Public Faith position

I found this in a First Things magazine online. I always appreciate sincere positions of why someone wishes for a certain action to be taken. This one is promoting religious ethical engagement in politics, a position which I am often skeptical towards. Yet, I'm sympathetic to his rationales.

That time of year comes around once more, and John Grondelski, who teaches Christian ethics at Seton Hall University, says we should not take it lying down: “One hears endless calls for ‘tolerance’ and ‘civility.’ But those calls invariably ask Christians to be ‘tolerant’ and ‘civil’ about being gagged in public life. No one seems to ask, in the name of pluralism, that the atheist ‘tolerate’ the crèche. No, the civility is all on one side and the toleration is a sham—in which Christians are complicit so long as they play by the current misconceived rules. So, yes, Virginia (and Rhode Island and Jersey City and Pittsburgh and Scranton) . . . ’tis the season to fight injunctions. Christmas (or Hanukkah or Ramadan) is only truly worth celebrating when Christians (or Jews or Muslims) can proclaim—even on the public square—their unadulterated messages. That is what American religious freedom is about, not about holiday scenes that hide Jesus in his manger behind the jolly snowman Frosty and the red–nosed reindeer Rudolph.”