They're not all far-right....

[Pangloss]

John Danforth is a moderate Republican who many will remember was appointed by Janet Reno to investigate the Waco incident. More recently he was our last ambassador to the United Nations, a post which he left in January, after which he was asked to serve as special envoy to Sudan. He's an Episcopalian minister, and he may also be remembered for officiating at Ronald Reagan's funeral last year. (Notably, he also officiated at Washington Post owner Katherine Graham's funeral in 2001.)

 

My point in all that being that he's an example of a christian, a conservative, and a Republican, but he isn't trying to convert the world to fundamentalism. He is well-respected by both sides of the political spectrum, and an interesting contrast with someone like, say, John Ashcroft, who succeeded him in representing Missouri in the Senate.

 

Some of that is clear in his editorial in the New York Times today, entitled "Onward Moderate Christian Soldiers", which may be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/opinion/17danforth.html?ex=1276660800&en=25349ae86c8966e1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

Some of the more interesting bits:

 

 

For us, living the Love Commandment may be at odds with efforts to encapsulate Christianity in a political agenda. We strongly support the separation of church and state, both because that principle is essential to holding together a diverse country, and because the policies of the state always fall short of the demands of faith. Aware that even our most passionate ventures into politics are efforts to carry the treasure of religion in the earthen vessel of government, we proceed in a spirit of humility lacking in our conservative colleagues.

 

In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by two phenomena: the increased activism of the Christian right, especially in the Republican Party, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two. To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility.

 

By contrast, moderate Christians see ourselves, literally, as moderators. Far from claiming to possess God's truth, we claim only to be imperfect seekers of the truth. We reject the notion that religion should present a series of wedge issues useful at election time for energizing a political base. We believe it is God's work to practice humility, to wear tolerance on our sleeves, to reach out to those with whom we disagree, and to overcome the meanness we see in today's politics.

[Phi for All]

Here, here. * much applause *

 

When we profess, in any circles, that our way is right and all others wrong, dissention is almost automatic. When two volatile viewpoints like religion and politics take that stance, disaster looms. And when those stances are joined in a mixture of Church and State as a doctrine for a governing party, the consequences are unimaginably grievous to a country that is founded on unity.