Despite the remarkable religious and spiritual diversity of America, and the concurrent decline in religious affiliation and participation, the people of the US are still deeply attuned to rhetoric that springs from the Jewish and Christian traditions. Creatively employ Judeo-Christian imagery and brief references to Bible stories, poetry, proverbs, and parables that express cross-cultural values of compassion for the vulnerable, fair-play, respect for differences, social justice, and social inclusion (see appendix). You do not need to indicate the source of the phrase or quotation. In many cases, leaving out the source is best, to avoid alienating non-religious people: religious people will recognize the quote from scripture. Avoid making reference to passages that focus on doctrine, dogma, or details of belief.
- Use religious and spiritual rhetoric in a positive and emotionally authentic way. “Angry appeals… do little to win the hearts of voters, and in fact, there is little difference in how religious committed and uncommitted voters responded to angry religious messages… Interestingly, candidates who conveyed anger through religious rhetoric actually tended to be evaluated less favorably by the electorate as a whole as a campaign progressed.” (Religious Rhetoric and American Politics, Christopher Chapp, 2012, P 100.) Use religious rhetoric to inspire people to build a better America, to express a vision of the good society. Avoid using it to condemn personal or social sins.
- Liberally use spiritual adjectives, while being conservative about the use of religious nouns. “We gather with divine gratitude” is an alternative to “We thank God”. This evokes spiritual values in a way that feels gentler to the many Americans who are “burned-out” on organized religion.
- Occasionally employ imagery and short references to scriptures and traditions of other faiths, again focusing on passages that reflect universal values. Again, in many cases it may be best not to tell the source of the quotation. (See Appendix under “Scriptural References”.)
- Occasionally use “code” terms that speak positively to particular religious communities without insulting or denigrating any other traditions. Examples of evangelical Christian “code”: “have a heart for—hedge of protection —blessed and favored—name and claim—iron sharpens iron—wonder-working power”. Code terms inspire specific audiences without catching much attention from people outside those groups. Here's a LIST.
- Have simple answers when people ask you about your faith. Be honest about it, of course, but in the context of public life, avoid references to dogma and doctrine that might have the effect of alienating people needlessly. Some examples: “Do you believe in the Bible?” Answer: “I believe every word is worth reading.” “Do you believe every word of the Bible is true? Do you believe the Bible is without error?” Answer: “I believe that God, who inspired it, is without error.” “Do you believe in God?” Answer: “The Bible says God is love, and I try to put love into practice.” “Do you take Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” Answer: “Jesus asks me to follow his way of love and justice. I believe in that way, and I am committed to following it!”
- Know enough about the Bible to know what’s not in it. Here's a LIST. For example: Jesus said nothing at all about abortion or homosexuality. “Give a man a fish and he’ll be hungry tomorrow, teach a man to fish and he’ll never be hungry again” is not in the Bible. There is nothing in either the Hebrew or Christian scriptures that supports the idea of unregulated free-market capitalism: in fact, charging interest is forbidden according to the Hebrew Bible.