From: johnt@meaddata.com (John Townsend)
Subject: TANGENT (big time): Politics & Power
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 18:15:59 GMT

To say that this is even tangential to Christian music is perhaps pushing even
the infinite limits of calculus, but the following speech cheered me up so much
in this depressing election year that I just had to pass it along.  I heard
Cal Thomas mention it in his radio commentary yesterday, so I looked up the
transcript.  The speech was given by Secretary of State James Baker on Feb. 1,
1990 to about 3000 people at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington,
and they gave him a standing ovation.  Baker, like his close friend George Bush,
is an Episcopalian, and his wife (Susan) along with Tipper Gore (Al's wife)
founded the Parents' Music Resource Center, which seeks to have advisory labels
placed on obscene and violent albums (See!  Music does figure into this!).
After Baker gave this speech, our dear friends at the _Washington Post_ accused
him of having 1992 Presidential ambitions.  I wish.


    The following transcript appeared in _The Christian Science Monitor_
    on February 16, 1990 and is Copyright 1990 by The Christian Science
    Publishing Society.  The transcript was entitled, "Fellowship in the
    Halls of Power," and appears on page 16 of the "Home Forum" section.

---  Begin Transcript ---

   Frankly, when I was asked if I'd be willing to speak with you today, I was
hesitant. After nine years here in Washington in three different public-service
jobs, I am far more comfortable talking about the policy process, the political
process, or any number of other topics.  For me to discuss a personal journey of
faith is a new experience.

   But here I am and I want to talk with you briefly about faith, about
friendship and about our collective spiritual responsibilities as leaders. Those
of us who are put in positions of public trust should not be hesitant to speak
about spiritual values. Spiritual values are important in the pursuit of world
peace.

   President Eisenhower, 38 years ago, began with a few members of the Senate
and the House of Representatives to see if it was possible to pray together both
privately and in this kind of assembly. President Eisenhower had a strong
conviction that we need to build deeper and longer lasting relationships on a
basis other than just economic or political.

   I spoke a moment ago about a personal journey of faith: Those of you who know
me best certainly know that I do not feel like an expert on this subject. Like
many of you, I am just one person genuinely struggling to put faith into
practice in my life. But over these last nine years in Washington I have gained
some valuable insight into that process.

   Many believe that living in this city makes developing one's personal faith
more difficult. But for me, living in this centrifuge of power and politics has
encouraged (and even demanded) spiritual growth. Power, of course, can be
intoxicating and addictive. Over these last nine years, I have had
opportunities to participate in the exercise of more power than I would ever
have imagined. I have felt the weight of responsibility that that brings, and I
have also felt the temptations attendant to it. From this perspective, I have
seen the reality that people from every level and station in life desire
affirmation, recognition, and fulfillment. And some go to extraordinary lengths
to obtain these elusive goals. And I found early on that having a position of
power doesn't bring the fulfillment that many think it does.

   Of course, it does bring excitement, a sense of satisfaction when things go
well, disappointment when they don't, and invitations to some of the most
exclusive gatherings in the world. (For someone who likes to go to bed at 9:30
at night that is not necessarily a plus!) But it also brings a complicated
lifestyle with an exhausting schedule, innumerable headaches, and lots of
conflict.

   Most importantly, having a position of power does not bring inner security
and fulfillment. That comes only by developing a personal relationship with God,
which for me is personified by Jesus Christ. Inner security and real fulfillment
comes by faith - not by wielding power in the town where power is king.

   When I look back on my on journey of faith I can see that real growth began
when I started reading God's word as a young man.  Romans l0:l7 in the New
Testament, says "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The
Scriptures I read also teach me that my God loves and accepts me as I am.

   In 1986 I met with a group of diplomats gathered here for this National
 Prayer Breakfast.  One of them asked me what I felt was the most important
thing I'd learned since being in Washington. I told him it was the discovery
that temporal power is fleeting.

   I told him about an experience I had early one morning a few years ago, when
I was the White House Chief of Staff. As my driver turned the car into the
Northwest gate, I looked down Pennsylvania Avenue and noticed a man walking
alone.  He was someone many of you would have recognized - a Chief of Staff in a
previous Administration.  There he was alone - no reporters, no security, no
adoring public, no trappings of power - just one solitary man alone with his
thoughts.

   That mental picture continually serves to remind me of the impermanence of
power and place. That man had it all - but only for a time. That memory puts my
own life in perspective.  When I leave Washington, what will remain?  (One thing
I know for sure - the people who wouldn't return my telephone calls before I
went to Washington, won't return them after I leave.)

   The fleeting aspects of power cause us to understand the importance of
lasting personal relationships.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "God evidently does
not intend us all to be rich, or powerful, or great, but He intends us all to be
friends." The Scriptures, both Old and New, affirm this reality by speaking
about our relationships to God and to each other. The first and greatest
commandment is to "Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, all your strength and all your mind" and the second is to "Love others
as yourself." And we know too that Jesus said, "I do not call you servants, I
call you friends."

   These ancient thoughts on personal relationships - friendships - are often
not taken seriously enough in our modern, busy lives.  In all candor, I used to
think that if you were strong you didn't need anyone. Too often independence -
self reliance - are said to be the path to success. And to many, being
"successful," means never admitting that you have any hurts or problems.  The
truth is, we really do need one another if we are going to make it through this
life in both our private and public capacities.

   I remember a situation a few years ago where I was really struggling with a
specific problem.  No matter how much I tried, I couldn't figure it out - but I
found strength in being able to talk it over with my wife, Susan.  As we did, a
truth from the book of Proverbs finally crystallized our thinking.

   "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."
Susan helped me to see that I needed to stop trying to play God and really turn
the matter over to Him. Without this kind of partnership, I'm convinced I would
never have resolved the problem.

   For several years I have been meeting each week with a small group of men for
fellowship.  They are all pretty normal guys who just happen to hold positions
of power and influence in Washington.  Members of our group come from both of
our nation's political parties and from several religious traditions.

   None of us expresses himself in religious jargon - more typically our
language is pretty earthy.  But in our own way, we're pursuing our faith through
friendship.  We've grown to trust each other.  We talk pretty openly about our
problems - and I don't just mean items on the national agenda.  We support each
other in our efforts to live a life of faith in a very complex and challenging
environment.

   There are, of course, many times when all of us need something extra from our
faith and from our friendships. I remember my mother telling me how she used to
repeat the 91st Psalm every day when my Dad was a captain in the infantry in
Europe in World War I: "A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand
at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee...."

   My mother, who taught me so many of the values that give me strength today,
drew much comfort from those words - and in hearing her say them, so did I.

   I also remember how important friendships were during my first wife's
illness. How important, for instance, that friends were there with me at her
bedside during the last days. How important that friends were there for four
little boys who were heartbroken, scared, and confused. How important
friendships were to the task that Susan and I faced several years later of
putting two families together at a very difficult time in the lives of seven
children.

   Faith and friendship are very important in building a community of nations.
And as leaders, I think we share certain spiritual responsibilities.

   We are all struck by the changes taking place in the Soviet Union and Eastern
Europe. They are not all political or economic. In September of last year, I met
with Eduard Shevardnadze in Wyoming. We had very productive sessions and on the
last evening exchanged gifts. I gave him a pair of cowboy boots - in keeping
with the Western motif of Jackson Hole. But, I received from him a more profound
gift - an enamel picture of Jesus teaching the people. He said - only half
jokingly - "You see even we Communists are changing our world view."

   Could it be that a major meaning of the revolution going on in Eastern Europe
is the resurgence of faith?  Lech Walesa made a most interesting statement: "We
look to America ... and expect from you a spiritual richness to meet the
aspirations of the 20th century."

   As we hail the resurgence of faith and freedom around the world, in America
we must be mindful of our own responsibilities regarding faith.  The United
States, as a great political experiment was and continues to be a great
spiritual experiment as well.

---  End of speech  ---

Now, as a special bonus to all of you who actually read this whole speech, I
also looked up the article that Ernest Mueller summarized awhile back about
Mike Warnke and the IRS from the _Houston Chronicle_, so if you're particularly
interested in seeing the whole thing, let me know and I'll either mail it to
you or post it.  It's pretty interesting, but Ernest summarized it pretty well.

--
John Townsend                     Internet:   johnt@meaddata.com
Principal Software Engineer       UUCP:       ...!uunet!meaddata!johnt
Mead Data Central                 GEnie:      J.E.Townsend
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Newsgroups: rec.music.christian