Democrats talk faith ahead of South Carolina and Super Tuesday voting
Weekend Plug-in 🔌
Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-In” features analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith. Got feedback or ideas for this column? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.
(ANALYSIS) Americans don’t consider Democratic presidential candidates to be particularly religious, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
But at the end of Tuesday night’s two-hour debate in Charleston, S.C., guess what?
Faith took center stage.
When CBS News co-moderator Gayle King asked each candidate to offer a personal motto, belief or favorite quote, at least three of the seven made specific religious references.
“Every day, I write a cross on my hand to remind myself to tell the truth and do what’s right, no matter what,” said Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmentalist who touts “creation care.” An Episcopalian, he previously has explained his motivation for the daily drawing of the Jerusalem cross.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren tied her motto directly to the New Testament, quoting from the King James Version: “It's Mathew 25, and that is, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these, the least of thy brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
“For me, this is about how we treat other people and how we lift them up,” added the Massachusetts senator, who was raised Methodist.
As reported by Religion News Service’s Jack Jenkins, Warren told a group of faith leaders Wednesday morning: “I will let you in on a little secret: If you think I do all right in the debates, it’s because Rev. Culpepper prays over me before I go out.” She was referring to the Rev. Miniard Culpepper, her pastor at Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Boston.
Back at the debate, Pete Buttigieg said that while he’d never impose his religion on anybody (like Steyer, he’s an Episcopalian), Scripture guides him.
“I seek to live by the teachings that say if you would be a leader, you must first be a servant,” said Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind. “And, of course, the teaching, not unique to the Christian tradition, but a big part of it, that holds that we are to treat others as we would be treated.”
Buttigieg, who is married to a man, faces a challenge in South Carolina’s Saturday primary: black Christians who may be wary of a gay candidate.
Former Vice President Joe Biden didn’t mention his Catholicism in response to King’s question. However, at a CNN town hall Wednesday night, he spoke emotionally about the “hope and purpose” his faith gives him.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar attends a United Church of Christ. The Minnesota senator “often brings up her faith when she’s discussing family struggles or conflict reduction,” The Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas notes.
The Associated Press’ Elana Schor reports that frontrunner Bernie Sanders, the potential first Jewish president, pitches black South Carolina voters on ideas and history, not faith. The Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein explains why Sanders is “a lightning rod for the Jewish community.”
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg was the final candidate on the stage a week before Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses in 14 states.
The billionaire businessman “is a more traditional Jew, and as a New York politician, where Jews are a key constituency, he has a long record of supporting Jewish causes,” Yonat Shimron of RNS points out.
One final bit of political news: Religion Unplugged’s own Clemente Lisi explores U.S. Catholics’ divide over President Donald Trump and church teachings.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. The Bible that oozed oil: Slate’s Ruth Graham sure knows how to tell a story. I won’t ruin it by seeking to explain it. I’ll just urge you to click the link — click the link, I said — and read it. And be sure to stick around until the end. (Also, hat tip to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for its crucial journalism on this story. Kudos to Graham for acknowledging it in her piece.)
2. A clash with theologically conservative roots: I hope The Tennessean knows what a jewel it has in religion writer Holly Meyer, who produces must-read content day after day, week after week. This story from Sunday’s front page — for which Meyer teamed with colleague Adam Tamburin — delves into the religious tension that has come with growth at some well-known Christian universities in Nashville.
3. Yes, Justin Bieber is a Christian. Why do so many people care?: I’ll be honest and acknowledge that I don’t really care about Bieber. I mean, as a Christian, I try to care about everybody. But I don’t pay any attention to Bieber specifically. Except when a talented Godbeat pro like The Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas produces an insightful religion story like this one, which I couldn’t resist reading.
Etc.: Remembering Roy Larson, legendary religion journalist and teacher, Bob Smietana, RNS … Could being Christian in the U.S. become risky? Freed American pastor Andrew Brunson thinks so, Holly Meyer, The Tennessean … Sip from the common cup? On Ash Wednesday, coronavirus and the flu have religious leaders tweaking rituals, Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post … San Antonio churches adapt to a cashless world with new digital tip jars, René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News … Christianity and crowdfunding: 31,000 Tennesseans forgo health insurance to share medical bills, Brett Kelman, The Tennessean … Solidarity over segregation: Faith-based coalitions organize across races, religions, Matthew J. Cressler and Adelle M. Banks, RNS … L’Arche founder Jean Vanier sexually abused at least six women, report finds, Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail … Tim Tebow, son of missionaries, to represent Philippines in WBC qualifiers, Anthony DiComo, mlb.com … Supreme Court will take up dispute between religious rights and anti-discrimination laws, Robert Barnes, Washington Post.
Inside The Godbeat: Behind The Bylines
Speaking of The Deseret News’ Kelsey Dallas (yes, this is the third time I’ve mentioned her in this column), she was honored this week with a Wilbur Award for faith-based reporting.
Among the other winners recognized by the Religion Communicators Council: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Peter Smith and the Los Angeles Times Jaweed Kaleem.
In other journalism awards news, the joint investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News into sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches is a finalist for the Scripps Howard Awards. (If you missed it, I recently interviewed the Chronicle’s Robert Downen, a key part of that project.)
Also of note: Religion Unplugged compiled its list of “Excellent Efforts in Religion Journalism in 2019.”
Charging Station: In Case You Missed It
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from Religion Unplugged.
• During Trump's visit to India: Activists detained, Hindu-Muslim riots turn deadly (by Avinash Giri)
• In 'Viral,' filmmaker tracks how anti-Semitism is infecting different societies (by Micah Danney)
• Making the impossible possible: Can Catholics now eat 'meat' during Lent? (by Clemente Lisi)
• The mother still campaigning for her daughter's rescue from Boko Haram (by Dr. Jenny Taylor)
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• The Muslim 'Amish' environmentalists of Indonesia (by Paul Marshall)
• Christian school accusing Maryland of religious discrimination continues legal battle (by Leif Le Mahieu)
The Final Plug
In journalism, there is such a thing as “burying the lede.”
I’m thinking that — just maybe — this Los Angeles Times story delays some crucial details:
A police pursuit involving a black Lincoln Navigator that authorities say was stolen from a church parking lot in unincorporated Pasadena on Wednesday evening ended in a crash on the southbound 110 Freeway early Thursday.
My question: Should readers really have to wait to learn that the vehicle (read: hearse) contained a casket with a body inside?
Just wondering.
Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for Religion Unplugged and editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 15 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.