Chuck Blanchard, that guy in the pew, has put up some thoughts occasioned by an interview with Barak Obama about his religious faith and how it effects his political actions.

Chuck writes about his own experiences as a way of starting the conversation:

“When I was in public life, both as an elected official and as a political appointee, I gave a great deal of though to the faith implications of a political career. There is the danger that a political job can become an Idol. I don’t mean that politics can cause a narcissistic focus on one’s career (although that certainly is a danger). Instead, I mean that there is the danger that a politician can believe that politics (not faith) is the path to salvation.

Yet, I also believed that God calls us to take action in this life and this world, and that a political life seemed an obvious way to meet the call.”

Chuck then talks about how one of the great theologians of the 20th century (Reinhold Neiburh) influenced his thinking – and how he’s noticing parallels between his thoughts and that of Obama’s.

Really great post that makes me think about where I would stand on the same sorts of questions should I ever find myself in such a place…

Read the rest here: Faith and Politics: Lessons from Reinhold Niebuhr

(Via A Guy in the Pew.)