WILSON, Associate Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University, TREY GRAHAM, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Melissa, Texas , CYNTHIA RIGBY, W.C. Brown Professor of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary , and AMY MARTIN, Executive Director, Earth Rhythms; Writer/editor, Moonlady Media debate the question:
Has the connection between religion and political candidates gone too far? Or is it appropriate given that most major religions have a strong social component?
After reading this article, I would be interested in our readers' comments and conclusions.