When most people think of politicians and religious faith, it is often names on the political right that come to mind. They often use the overt religious language of the TheoCons, and proclaim their devotion to God loudly from the street corners. But when I think of politicians and faith, I think of many others whose language is much less religious, but whose actions are, to my eyes, much more profoundly faithful.

Teddy Kennedy was one such politician.

Kennedy was a firm believer in the separation of church and state, but just as firm a believer in the need for people of all faiths and no religious faith at all to share in the work of putting their most deeply held beliefs into action for the betterment of the nation. In a 1983 speech at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University (then Liberty Baptist College), Kennedy said this:

The real transgression [of mixing church and state] occurs when religion wants government to tell citizens how to live uniquely personal parts of their lives. The failure of Prohibition proves the futility of such an attempt when a majority or even a substantial minority happens to disagree. Some questions may be inherently individual ones, or people may be sharply divided about whether they are. In such cases, like Prohibition and abortion, the proper role of religion is to appeal to the conscience of the individual, not the coercive power of the state.

But there are other questions which are inherently public in nature, which we must decide together as a nation, and where religion and religious values can and should speak to our common conscience. The issue of nuclear war is a compelling example. It is a moral issue; it will be decided by government, not by each individual; and to give any effect to the moral values of their creed, people of faith must speak directly about public policy. The Catholic bishops and the Reverend Billy Graham have every right to stand for the nuclear freeze, and Dr. Falwell has every right to stand against it.

There must be standards for the exercise of such leadership, so that the obligations of belief will not be debased into an opportunity for mere political advantage. But to take a stand at all when a question is both properly public and truly moral is to stand in a long and honored tradition. Many of the great evangelists of the 1800s were in the forefront of the abolitionist movement. In our own time, the Reverend William Sloane Coffin challenged the morality of the war in Vietnam. Pope John XXIII renewed the Gospel’s call to social justice. And Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was the greatest prophet of this century, awakened our nation and its conscience to the evil of racial segregation.

Their words have blessed our world. And who now wishes they had been silent?

As I read through the various obituaries for Teddy Kennedy, and viewed the timeline of his career in the Senate on his Senate website, one of Jesus’ parables leaped to mind. Toward the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus challenges the leaders of Jerusalem and his own disciples to consider how their faith is active in their own actions. He presents a series of parables that subvert pious posturing, culminating in chapter 25 with a story about surprises at a royal court. All are gathered before the king for judgment, and to one group, the king offers this:

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

If you want to find a common thread for Teddy Kennedy’s Senate career, this might just be it. His first major speech was in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and he pushed for and won passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. He pushed for fair housing laws, Title IX and fair treatment of women in education, fair treatment of those who are disabled and ill — including the Ryan White Act — and workplace safety through the Occupational Safety and Health Act. He pushed for programs to support the poor, the needy, and those on the margins: Meals on Wheels, WIC, various legal aid programs, and many efforts on behalf of those who are disabled. He also spoke and acted vigorously against those who would use their power to exploit, divide, and oppress.

In short, for more than forty years Kennedy saw the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, and the needy, and through his work as a senator offered them the compassion and care he would offer to his own family.

Was he perfect? Hardly. But even with his flaws, he offered what he could for "the least" in our world, and our nation is better for it.

Requiscat in Pace, Senator Kennedy, rest in peace.