As a former three-term Republican U.S. senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, John Danforth
has watched the changes in his party and the church with growing alarm. Now he wants to voice his concerns and
call for change.
Danforth speaks out clearly against the religious right’s conflation of their political agenda with a
religious agenda. He argues that no one should presume to embody God’s truth. He castigates the religious right
for their focus on wedge issues that drive people apart and that create “tests” for religious orthodoxy. In
fact, Danforth looks closely at many of the major wedge issues of our day: abortion, stem cell research, gay
marriage, the Schiavo case, and public displays of religion.
In Faith and Politics, Danforth provides a blueprint for moving forward that is based on years of hard-won
political experience and a life of religious service by calling for Christians to look to the Bible and
Christian teachings for ways in which they can practice their faith day to day so as to inspire a trust and
focus on common ground, not fringe issues.
As a respected former senator, ambassador to Sudan, priest, and especially here as an author who writes
openly about political life, and ambition, humbly about his achievements, and above all with clarity and reason
that both Republicans and Democrats hear all too little of, Senator Danforth is uniquely qualified to call for
the change we so desperately need.
About the Author
John Danforth is an ordained Episcopal priest and former U.S. senator (R-MO). In 2001, President Bush
appointed Danforth as special envoy to Sudan, where he worked to broker a peace agreement that ultimately ended
the twenty-year north/south civil war in 2005.
