Tag: 2008 Election
“Kennedy talked more about separation of church and state, because that was the attack that was launched against him. Romney’s problem is different in the sense that people see his Mormonism as exotic or esoteric, and he has to knock that down without being too explicit about what Mormon doctrine really is,” says Shaun Casey, associate professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary. More
While Romney’s speech may go over well with the average American voter, says professor David Davenport, he may have a harder time swaying evangelical conservatives. More
Mitt Romney gave a powerful speech in which he forcefully defended religious liberty and related his own firm commitment to it. He insisted that no authorities of his church would exert influence on his decisions as president. For anyone acquainted … More
“If conservatives were worried about his Mormonism, I think Romney has laid his cards on the table and said to them: ‘Look, don’t worry.'” says Calvin College professor James K.A. Smith. More
“As one who believes that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life and of the whole world, I cannot accept that election to the highest office in the land somehow creates a religious transition in which one’s faith commitments get trumped by the demands of the office. Surely it cannot be as simple as that,” says professor David P. Gushee. More
“Mitt Romney’s speech today focused ostensibly on religious liberty and tolerance, with the direct implication that his Mormon faith should not be an issue for voters. But it is not clear that the political goal for the speech — to woo evangelical Republicans in early primary states — was achieved.” More
Whatever one thinks of his politics, one has to admit that Governor Romney’s Texas speech on “Faith in America,” like Senator Kennedy’s remarks to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in September 1960, was expertly written and beautifully delivered. Both men … More
A half century ago, Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois said “the first task of every politician is to get right with Lincoln.” If he were speaking today, he might say the first task of every politician is to get right … More
In 1960 John F. Kennedy gave two major speeches on what he described as the “so-called religious issue” in the presidential campaign. The second, presented to the greater Houston Baptist Ministerial Association in September, after he received the Democratic nomination, … More
“Governor Romney says some wise things about faith and freedom and politics,” says historian and professor David O’Brien, “What’s missing is conscience, how religion’s claims are mediated by conscience and, as John Kennedy acknowledged on a similar occasion, a moment might come when a president, like a citizen, might be required to object, or to resign.” More
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