From Where I Sit

Almost twenty years ago now I visited the National Archives in Washington, DC, and saw the three seminal documents of our nation’s history: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and The Bill of Rights. Also on display was the 1597 Version of The Magna Carta. As I waited in line for my turn to see them, I was struck by the diversity of the people who were there that day: male and female, young and old, ethnically diverse, speaking many languages. All were waiting patiently in the soft light under the great dome of the rotunda to see for themselves the documents that not only shaped our nation, but have been widely copied around the world.

As a student of history I make a point of reading these documents periodically. They remind me of the beginnings of our nation, and they invite me to reflect on how we are doing with the lofty ideals expressed in them. To read them is to realize how much they still have to teach us, but to see the originals, as ideas on parchment, is to appreciate how fragile they are, except as they are embodied in the vision and commitment of the people who live in the shadow of their guidance. 

Implicit in them is the opportunity for every citizen to cast a vote as to how she/he would like to see them lived out into the future. Different people will give different weight to different parts of the documents as they choose how they will vote. Different people will look to different other resources to inform their citizenship, and, ultimately, their vote. 

As a person of faith I look to the Gospel for my vision of a just and compassionate society, not as something that I would impose on others, but as a witness to my part of the community dialogue. But, contrary to the certitude of some, you will not find in the Gospel a clear answer to the question, “How would Jesus vote?” He never did vote and he did not live in a society that allowed the vote. 

It is important that we recognize that Jesus’ life and ministry was set in the social context of the Roman world. Marcus Borg reminds us, in his important book, Jesus, that the Roman world was “an imperial form of a pre-industrial agricultural domination system.” What that means is that Jesus’ world was ‘politically oppressive,’ ‘economically exploitative,’ ‘religiously legitimized,’ and ‘marked by armed conflict.’ Hence Jesus’ oft expressed concern for the poor, the oppressed, the outcast, the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and the imprisoned - those who had the most to lose in such systems.

A good case can be made that Jesus approached the world with a prophetic compassion. He announced the beginning of his ministry with words from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” [Luke 4:18-19] He measured the value of a person’s life by whether it provided food for the hungry, something to drink to the thirsty, welcome for the stranger, clothing for the naked, care for the sick, and visitation to the imprisoned. [see Matthew 25:31-46] While these do not translate easily into a political agenda, they are not unimportant!

As citizens we have a unique opportunity to shape the future of our nation. Is it unreasonable that we might just consider sitting down to actually read the founding documents of our nation before we go into the voting booth? We would do well to read them! As people of faith we have an added dimension by which we may form a vision of a just and compassionate society. Is it unreasonable that we might just consider sitting down to actually read the Gospel before we go into the voting booth? I think not!

In his Farewell Address, George Washington said: “It will be worthy of a free, enlightened and ... great nation to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence.” The prophet Micah wrote: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [Micah 6:8] Let us practice our faith and citizenship so that we might embody such wisdom.