The Role of Religion in Politics: Final
Friday, February 15, 2008
I had hoped for an engaging blog debate on the role of religion in politics with PastorDan each day this past week but after the second day, PD apparently picked up his ball and went home. I've emailed him to find out what's going and no response. As much as I'd like to run a victory lap, I can't.
The point (for me) all along was not to see who could trump the other but to open up a wider discussion about what role the church (and specifically the UCC) should play in regards to politics.
I didn't expect to find agreement but I was hopeful that we all would gain a little more understanding of how we view the church's participation in the political process. I also don't profess to know all the right answers which is why I leaned heavily on Niebuhr and his own words to articulate my own concerns about the idealism we see in our denomination's political engagement. I don't think Niebuhr is the final word on this and I think the topic is still worthy of debate.
I've been in discussion with a few other people about another blog debate so.... after my travel schedule settles down I should be able to set something up.
UPDATE: Just heard from PD... he's been busy and not feeling well... so I'll give him a pass. In any event he's not interested in a discussion about the political effectiveness of the UCC national office... and if I were sitting on his side of the debate, I wouldn't either - it's not defensible.
The point (for me) all along was not to see who could trump the other but to open up a wider discussion about what role the church (and specifically the UCC) should play in regards to politics.
I didn't expect to find agreement but I was hopeful that we all would gain a little more understanding of how we view the church's participation in the political process. I also don't profess to know all the right answers which is why I leaned heavily on Niebuhr and his own words to articulate my own concerns about the idealism we see in our denomination's political engagement. I don't think Niebuhr is the final word on this and I think the topic is still worthy of debate.
I've been in discussion with a few other people about another blog debate so.... after my travel schedule settles down I should be able to set something up.
UPDATE: Just heard from PD... he's been busy and not feeling well... so I'll give him a pass. In any event he's not interested in a discussion about the political effectiveness of the UCC national office... and if I were sitting on his side of the debate, I wouldn't either - it's not defensible.
