U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Baptist, recently joined the presidential campaign for Mitt Romney, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The Anniston congressman was named last week as co-chair of the Massachusetts governor’s presidential exploratory campaign in Alabama.
A Baptist paired with a Mormon? An old adage says politics can indeed make for strange bedfellows, but Rogers explains it’s not necessarily the case. The reason he chose to join the Romney campaign was based more on political aspirations than religious concerns, he says.
“All I cared about was that he was a man of faith,” Rogers said from his office in Washington, D.C. “It didn’t matter what faith. That was pretty much the end of it as far as I was concerned.”
Most people and pastors alike appreciate the nature of politics, understanding that few choices come without compromise, says Cecil Sewell, pastor of First Baptist Church of Saks.
“I’m often amused by politicians who say one thing and do another,” he said. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and they’ve got to do whatever it takes to get ahead.”
Rogers says he began searching last fall to align himself with someone. The Republican congressman from Saks and the Massachusetts governor found they had numerous political views and principles in common — both are pro-life social conservatives who favor family values, lowering taxes and bolstering a strong national defense.Rogers says it was this shared ideology that played the largest role in his accepting the position as co-chair of Romney’s presidential exploratory campaign in Alabama.
“My overriding goal was to work for someone that I felt most comfortable with,” he said, “someone who shared my core beliefs and ideology that were important to me in leading this nation.”
When first asked about the pairing, Chris Gilmore wasn’t immediately familiar with Romney or his politics. But after a bit of Internet research, Gilmore, who was born into the Mormon Church before becoming a Southern Baptist as an adult, recognized their shared goals and gained a new admiration for Rogers.
“It lets me know that Rogers is not afraid to take on the status quo,” he said. “How many Southern Baptist politicians would have made this move? It’s a big political risk for Rogers to challenge boundaries like this, and I respect him for that.”
In the political realm, religion is not always the deciding factor some would prefer.
“I imagine his decision is based more on political concerns than on religious values,” Gilmore said. “Religion, the way things are today, doesn’t play the role it should with any public servants.”
Back in December, when Rogers first began to weigh the idea of joining Romney, he wasn’t sure how the issue of Romney’s Mormon faith would play out in the Bible Belt.
Rogers touched base with several leaders within the Southern Baptist communities — including Daniel Harper, pastor of Saks Baptist Church, which is Rogers’ home church and Al Jackson, pastor of Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn, which is the largest congregation in Rogers’ district, among others. None believed Romney’s Mormon background would be an issue.
“And to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised,” Rogers said. “What really matters is Gov. Romney’s stand on the issues.”
As a voter, Gilmore doesn’t envision any specific stumbling blocks between Romney and Rogers, despite their theological differences.
“The differences between the Southern Baptist Church and the Mormon Church are core differences,” he said. “I don’t see how those issues would come into play in a political venue. Socially their views are similar, and politically their viewpoints are similar. Two people with so much in common are bound to get along nicely.”
The LDS church is careful to stress a desire to remain politically neutral. Thus discussions about Romney and Rogers are met with caution.
The Church’s mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to elect politicians, according to a statement by LDS spokesperson Kim Farah.
“Will a Mormon presidential candidate be good or bad for the Church? We don’t know,” Farah said in a prepared statement. “It could lead to greater understanding of our faith. However, there are those who will use the opportunity to promote misconceptions and stereotypes.”
Wendell Jensen, bishop for the Anniston LDS Church, was a bit more forthcoming.
“To be honest, I don’t really think much about it,” he said. “Having politicians of different faiths working together isn’t too out of the ordinary. Both men are very well respected and should make a strong team.”
Perhaps such interfaith pairings could open the eyes of those standing on once-opposing sides of the pulpit.
“I think Baptists could work comfortably with anyone,” Sewell says. “As long as it’s with someone whose moral values and political values are close to ours, we can all get along.”
According to a recent story distributed by Newhouse News Service, this Congress will be one of the most religiously diverse groups in memory – 129 representatives and 25 senators are Roman Catholics; 59 representatives and seven senators are Baptists, the second largest segment.
But there are also a number of new entrants. Keith Ellison, a newly elected representative from Minnesota, converted from Catholicism to Islam when he was 19. Hank Johnson from Georgia and Mazie Hirono from Hawaii both are Buddhists.
For the first time in history, Jews outnumber Episcopalians with 30 representatives and 13 senators vs. 27 and 10 for the Episcopalians. And there are 15 members of Congress who are Mormon, including Harry Reid of Nevada, the new Democratic majority leader in the Senate.
When asked about the deeper meaning of the Rogers-Romney interfaith campaign and how it could help define a nation so often divided along religious lines, Rogers cited the election of John F. Kennedy as the nation’s first Roman Catholic president.
“It could be a big step for this country,” he said. “And I do believe that Gov. Romney will carry the nomination, will carry the South and will be the next president of the United States. The fact that he is Mormon should not matter.”
