James Talarico

We could have an incarnational politics.

Because like I said— What does that mean?

If you take seriously—and again, you don't have to be a Christian.

You don't even have to be part of an organized religion.

I do think that everyone is religious.

I think we all put our trust in something.

Sometimes it's, you were talking earlier about whether Donald Trump was religious.

And I think I disagreed with you because Donald Trump does put his trust in money and in power and in status.

And a lot of us do.

I said he wasn't pious.

You're kind of joking, but... I'm not joking.

I mean, that's exactly right.

So my point is, we all put our faith in something.

I choose to put my faith in love, which sometimes the evidence suggests is not going to work.

Sometimes love is defeated.

Sometimes love experiences setbacks, but the trust is that it will one day win.

And that's what my tradition is all about.

But my point is,

even if you're not formally religious, if you do believe that each person is sacred, that each person is holy, that each person bears the divine image, that should fundamentally change how we engage in politics, how we treat our neighbors, and how we treat our enemies.

To me, an incarnational politics would take seriously that idea that every person is God.