Door Opener and Bridge Builder

One of the most overlooked aspects of American history is the tension that has existed between democracy and theocracy ever since the Mayflower landed in Plymouth almost 400 years ago. The Pilgrims came to the New World to escape religious persecution but ultimately the U.S. Constitution is a secular document which declares the separation of church and state. In modern times, the counterculture of the 1960s and Roe v. Wade of the 1970s was followed by a religious backlash in the 1980s. Public religious figures have always played interesting roles in American history. Billy Graham was apolitical and was able to gain credibility and influence by not choosing political sides and advising the country on religious issues. Other religious leaders, such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, chose to use religion as political power to push conservative agendas.

In one of the most interesting events of the 2008 Presidential Election cycle, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama joined Evangelical Pastor Rick Warren for a civic forum at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California. Between the Jeremiah Wright scandal and the widely-held belief that he is somehow a closet Muslim, Barack Obama has had to repeatedly defend his faith throughout the Presidential campaign. On the other hand, McCain has been criticized for cheating on his first wife and is mistrusted by many conservatives for his moderate social views. The August 16 meeting of this trio seemed an unlikely cast for such an event.

This televised event was a coming out party for Warren who has seen tremendous success as a pastor, author and international networking guru. The forum coronated Warren as America’s most influential and highest-profile church leader. Unlike many religious leaders before him, Warren has clearly chosen to differentiate his stardom from the roles that some leaders from the religious right have played in the public arena. As William Martin, Billy Graham’s biographer notes, “It’s remarkable…the candidates are according him with tremendous status. I don’t see them doing it with an Episcopal bishop or a Cardinal – or another Evangelical.” It is a testament to Warren that both candidates who claim to be “above politics” have chosen to anoint him as the spiritual leader of America.

One of my pet peeves is when people do not say what they mean or mean what they say. It seems hypocritical for some church leaders to favor certain political candidates over others. If churches believe that people should have faith in God to care for us, then it should not matter who is in office; thus, church leaders should not campaign for candidates or care who wins. Stephen Mack notes the obvious hypocrisy: “By linking church and state, you don’t put God in charge of civil society but put the people in charge of the church.” What separates Warren from his fellow politically-active, conservative Evangelicals is his unabashed belief that the government is NOT the most effective way to change the world.

Many of the great movements of our time have been independent of politics. In the summer of 2007, President Bush awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the father of the “Green Revolution”, Dr. Norman Borlaug, for his research in wheat dwarfing, a discovery which has vastly increased the efficiency of wheat growing and thus has significantly helped curtail global food shortages. Agree with him or not, former Vice President Al Gore shunned an opportunity to return to politics to instead pursue the fight against global warming. Politics focuses so much effort on winning and short term gains that the biggest problems of our time often do not get enough attention. This gap has empowered public intellectuals with the role of critiquing current cultural and political events as well as researching, publicizing, and pursuing new, untouched issues.

Despite being the author of the second highest-selling book of all time (after the Bible, with over 50 million copies sold), Warren has no desire to be rich and donates over 90% of his book royalties to Saddleback Church. Despite being the new leader of Christian Conservatives in America and being pastor of a 23,000-member congregation, he has no desire to wield political power, but he DOES want to change the world. His predecessors led Evangelicals to be a domestic political force, but Warren’s vision is to energize and unite churches around the world to be global benefactors. What makes Warren different is that when he talks about mobilizing Christians – he doesn’t mean just on election day nor is he referring only to American Christians – he is referring to the 1 billion Christians worldwide which he believes can join together to fight HIV/AIDS, water shortage, poverty, and hunger. To say the man is ambitious is an understatement.

Political events held in church settings often focus on what he calls “sin issues” – like abortion and gay marriage. The next President of the United States will have to restore Americans’ faith in the United States and repair the image of the U.S. around the world. The goal of political campaigns is to highlight the differences between candidates, but at the end of the day as Warren says, there is far more that unites us than divides us. The goal of his forum was not to gain political favor for either candidate or power for himself, but to draw awareness to the challenges facing the world over the next generation: poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate change, and human rights.

His insistence against choosing political sides will invoke criticism from some but overall will provide him with an unprecedented opportunity to affect sweeping changes in today’s most pressing issues. Public intellectuals from the present and future should take note of how Warren has risen to a position of influence. People recognize his credentials – leading a megachurch and authoring a best-seller – but they take him seriously because of his passion for world issues and his galactic vision about how to improve them. Many people enter the public square with academic credentials, but then politicize their issues and choose sides. Peter Beinart of the New Republic criticizes the use of religion in the public square, “It’s fine if religion influences your moral values. But, when you make public arguments, you have to ground them – as much as possible in reason and evidence…otherwise you can’t persuade other people, and they can’t persuade you.” Politicians lose credibility when their only argument in favor of or against an issue is religion. To retain credibility, Beinart suggests they should check religion at the door. In the same sense, priests who will not check their political views at the door also lose credibility. Rick Warren is showcasing his ability to affect change and get people to listen by focusing on the issues, not on the politics.

Some pastors preach and lead in a very formal matter. Warren has always acknowledged his sin and not tried to act above reproach. He preaches wearing a Hawaiian shirt and is passionate about contemporary worship music. He is a pastor of the people and his audience connects with him and his dreams because he seems like one of them. This down-to-earth and nonpartisan approach gives him credibility as the moral leader in America. Throughout history, religious strife has often divided nations against themselves. At a time when all factions of the American people needs more than ever to reunite under the stars and stripes to overcome some great challenges, I believe Rick Warren says he will be a “door opener and a bridge builder.” There is no doubt he will provide the next President of the United States with advice, wisdom, prayer, and a means to reach all people – regardless of whether they have a 'D' or an 'R' beside their name.