Catherine Guiles, a reporter for Medill Reports, spent part of the summer and fall traveling across the country to Christian college campuses to talk to students, professors and staff about issues of faith and politics. Her work, which was funded by a grant from the Lilly Foundation, included interviews with Goshen College students and faculty.   » Read more…

Today on the God’s Politics blog, an online project of Sojourners, Duane Shank posted an entry entitled, “What Would Yoder Do?”, about the famous Mennonite theologian and ethicist John Howard Yoder’s views on faith and politics.

Yoder, who died in 1997, graduated from Goshen College in 1947. He is best known for his book, “The Politics of Jesus.”

Here is a resource (PDF document) that Mennonite Church USA has distributed to congregations. It is a handout for distribution, put together by Rachel Nafziger Hartzler, Pastor of Pleasant Oaks Mennonite Church. It is based on this article, by Leo Hartshorn.

As the election nears, I find that I’ve become increasingly concerned with the focus on faith that has become quite evident. This is surprising to me, as I usually am fairly apathetic regarding most issues political and religious. However, this country’s intense focus on the religion, spirituality and faith of our candidates for and holders of political office is quite alarming.   » Read more…

Given the substantial and continued drops in the stock market these past days, I am more concerned than ever about the shameful situation that exists in our historically Christian nation. That is, I find the prevailing notion that healthcare is a market commodity and not a basic human right in the US an affront to my Catholic Christian beliefs, the core values of my ministry site, Goshen College, and the ethics of my nursing profession.   » Read more…

I frequently hear comment about how bitter and divisive American politics is, and to a degree it’s true: red state/blue state rhetoric can be pretty harsh. But the nasty language may be an example of what Sigmund Freud called “the narcissism of small differences” and serve to obscure just how minor are political differences in the United States compared to many other countries.   » Read more…

As my Saturday afternoon attention waxed and waned, I sat listening to a surrogate of one of the presidential candidates speak when my heart skipped a beat and my mind lurched forward to face the fact that I may bring children of my own into the world during the next president’s terms in office. For me, this is why this election matters so much.   » Read more…

I remember my first voting booth: a cardboard refrigerator box in the hallway of Oak Street Elementary school in Orrville, Ohio. In the 1972 election between Richard Nixon (R) and George McGovern (D), my sixth-grade class studied the electoral process, ran campaigns for the candidates, and cast our votes in our own polling station.   » Read more…

Tomorrow, Indiana residents will play a significant role in the Democratic presidential race. It has been a long time – at least 40 years – since voices in this great state in the country’s heartland have had such influence and were so valued.   » Read more…

I used to and at times feel apathetic about my country. I feel as though my little vote cannot make that much of a difference, but then I think of countries that don’t have democracy set up as conveniently as the United States and I reconsider my ability to impact my surroundings.   » Read more…

What is there about this election that is important to me and has me wanting to vote or be engaged? I’m tired of all the seedy politics going on in Washington – mainly with business interests being taken more seriously than human interests. Our system is NOT working. Capitalism is NOT working. Democracy isn’t happening. I’m scared about the direction things are going, and think we need a radical change.

How does my faith inform my political views, engagement and assessment of candidates? Growing up, I recall the intrigue of listening to Uncle Frank who talked “politics” when he came to visit. Our family did not get involved in the election of governmental leaders.   » Read more…