Conscience as a Political Problem: Faith, Culture, and Christian Statesmanship by Carl A. Anderson
John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign overcame long-standing anti-Catholic prejudice by sharply separating his personal religious faith from his public responsibilities. This strategy, combined with strong Catholic voter support, proved politically successful and helped open the door for future Catholic candidates. It also contributed to the privatization of religion in public life, as many Catholic officeholders, following Kennedy’s example, embraced a form of self-secularization.
Drawing on the thought of John Henry Newman, Carl Anderson argues that by avoiding the question of how a properly formed Christian conscience—Catholic or Protestant—might guide public service, Kennedy’s example left unresolved how Catholic social teaching and moral reasoning could inform public life. This unresolved tension came into sharper focus as abortion emerged as a national political issue. With extensive documentation and a careful integration of biography, political context, and theological reflection, Anderson explains how abortion moved from a contested issue within both major political parties to a defining partisan divide—a transformation driven not only by politicians but also by the competing moral and political commitments of Catholics, mainline Protestants, and Evangelicals.
In his careful interpretation of Kennedy’s legacy, Anderson contends that efforts by some Catholic politicians to neutralize a distinctively Catholic moral influence in the nation’s abortion debate have weakened Catholic moral witness in public life and contributed to an increasingly destructive and divisive political culture. In response, he calls for a renewal of American politics through the recovery of a properly formed Christian conscience—exemplified by St. Thomas More—and a Christ-centered vision of the human person and the common good as articulated by the Second Vatican Council and St. John Paul II. Anderson’s historical narrative provides an important and timely contribution to the national conversation about the American future.
Forthcoming through CUA Press.
