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How the "Moral Values" Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together
Viking
September 2006
On Sale: September 19, 2006
256 pages
ISBN: 0670037877
EAN: 9780670037872
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Political
A former U.S. senator and ordained Episcopal priest examines the controversial intersection of faith and politics in America
As a former three-term Republican U.S. senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, John C. Danforth has watched the changes in his party and the church with growing alarm. After penning two op-eds for The New York Times criticizing the right for its focus on wedge issuesβabortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, the Schiavo case, the public display of religionβthat drive people apart, he speaks out again to call for a change. βThe Republican Party has been taken over by something that itβs not,β Danforth says. βPeople do not want a sectarian political party, including a lot of people who are traditional Republicans.β In Faith and Politics, Danforth provides suggestions for moving toward a more secular Republican party that inspires trust in the people of the United States. Based on years of hard- won political experience and a life of religious service, he calls for Christians to look to the Bible and Christian teachings for ways in which they can practice their faith day to day and turn the countryβs focus to a common ground once more. As a respected former senator, special envoy for peace in Sudan, priest, as an author, Senator Danforth is uniquely qualified to call for the change we so desperately need. He writes openly about his political life and ambition, humbly about his achievements, and above all with clarity and reason that both Republicans and Democrats hear all too little of.
From the Back Cover
Advance Praise:
"John Danforth was a Republican senator and is an Episcopal priest, and he is deeply disturbed by his party's engagement with religion. He knows whereof he speaks in this meditation about the contested terrain where politics and religion intersect."
-George F. Will
"Heed the call of this certain trumpet! No one speaks with more clarity, honesty or sincerity than my old friend Jack Danforth. When things would get rough in the U.S. Senate, he was the guy we would send off to negotiate our way out of the tough problems with the troops on the other side of the aisle. Heed this thoughtful and provocative message. He always gave his very best. He again does so here."
-Alan Simpson, served as Senator from Wyoming 1979-1997
"With passion, clarity, and common sense, John Danforth has given us a great gift: a lucid, powerful book that is at once reflective and instructive. By candidly writing about his own unusual pilgrimage through what Roger Williams called 'the wilderness of the world and the garden of the church,' Danforth--priest and politician--sheds light on the complexities and ambiguities of religion and politics. Jesus once told his followers that 'in this world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer,' and, reading Danforth, one is heartened anew that if we all conduct ourselves with humility and a sense of history, we shall find fresh cause to be of good cheer as we face the storms of the present."
-Jon Meacham, managing editor of Newsweek and author of American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
"This stirring book--part political memoir, part sermon, part moral plea--reminds us again why the remarkable Jack Danforth has become one of the most respected voices in American political life. His thoughtfulness, deep wisdom, and simple decency radiate from every page, and leave one at the end with rare hope that through commitment, faith and politics can ultimately enrich, and not corrupt, one another."
-Harold Hongju Koh, Dean, Yale Law School
"Danforth's is a welcome voice of reason and moderation during a time of divisive and polarizing rhetoric. As priest and politician he ably sets forth the deeper truths of the Christian tradition with clarity and compassion and applies them to the issues of our time."
-Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Episcopal Church
About the Author
John C. Danforth is an ordained Episcopal priest, former three-term U.S. senator (R- MO), and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In 2001, President Bush appointed Danforth as special envoy for peace in Sudan, where he worked to broker a peace agreement that, in 2005, ultimately ended the twenty-year civil war.
 Media BuzzDaily Show with Jon Stewart - December 5, 2006
The O'Reilly Factor - October 27, 2006
Charlie Rose - October 5, 2006
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer - October 5, 2006
Meet the Press - September 24, 2006
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