RELIGIOUS COMPROMISE

The surprising endorsement of Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani by Christian conservative Pat Robertson may have more to do with friendship than with any guidance from God. But it reveals what is inherently inappropriate about trying to spiritually anoint a candidate who, if elected, will have to wrestle in the very muddy world of secular politics.

Mr. Giuliani supports legal abortion, was married three times, and is a supporter of gay rights. He has hitched his campaign to his response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when he was mayor of New York City. The Rev. Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, which claims to reach 900,000 viewers, agreed with the Rev. Jerry Falwell that the 9-11 attacks came as God’s wrath in response to the U.S. tolerating homosexuality and abortion.

A senior staffer with the Family Research Council, an evangelical Christian group that also dabbles in politics, called it a “very strange endorsement.” Strange indeed. But so is any collision of realms as different as religion and politics.

The Rev. Robertson, 77, has seen in his public life the ascendancy of the ChristianRight as a powerful political force. It embraced Ronald Reagan and flourished under his administration, vociferously condemned the moral failures of Bill Clinton, and helped elect George W. Bush, a professed fundamentalist Christian, in 2000. But this presidential campaign cycle has muddied the waters.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is a Baptist minister, yet the Christian Right has failed to embrace him, probably because of his poor showing in the polls. The religious right may also be struggling with its response to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. His Mormon faith includes moral values similar to those of Christians, but the religion itself cannot be theologically reconciled with Christianity.

Fundamentalists would deny they believe their God is a Republican. Instead, they describe themselves as “values voters,” by which they seem to mean that they value politicians pledging to work on their pet issues – against extending gay rights, for limiting the scope of legal abortion, and bringing Judeo-Christian moral principles back into public schools and courts. Of course, politicians whose views conform to these stances tend to be Republican.

At its core, Christianity is about an individual’s relationship with God. It often means standing alone, or standing alone with a like-minded minority. It never involves moral compromise, at least in principle.

Politics, at its core, is about seeking to influence the Monopoly game that is our shared public life. To succeed, one must cajole, trade, buy and sell, accept donations and, yes, endorsements from those with contrary motives. Compromise is imperative. It is a messy business, where money – in the form of taxes and funding for government initiatives – is the main currency. And as Jesus said, one cannot serve both money and God.