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| 65 4 The Politics of Decline Founded in 1695, Christ Church Episcopal in Philadelphia boasts a rich history. Home to patriots (including a signer of the Declaration of Independence , Francis Hopkinson) and loyalists (Hopkinson’s brother-in-law, the Reverend Jacob Duche, who was for a time the chaplain of the Continental Congress before emerging as a Tory) during the Revolution, a spiritual home to many of the Founding Fathers (George Washington worshiped there), the congregation has deep roots in the community and personifies the establishment of the Seven Sisters. It sits just a few blocks away from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, and a variety of federal buildings, including the district courthouse.1 As an Episcopal church and thus part of the Seven Sisters, Christ Church is a good example of the establishment the Mainline had become. Its location also serves as a reminder of how politics and law affected decline as well. Looking back, the decline of the Seven Sisters seems quite obvious. But to those who were in the midst of it, the gradual slide and rapid fall came and, in some ways, remains quite shocking. While decline changed the relationship of the old Mainline to American life and culture, it did not usher in the demise of any denominations or the creation of any new ones. Institutionally, the Sisters remained intact and congregations remained plentiful. But wider currents were afoot that would lead to a re-evaluation and a reconfiguration of the Mainline itself. Interestingly enough, these changes came not from the pulpit but from the realm of politics.2 A discussion of the connections between politics and religion is both necessary and necessarily complex. For all the talk about separation of church and state in the United States, American politicians spend a lot of time discussing religion, especially American Christianity. Since the Founding Fathers achieved religious liberty for all by not creating a national church, thereby unleashing religious consumerism, the nation has debated the role faith should play in the life of the country, including if religious voices should be pushed entirely from the public square.3 At the same time, political com- 66 | The Politics of Decline mentators talk of red states (Republican) and blue states (Democrats), and the supposed underlying political values that these terms then hold. The religious divide between these poles creates much confusion within American Christendom over how faith should (and does) impact politics and politicians . After all, despite labels, politics cuts across denominational lines. And ones’ denomination does not necessarily correlate to ones’ political position on a given issue. For examples, the United Methodist Church is the spiritual home to both former president George W. Bush (Republican) and the secretary of state Hillary R. Clinton (Democrat). Roman Catholic politicians, such as former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani (Republican) and the senior senator from Massachusetts John Kerry (Democrat), must contend with the ramifications of being pro-choice on the issue of abortion while also being members of a church that is just as staunchly pro-life. In short, denominationalism is no predictor of political affiliation. This political insight is another way to gauge the decline of the Seven Sisters, while at the same time problematizing Dean Kelley’s now classic Mainline decline thesis. How did the culture wars influence decline? What political alternatives emerged in the wake of Mainline decline? Is there a continued role for the Seven Sisters to play in postdecline America? These are important questions for a nation that talks of a wall of separation but whose politics is infused by Christian morality. Of Culture Wars and Walls Though Americans have, since the time of the Founders, lived with a wall of separation between church and state at least at the federal level, the doctrine has been somewhat nebulous in its application. In some respects, it is more an idea, a value that is cherished, than it is a reality. While the notion that in the United States there will be no state-sponsored church, the belief that religion , or specifically Christianity, has no place in the public square is a much more recent development. Indeed, the rise of secularization in this sense happened at the same time as the onset of decline within the Seven Sisters during the 1960s and 1970s. In that way, decline can be seen as part of the culture wars that emerged in the nation’s political life in the 1970s and 1980s. Despite some soul searching...

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