Is God in the House? A Response to Virginia Foxx’s “God is in the House”

Last updated on: November 1, 2016 at 5:36 pm by Megan Schmidt

Is God in the House? A Response to Virginia Foxx’s “God is in the House” 2016-11-01T17:36:43-04:00 Megan Schmidt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This post is part of a Patheos Book Club roundtable for “God Is in the House.“

Abraham Lincoln once described our prayers for the nation with the following words: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” This is a tough challenge to politicians, including those who pray. While they can sincerely pray “God bless America,” our faith demands that they also pray “God bless the whole earth.” We are called to follow God’s way, albeit fallibly, regardless of our political persuasion.

Virginia Foxx’s “God in the House” presents a tapestry of testimonies by present and former members of the House of Representatives. These testimonies reveal those moments when congressional representatives experienced their “better angels,” to quote Lincoln, and found God to the source of wisdom, courage, deliverance, and self-transcendence. For a moment, they – like us – experienced a wider perspective in which God become more than a word but a living reality.

These days, it appears that Congress doesn’t have a prayer. Partisanship has led to gridlock and representatives, even those who are persons of faith, seem to prefer ideology over the common good. Religious certainty has had a role in the inability to compromise to move issues forward for the well-being of our nation. As Jesus noted, saying “Lord, Lord,” without following God’s way is of little value.

Foxx’s book invites persons of all faiths, especially Christians, to go beyond political ideology to embrace larger perspectives on the planet, issues of justice, and the well-being of our nation’s most vulnerable people. If we are honest in our relationship with God, our prayers take us beyond ourselves and even our nation toward world loyalty. Our prayers remind us that we are finite and so are our positions and that God, as Lincoln said, and not us, is always right.

Faith makes a difference in our vision of reality and our conduct of life. While there is no established religion in the United States, nor should there be according to the Constitution, our religious values have a place in a pluralistic nation. Our religious values tell us that all people are children of God and deserve justice; that women and men are equal in God’s eyes; that the earth belongs to God and not us; and that how we treat the powerless, poor, and vulnerable reflects our relationship with God. In a pluralist society, our faith does not dictate the minutia of public policy, nor does it require us to be progressive or conservative. But, it does require us to follow God’s vision of Shalom, as expressed by the prophet Micah: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8) That is the fruitage of our relationship to God, regardless of our party affiliation. It is my prayer that we discover “God in the House” as we aim at a more perfect union with justice for all.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 29, 2016

The Adventurous Lectionary - Pentecost 25 - November 6, 2016

Next Post

November 3, 2016 Pause Awhile, So You Can Move Forward: Responding to Rob Fuquay’s “Take the Flag”

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews The Adventurous Lectionary Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz