Like many Republicans, I have many questions about Mitt Romney's bid for party leadership. They all relate to his public record and his civic convictions. I don't share his religious views. But is it not disturbing that in the United States in the 21st century a man of unquestioned personal rectitude should feel compelled to say, as Romney said in December 2007:
"If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.
"There are some for whom these commitments are not enough. They would prefer it if I would simply distance myself from my religion, say that it is more a tradition than my personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers -- I will be true to them and to my beliefs."
I want to separate this post from specific questions about Mormonism and Christianity and focus on this truth: what we believe matters. Romney's faith is a huge part of his worldview, and it gives shape to his views about humanity, justice, and how to best lead our country.
Allow me to give an illustration: if a candidate presented him or herself and it became clear that privately this person held to racist, sexist, or some other unjust set of beliefs, would we accept an explanation that "This person's beliefs are private, and he or she will be fair in the public sector"? On the contrary, we would be suspicious. Whether or not I agree with a person's religious beliefs, it is foolish to think that they should not have at least a small factor in whether we decide to vote for that person. Yes, voting record matters, yes, prior political involvement matter, and yes, a person's stated platform matters. But let us not lose sight of this truth: how a person sees the world affects how he or she will govern. To what extent is up for debate, but we cannot say that it doesn't matter. It is not unjust to examine a person's stated and publicized personal beliefs and wonder whether those beliefs will help or hinder their ability to govern.
So how does this relate to youth ministry? We need to teach students that how they view the world matters. The civil rights movement in this country came to pass because courageous people believed as a part of their religious beliefs that all persons were created equal. Slavery was abolished in England because courageous people believed that slave trade was morally wrong according to their religious beliefs. What we believe about Jesus and the nature of humanity is not simply a private opinion, but rather an issue that should be thoroughly examined. The sentiment that spiritual matters are only significant in one's private life is false. (For more on this, see Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, a great read on the subject.) We need to be diligent enough to pursue Truth, and courageous enough to act on it.
