All Politics Is Religious , livre ebook

Contents

Foreword
Preface: Preaching to the Choir
Acknowledgments
Introduction: How I Became an Advocate
Part I: How Religion and Policy Mix
1. Why We Hear So Much from One Side and So Little from the Other
2. Core Faith Values: Protecting the Widow, the Stranger, and the Orphan
3. Core Faith Values: Moral Agency
4. Core Faith Values: Church-State Separation

Part II: How to Speak about Religous Values
5. Messaging to the Base
6. Media Relations
7. Raising the Controversial Issues
8. Building and Using a Message Triangle
9. Building on the Triangle
10. Religion and Lobbying
Epilogue: More Than Tolerance
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Copyright
About the Author
Also Available



Praise for All Politics Is Religious: Speaking Faith to the Media, Policy Makers and Community
[For] all of us who care, from a faith perspective, about politics as the instrument for peace with justice. [Approaches] religion for the purpose God intended, to foster understanding and faithful pursuit of truth, rather than as an excuse to disagree with and demonize one s adversaries.
— Rev. Charles H. Straut, Jr., DMin , Consultant in Ministry, New York Conference, United Methodist Church
An acknowledgment of social reality and a clarion call for social action. Combines a rich religious perspective with practical suggestions for religious advocates who want to ‘repair the world.
— Rev. Dr. Richard Gilbert , president, Interfaith Impact of New York State; social justice coordinator, St. Lawrence Unitarian Universalist District; author, The Prophetic Imperative: Social Gospel in Theory and Practice and How Much Do We Deserve: An Inquiry in Distributive Justice
A distinctive, much-needed voice [in] the American debate on matters of politics and religion. Sharp insights, sanity and unfailing good humor.
— Rev. Tom Davis , author, Sacred Work: Planned Parenthood and Its Clergy Alliances ; chaplain emeritus, Skidmore College
This excellent, very readable book is a ‘must have for all people of faith, especially in this day of polarization…. It s like having your own personal media coach. I highly recommend it not only to spiritual and interfaith leaders, but to anyone involved in community activism who wants to make a difference.
— Kay Lindahl , co-founder, Women of Spirit and Faith; co-editor, Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power
With a wealth of personal stories from his experiences as a faith advocate, Rabbi Ross powerfully makes the case for an assertive, proactive yet civil faith advocacy (as opposed to a reactive one defined by the Religious Right) that is rooted in shared core values and effective messaging tactics.
— Rabbi David Saperstein , director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Provides insightful communications advice for anyone looking to break through the usual media noise and spark social change on some of the most important issues of our generation.
— Andrea Hagelgans , vice president, strategic communications and media relations, Camino Public Relations
With wit and passion, Rabbi Ross articulates his belief that all major political issues can be deconstructed to find a religious argument at their core. He then demonstrates how it is possible to move the political pendulum forward while encouraging civil discourse and steering clear of vilifying those whose views run in a diametrically opposite direction…. [This] guide book is for those who want to begin down the path of political activism without losing their religious conviction.
— Michael Zimmerman , executive director, The Clergy Letter Project
Religious voices are a critical component in the movement for equality and justice. Rabbi Ross is extremely qualified to provide insight about how to effectively engage the voices of the spiritual community in the movement for positive social change.
— Ross D. Levi , executive director, Empire State Pride Agenda
Clearly highlights the areas of social concern that often get lost in the barrage of words and rhetoric…. Give[s] new ways to talk about these controversial issues with civility and candor. A must-read for all persons of faith regardless of political perspective or religious ideology.
— Rev. Vincent Lachina , Northwest Chaplain, Planned Parenthood
Offers tangible tools to amplify messages of compassion, unity and collaboration. [Provides] practical media strategies for restoring the integrity of moral agency, effectively raising our voices of inclusion and hope in the cultural conversation.
— Kathe Schaaf , co-founder, Women of Spirit and Faith; co-editor, Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power

This Book Is for You If …
You are a person of faith—clergy, lay leader, or faith community member—believing that the United States must do better at living up to moral values like providing for the needs of children and families, addressing immigration with fairness, and making sure that women can get essential health care, including contraception and abortion care. You are concerned about the many challenges to religious fundamentals, such as church-state separation and gay rights, and you want public policies supporting care of the environment and basic human needs. You accept that people will disagree on these issues and believe that we must discuss those differences with candor and respect. You want to become more comfortable and effective when: Submitting a press release that promotes your congregation and faith Writing a letter to the editor that makes your point with dignity Preaching with conviction on controversial issues in a way that contributes to the harmony of the faith community Submitting an op-ed that expresses your ideas and stirs your readers to act Taking media interviews—for print, radio, and TV—with confidence Building trusting relationships with elected and appointed officials



How to Use This Book
All Politics Is Religious is a resource for clergy and people of faith. The first half of the book talks about faith. The second half shows readers how to express it. Religious ideas in debates on issues like immigration, the needs of children and families, church-state separation, and reproductive rights, including abortion, are illustrated throughout the book. It speaks about spirituality, theology, and social values and is a research, writing, and preaching resource.
The second half of the book provides the nuts and bolts. It presents new and tested ways to address the media, policy makers, community, and congregation. It describes steps to effective communication, including writing, interviewing, and preaching skills. It is a how-to to be kept handy for when you have a need—say, a press release to draft, a sermon on social issues to write, or a reporter s phone call to prepare for.






To my mother, Sara Mazon,
And to family members of blessed memory:
my father, Harry Ross,
my step-father, Meyer Mazon,
my grandparents, Nathan and Fanny Tuman, and Max and Frieda Ross,
and my great-uncle and aunt, Harry and Mae Greenspan



Foreword
I have appreciated Rabbi Dennis Ross from the first time I met him at a big pro-choice event in Albany. Here was a man who had signed up for the long haul, decided to take that extraordinary risk and responsibility of caring about justice for all. He recognizes the duty of people of faith to be advocates in legislative halls as well as the responsibility of elected officials to be sure that their actions are firmly rooted in the commonly shared values of the Constitution, and not primarily in the scriptural understanding of anyone s holy writ or the words purportedly from a higher power now emanating from the lips of a powerful leader of any religious group. Rabbi Ross s view is that you marshal the facts, find the spiritual grounding, and then turn that into the constitutional imperative to allow people to make their own moral choices on the most intimate matters in their lives.
As we ve learned from the run-up to many state and national elections, political leaders tend to conflate their religious and constitutional values. Politicians routinely claim fealty to the Constitution, but alas, it sometimes seems to be one from a planet other than Earth. On this netherworld, all things deemed constitutional also happen to fit perfectly into the candidate s religious worldview. This holds true not just for what Americans tend to view as hot button social issues—same-gender marriage, abortion, and prayer in public schools—but also issues that are less obviously religious. Ross is certainly justified in concluding in this work that sometimes the politics don t look religious at all … but sure enough, there s a religious theme at the core. The theme, though, is one too often rooted in what we Protestant Christians call proof texting, an ability to cite a special passage from our biblical canon to justify anything we want to prove (often in the vain hope that no one else will be able to cite an alternative passage that might support a different, even opposing view).
Rabbi Ross is also a man who believes in passionate exposition of his views. He has never been willing to allow the anti-choice advocates or the fear mongers against marriage equality to prevail from the sheer power of noise or slogans shouted from the rooftops. Passion is not, of course, the equivalent of nastiness or ridicule but it is a stance that claims a moral stature to be matched against the rhetoric of those who would—for our own good, they say—tell us how to live our lives from th