E.J. Dionne-Georgetown professor, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, columnist for the Washington Post, political commentator on radio and TV, author, and a Catholic-will be the concluding speaker in a four-part lecture series on “The Common Good” at the Siena Center of Dominican University on Tuesday, April 15, beginning at 7:30 pm.
In his recent book, Souled Out, Dionne wrote, “I believe a serious embrace of Christianity inevitably leads one into politics.” The problem for Dionne is that when people bring up the subject of religion and politics, they frequently equate religion with evangelical Christianity. He not only argues that’s an inadequate description, but “the era of the religious right is over.” (p. 4)
What is replacing conservative Christianity as a force in politics is now a version of Christian social thought “reflected by Clinton, Barack Obama and other progressives,” which motivates concern for issues like the environment, poverty and war as well as values like individual responsibility.
What the Catholic Church brings to the table-and is one reason Dominican is sponsoring the series-is a centuries-old tradition of social teaching that has set out principles to clarify and inform the debate on specific issues.
Notre Dame professor Vincent Rougeau, for example, the second speaker in the series, listed the following five tenets as being relevant to issues raised in the current presidential campaign:
Dignity of the Human Person – Each human being is created in God’s image.
Person in Community – People become fully human only in community.
Common Good – Community is not just a collection of individual “goods.” Justice involves what is good for the whole as well as the parts.
Solidarity – To be fully human requires stepping out of oneself and identifying with the needs of others.
Preferential Option for the Poor – If it ever comes down to an either/or decision between the rich and the poor, the poor always win.
Rougeau wasn’t arguing that starting with the principles in Catholic social teaching always leads automatically to easy solutions. “When you are more in touch with these principles,” he said, “you ask the right questions even though the issues may be complicated.”
Dionne is on the same page as Rougeau. In Souled Out he writes, “At the heart of my argument is the view that religious faith, far from being inevitably on the side of the status quo, should on principle hold this world to higher standards.” (p. 2)
For those who understand Catholic social teaching as a series of specific laws on abortion, divorce, LGBT lifestyles or the role of women in society, Dionne offers what he thinks is the more profound starting point at the center of his church’s tradition.
He won’t, therefore, be presenting a specific political agenda but rather a place to stand from which politicians and those who vote for them can attempt to view government’s response to the complexities of this world from the perspective of what we believe about God and how God relates to people. He will present thoughts on where, for him, these principles inevitably lead.
According to Dominican’s promotional material, Dionne’s lecture will speak to both candidates and voters. He will, in effect, ask Hillary, John and Barack the question, which is also the theme of the lecture series, “The Common Good: Will We Ever Hear About it in a Campaign?”
In turn, Dionne will ask the voters, “How should people of faith make political decisions?” He, of course, intends to provide some useful answers to his own question for those attempting to integrate what they believe about God with how they think about the role of government in our society.
For tickets to Dionne’s lecture, which cost $10, or for more information, call 708/714-9105, send an e-mail to siena@dom.edu or go online at www.siena.dom.edu. The other two speakers in the series were Kristen Heyer, a professor of Christian ethics at Loyola Marymount University, and economist and theologian Fr. Albino Barrera, OP, who teaches at Providence College.
