Bible as common ground
When Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders went to Liberty University in Virginia last month, he wasn’t looking for votes. The man who embraces the label “democratic socialist” knew he wasn’t likely to persuade many conservative Christians at Liberty to support his campaign. He was interested in laying out some common ground. In talking to students at one of the nation’s most conservative Christian colleges, Sanders, a secular Jew, began by citing the Bible. He quoted from the books of Amos and Matthew, and, as he often does, from Pope Francis. At one point he urged the crowd to put his words in the “context of the Bible, not me.”
He acknowledged that the audience probably didn’t share his support for abortion rights and gay marriage, and he didn’t press those issues. Instead he focused on economic injustice as the subject for fruitful conversation. Citing biblical principles of justice, he spoke about income inequality and youth unemployment. Citing family values, he spoke about paid medical leave. Sanders’s applause line was: “Money and wealth should serve the people. The people should not have to serve money and wealth.” The audience at Liberty indeed applauded, if mostly out of politeness. Doubtless many remained convinced that charities, not governments, are the vehicles for addressing economic inequalities.
At a moment when the political spotlight shines on those who say the most outrageous things, it is worth noting Sanders’s attempt to broaden the political conversation. Conventional wisdom says that the primary candidates need to rush to the margins and shore up the base. Sanders is unusual in his apparent willingness to say what he thinks to anybody who will listen.
