As a child of the eighties, I have never known a time without the Religious Right. Politics and religion have always been intertwined. If you believe certain things then people assume you most likely vote a certain way. This is starting to change, as people in my generation are redefining faith and redefining political allegiance. And, like many in my demographic, I find myself wondering more and more often, How did we get here? What made this divide between ideologies so wide?
In Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America, Michael Wear sets out to provide insights to those questions. A self-described conservative Democrat, Wear worked on President Obama’s initial campaign in 2008 before working within the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. His inside view into our most recent President’s faith, values, and attempts at partnering faith and politics is eye-opening.
Not only are there plenty of stories about working in the White House and the challenges of defining the nearly-impossible topic of an individual’s faith to a public policy, but Wear gives insights into the millennial view of faith and politics. We live in an era where politics is part of our everyday life. There is no separation of church and state; there is no way of separating our political values from our spiritual life.
Wear accepts this new way of interacting with politics and offers guidance and optimism to a weary population. People are tired of the divide, no matter which side of the aisle they fall on, and Wear gives hope. Not to battle each other but to recognize the significant importance of our differences and how they can honor God and offer hope to our nation.
Wear doesn’t provide the magical answer to solve all of our political problems, but he does shed light on ways we can shift our own perspectives. He introduces a new way of doing politics – not one of either/or, church/government but of a both/and approach of partnerships with the church and government. This new way forward is a big shift in thinking but one that, if we’re willing to take the journey, may be more world changing than we realize.
How does your faith reflect your politics? Are you able to separate to two? How do you support your values and your voting habits?
GIVEAWAY! I am giving away a copy of Reclaiming Hope. Leave a comment about your journey in faith and politics and I’ll randomly select a winner on Friday, January 20, 2017. (United States addresses only.)
As part of the Reclaiming Hope launch team, I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Annie Rim 
The little I’ve read about him and from him Twitter feed, the more hope becomes a possibility. I’m tired of the arguing and the divide where all we seem to hear is “me, me”. I need to recommend this book to my son-in-law too if he hasn’t already read it. I appreciate your thoughts on this Annie.
I think your son-in-law would like Wear’s outlook, too… He makes some interesting observations on how we became so polarized.
Well I’m curious. It’s certainly a hot topic. I’m a registered Independent. Jesus didn’t have an agenda other than to love people. I’m guessing Christians forget this from time to time and get swept up in attempting to wrangle ‘right’ and prevent ‘wrong’. I found my faith particularly reassuring during this election.
Right? How did we get so far from the message of Jesus? Wear addresses independents and the fact that they’re making up a bigger constituency… Something to address, I’d think!
Well now I might just have to read this book.
Yay! You won! Email me your address and I’ll send you my copy: anniehrim@gmail.com
I won? Yay!!! Haha. How did I win?
A very scientific process of picking names out of a hat. 😉
This sounds so interesting! I’m going to have to look into this book. Faith and politics is such an interesting conversation, but it’s one that I don’t have often because most of the people I share the same Christian faith hold conflicting views on many political stances. I often feel like I align exactly in the middle of both parties and wish there was a way to meet in that place. I think I could blather on and on…I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and think that I am able to take my faith out of some of the conversation while in other places it natural has to remain.
Thanks for the thought provoking questions!
I think a lot of us identify with the middle, and therein lies the disconnect to the parties which have been built on more extreme ideas. I feel like we’re in the growing pains of breaking from an extreme system. (I hope… Maybe I’m just being too optimistic?) Hoping that this past election has shown us all that we need to reconcile.
I hope so too!