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Presbyterians have a long history of being active in government. According to the December 12, 2006 PC(USA) article New Congress brings with it religious firsts there are currently a total of 44 Presbyterian members in the United States Congress. Of these, 35 are serving in the House of Representatives and 9 are serving in the Senate. The break down in the House of Representatives is 21 Republicans to 14 Democrats (60% to 40%) and in the Senate the break down is 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats (78% to 22%). While the national PC(USA) church leadership may lean to the left, it appears that our Presbyterians Congress tends to be more conservative, and possibly more representative of the PC(USA) members. Our church leaders frequently contact our elected government officials and encourage them to vote one way or the other but they unfortunately are speaking for fewer and fewer people as the membership in the PC(USA) declines. Many of their recent opinions have been in direct conflict with what I believe we should do as a church and as a country. Whether you agree with what our church says or not, you too should contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel. You may also want to copy the PC(USA) Washington Office on your correspondence. They can be reached at:
Our nation is also blessed to have a Presbyterian serving the President and the country as Secretary of State. Dr. Condoleezza Rice is a life-long Presbyterian who confesses that her faith guides her in her work. Of course you will hear little about her from the PC (USA) presumably because she is a Republican, but she has been written about extensively. You may to read about her and her faith in an article published in the Presbyterian Layman or a similar article published in the Washington Times on 27 August 2002. In fact there are many sources of information on Dr. Rice with the exception of the mainstream PC(USA) publications.
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