Understanding differing political points of view

I admit that I don't go in for much of the political hubbub these days. About as close to overtly political commentary that I read would be the daily blogs put up by the folks over at First Things. Richard John Neuhaus and the folks at that fine publication do a nice job of thinking through the role of religion in the public square, often chiming in on various important moral implications of public policy.

This week, I've peeked in on some new territory for me. I stopped in at The Nation, one of the progressive movement's flagship publications, just to see what current events might look like from their point of view. (For those of you who might not be familiar with the landscape, you might think of this as the liberal counterpart to the conservative Weekly Standard. For something somewhere in the middle, try The Economist.)

I have to say that I found some great information about something that I've been wondering about in recent months. As a Christian who is serious about his faith (and serious about ways in which it might inform the various areas of my life, including the political), I have gaped in disbelief as various folks from the Democratic party have been trumpeting fears about America becoming a theocracy. Now, having read an informative, if brief, outline of the fears, I can at least understand the point of view of folks that are making these claims. Allow me to reserve a more detailed commentary on this essay for another blog article, but for now, suffice it to say that The Nation opens the door on a world that I scarcely recognize. Standing between such voices and those from the opposite end of the increasingly strange political spectrum, perhaps I might learn more about what concerns the souls of my fellow Americans.