Notre Dame President Discusses Faith in American Politics

Reverend John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame University, spoke Thursday night at Emory’s about the role of faith in American politics.

The lecture, “Passionate Convictions & Respectful Conversations: Faith in a Pluralistic Democracy,” was sponsored by Emory’s Aquinas Center of Theology and Candler School of Theology. 

Jenkins said that faith should serve as a positive motivation for the nation’s political leaders, but not be used to legitimize divisive rhetoric.  He noted that the prominence of social issues such as gay marriage and abortion in today’s politics renders accomplishing this goal increasingly difficult.

“Our religious and moral issues have a sense of ultimacy,” he said.  “This intensifies the challenge of creating a more civil debate.” 

Jenkins counseled against a “relativist” approach to discussing religious and moral issues.   Proponents of this philosophy, he said, accept that their beliefs and the contradictory beliefs of others can simultaneously be true for the respective groups of believers. 

Relativism “solves the problem of religious and moral conflict by emptying (religion and morals) of their ultimacy,” cautioned Jenkins. 

Instead, Jenkins offered three suggestions for dealing with religious and moral conflict in politics. 

He suggested that no political party should be allowed to monopolize “religious convictions,” and added that all people of faith should display “humility” regarding their beliefs.  He also asserted people of faith should focus as much on how they conduct themselves in political exchanges as they do on the substance of such exchanges. 

“The way we engage is not a means to an end,” he said.  “The means are the end.” 

The audience, a mixture of area residents and community members, was largely receptive of Jenkins’s ideas. 

Sue Hughes, of Northlake, characterized Jenkins’s lecture as “simple but profound.” 

Jonathan Navas, a first year student at Emory’s Candler School of Theology, said that Jenkins successfully demonstrated the positive role faith can play in society.

“He showed that religious faith can better the world,” Navas said.  “We can’t just denounce someone for not believing what we believe.” 

The lecture was the “Second Annual Major Catholic Speaker” event sponsored by the Aquinas Center of Theology and Candler School of Theology.  Last year’s event featured Cardinal Walter Casper, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.