Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaks to local residents at The Sports Page bar & grill, Wednesday, July 20, 2011, in Indianola, Iowa.
(Charlie Neibergall - AP)
In response to a voter’s question Thursday about whom he admires, former Minnesota governor and GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said that Jesus is one of his “political heroes.”
From Jon Ward’s Huffington Post report of the campaign event:
Pawlenty first talked about his father -- “a big guy, a Polish guy, kinda joyful, strong” -- before listing others.
“I’ve got a lot of political heroes too,” he said. “I love Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus Christ.” He said that he and his wife Mary “are people of faith and believers.”
Calling Jesus a favorite philosopher (see: George W. Bush) or speaking about one’s Christian faith is not uncommon on the campaign trail. But calling Jesus a favorite political philosopher? On the religion beat, we call that news.
Here at On Faith, we hear daily from Christian activists whose faith motivates them in the public policy realm --and often their causes cancel one another out. From religious clergy for abortion rights to Catholic priests working to end abortion, it’s clear that when it comes to what Jesus would do in the public square, things are not so clear.
For Pawlenty, Jesus is a political hero, but how will that translate into governing?
YOUR TAKE: Is there a Christian way to address the deficit? To create jobs? What is Jesus’s legacy as a political figure?
More food for thought on faith in politics:
Mormon Mitt Romney not ‘Christian,’ says Fox News host
Damon Linker: A religious test all our political candidates should take
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