On Tuesday, the 92-percent-Christian-identified Congress (see recent Pew study and graphic below) participated in a one-day “faith orientation” organized by Union Theological Seminary, including three closed sessions – “Faith & Politics vs. Church & State,” “How to Talk About Your Own Faith” and “How Policy and Faith Interact” – and an open-to-the-public panel including members of Congress.
Reported in the Huffington Post:
Congress members joining the event included Democrats Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, Representatives James Clyburn of South Carolina, Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and David Price of North Carolina.
Coons, who identifies as a Progressive Christian and attended Yale Divinity School… said he was “thrilled” to participate in the “Faith and Values Matter in Congress” public session.
“I think it’s important for elected leaders to work from their faith traditions and for those of us who are progressive or who are Democrats… to not be hesitant about speaking about how our faith experience leads us to act,” Coons told the Huffington Post.
The Reverend Dr. Serene Jones, president of UTS (pictured above), was interviewed in Time:
Many people think when politics and religion mix, the consequences are disastrous. It simply doesn’t have to be that way. We can and must draw a distinction between the imposition of specific religious prescriptions, and the drive and motivation that comes from the bedrock values of our great faith traditions which can move our policy agenda to a better, more just, and inclusive place.
Posted by Cara Modisett
