Joel Hunter: On Morality & Moralism
Absolutely great sermon here ("Wasting Wisdom") by Rev. Joel Hunter that I'm likely cross-posting to the other blog at some point, but with a bit more focused take. I've heard of Joel Hunter for longer than I've been inclined to listen to his sermons online. I know, I can be finicky.
First, some audio. Rev. Hunter is pretty close to speaking for me here with his view on the roles of morality and moralism. In particular, his views on the issue of abortion is most notable.
(If the flash player isn't showing up in the RSS feed, click the link for old-fashioned blog reading methodology)
Hunter has covered the intersection of faith & politics, most recently in his book "Right Wing, Wrong Bird." Naturally, that's an intersection that I travel myself, therefore the interest is mutual. Hunter most recently made news for his participation in the Sojourners Presidential Forum with Obama, Clinton, & Edwards. His question of Hillary Clinton is posted in the extension, but what surprised me was some of the conservative takes on his participation in the forum. Namely, Tim Graham of Newsbusters. Here's Graham's commentary in regard to Rev. Hunter, the Sojourners Forum, and Hunter's appearance on the Early Show I blogged about not long ago.
The other expert was so-called "conservative evangelical" Rev. Joel Hunter, a man eager enough to help the Democrats that he was selected by the people at the left-wing magazine Sojourners to ask Hillary Clinton a question at the CNN/Sojourners Democrat debate (clips of that event were sprinkled throughout the CBS story.) He asked Hillary Clinton a seemingly pro-life question that enabled her to proclaim that she's always been for abortion being very rare. Rev. Hunter’s also written a book titled Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why The Tactics of the Religious Right Won't Work with Most Conservative Christians. (Since that doesn’t sound like he can claim the label "conservative," it will be republished next year with the title A New Kind of Conservative. As in the Hillary-helping kind?)
Listen to Rev. Hunter explain his views on Morality versus Moralism in his sermon and I'll leave you to be the judge of who's more reasonable.
Rev. Hunter excerpt from the Sojourners Presidential Forum:
REVEREND JOEL C. HUNTER, NORTHLAND, A CHURCH DISTRIBUTED: Hi, Senator Clinton.Abortion continues to be one of the most hurtful and divisive facts of our nation. I come from the part of the faith community that is very strongly pro-life. I know you're pro-choice, but you have indicated that you would like to reduce the number of abortions.
Could you see yourself, with millions of voters in a pro-life camp, creating a common ground, with the goal ultimately in mind of reducing the decisions for abortion to zero?
CLINTON: Yes. Yes.
And that is what I have tried to both talk about and reach out about over the last many years, going back, really, at least 15 years, in talking about abortion being safe, legal, and rare. And, by rare, I mean rare.
And it's been a challenge, because the pro-life and the pro- choice communities have not really been willing to find much common ground. And I think that is a great failing on all of our parts, because, for me...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: ... there are many opportunities to assist young people to make responsible decisions.
There is a tremendous educational and public outreach that could be done through churches, through schools, through so much else. But I think it has to be done with an understanding of reaching people where they are today.
We have so many young people who are tremendously influenced by the media culture and by the celebrity culture,
and who have a very difficult time trying to sort out the right decisions to make.And I personally believe that the adult society has failed those people. I mean, I think that we have failed them in our churches, our schools, our government. And I certainly think the, you know, free market has failed. We have all failed.
We have left too many children to sort of fend for themselves morally. And, so, I think there is a great opportunity. But it would require sort of a -- a leaving at the sides the suspicion and the baggage that comes with people who have very strong, heartfelt feelings.
You know, when I first started thinking about this very difficult issue -- because it is. It's a moral issue. And it should not be in any way diminished as a moral issue, no matter which side you're on, because I have seen cases where I honestly believed that the -- the moral choice was very complicated and not so straightforward as to what a young woman, her family, her physician, her pastor should do.
And what concerns me is that there's been a -- a real reluctance for anyone to make a move toward the other side, for fear of being labeled as turning one's back on the moral dimensions of the issue from either direction.
So, I would invite you, and I would be willing to work with you, to see whether there couldn't be some common ground that one could find.