When I was in Divinity School, way back in the later years of the twentieth century, one of the courses I took was a seminar taught by the then Dean of Harvard Divinity School, Ron Thiemann. The seminar focused on religion in American public life, a subject that was at the center of much of Dean Thiemann’s own scholarship. I don’t remember that seminar very well (it’s been several decades, after all), but I do remember, in a general way, the rather heady class discussions about various aspects of the relationship between religion and community life.

If I remember correctly, Dean Thiemann’s scholarship on this issue tried to argue for a way to consider religious conviction in public life without that conviction: a) being dismissed as solely a private matter, or b) becoming a weapon to dominate everything in its path. In the bits and pieces I can recall about our readings and class discussions in light of what’s happening in this current moment, it feels like those of us who shared that seminar together were all so ridiculously naïve. There we were talking about how to engage with the variety of religious experiences of those living in the United States, inviting differing voices into the public square, not only to assist in learning more about those with different belief systems, but to gain a deeper appreciation for one’s own tradition. We discussed the possibility of something that was beyond tolerance and acceptance, casting a vision of welcome and curiosity regarding the variety of faith practices of those who call the United States home. While we all recognized that these visions would be challenging to make even remotely real, there was a sense of possibility, that the grand visions were, at least partially, achievable.

These many years later, I can’t help but feel a profound sadness regarding the reality in which we find ourselves. The American public, generally speaking, seems far from curious when it comes to the religious landscape of our communities. Instead, there’s suspicion and even hatred for those who are different and, for those who do not practice any religion at all, there can be a harmful cynicism directed at those who do.

It’s a strange thing to try to hold together the shrinking numbers of active members of religious communities (according to a Public Religion Research Institute study, only 16% of Americans consider religion to be the most important thing in their lives), including (and in some cases most dramatically) Christianity, while at the same time reckoning with judges, politicians, and policy makers who declare, in their decisions and votes, the guidance of Christian scriptures and the Christian God. This is especially troubling given that there is no agreement across Christian traditions regarding the authority of scripture or how the faithful should perceive the presence of the God they worship. Those who assert a Christian “worldview” are actually asserting only their particular view. There is no way to assert one single Christian worldview. It simply doesn’t exist. Christianity is a sort of umbrella term for a myriad of denominations, churches, communities, and groups that feel a belief in or affinity for Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. Those who go about asserting a “Christian” worldview appear, in my humble opinion, to have no knowledge of the lessons actually contained in the scriptures they declare holy.

For anyone to make such a strong claim regarding his/her/their clear knowledge of God’s wishes and desires demonstrates a remarkable lack of awareness of what it actually means for mere mortals to worship God. Among those who claim to be people of faith, there must exist some degree of humility, a crucial recognition that to worship God is to acknowledge that one is NOT God and therefore limited in how one understands God. Such humility is essential for everyone if we are ever to share community space and community institutions in a respectful, productive and peaceful way.

The recent declaration of the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court stating that embryos created through IVF should be considered children, is one troubling example of the efforts among some Christians to assert their own brand of Christianity on the community in general. The justice, Tom Parker, stated, “Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God.” Just this statement alone begs a whole host of significant questions when it comes to the intersection of religious convictions and American public life— how is “wrongfully” defined and to what extent does God allow for the destruction of human life in not “wrongful” ways? What is the wrath of God? What does it mean to call God holy? Doesn’t “holiness” of a divine being imply that one should not be going about making such definitive statements about what a “holy God” expects and demands from human beings?

I could go on, but you probably get the picture.

Scanning the religious and political landscape of these days, when there is so little interest in learning and talking, working together, seeking common ground or compromise, we are left with a decided mess. And, more than that, we are left with an environment clearly lacking in anything that can be characterized as holy or meaningful. We people of faith ought to aspire to something better, a place where our convictions can help lead us to understanding and growth, grace and blessing.