John Edwards: Faith is a “Private Matter”
Introduction
Today Faith and Action continues its series of in depth looks at the religious faiths of each of the presidential candidates. We now turn the spotlight on Former Senator John Edwards. Thus far, this series has examined Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. Each candidate is very different. Their backgrounds and life stories could not be more divergent. Each, however, believes they are the best person to lead America in 2008. And they have not been reticent about discussing their faiths to appeal to voters
This article is not intended to explore Edwards’ economic, social or foreign policies, except where they explicitly intersect with his personal religious faith. We did look at his legislative record, but only in light of what it tells us about his religious beliefs.
Early Life
John Edwards was born on June 10, 1953 to Wallace and Bobbie Edwards. They named their son Johnny Reid Edwards. Wallace worked in textile mills, eventually becoming a supervisor. His work often forced the young family to move between different towns in North Carolina.
Of her son, Bobbie said, “He was just an ordinary kid.” But young John soon showed signs of the determination which would later bring him legal and political success. Bobbie said, “I think he learned early on that if he was determined enough and worked hard enough, he could accomplish anything.”[i]
After graduating high school, John went first to Clemson University for one semester and then transferred to North Carolina State University. It took him just three years to earn a degree in textiles with honors. He chose this major because he thought it would guarantee him steady employment.[ii] Edwards, however, had dreamed of becoming a lawyer since childhood. At age 11, he wrote in a school essay, “Probably the most important reason I want to be a defense attorney is that I would like to protect innocent people from blind justice the best I can.”[iii] In 1974, he was accepted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
During his first year there, he met Elizabeth Anania. Despite their seeming differences - she was the daughter of a Navy pilot and grew up traveling the world - they married in 1977. They soon had two children, Wade and Cate.
Edwards was raised as a Southern Baptist. His father Wallace was a deacon who received his church’s Layman of the Year Award in 2007.[iv] John Edwards was baptized as a Southern Baptist at the age of 16.
He admits that when he started college, he began to “drift” away from his faith. He did not drastically deviate from his upbringing, though. His college roommate remembers Edwards as having a conservative lifestyle. He did not sport long hair or participate in demonstrations.[v] Edwards and his new wife Elizabeth began attending United Methodist Churches with some regularity. But, he says, he did not have a “dominant day-to-day living faith.”[vi]
Early Career
After graduating law school, Edwards clerked with a federal judge. He briefly worked for a law firm in Nashville, before returning to North Carolina to join Raleigh-based Tharrington, Smith and Hargrove. In 1993, he and his law school friend David Kirby started their own firm.
Edwards’ first major success came in 1984 when he won a verdict of $3.7 million for an alcoholic man who had suffered brain damage after a doctor prescribed an over dose of an anti-alcoholism medication.[vii] More victories followed and soon Edwards was regarded as the top plaintiff’s attorney in North Carolina. His rhetorical skills were legendary. His friend Wade Byrd said, “John then and now had almost a Clintonesque ability to understand a complex subject and break it down to very simple terms.”[viii] Over the course of his career, Edwards is estimated to have won around $175 million in jury verdicts.[ix] As is customary for lawyers, Edwards usually received one-third of the settlement money plus expenses.
Faith returns through tragedy
Tragedy struck the Edwards family in 1996 when their son Wade was killed in a car accident. He was 16 years old. Edwards says his faith “came roaring back” as a result of this terrible loss.
In 2004, Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer. Initially, her treatments were successful, but, in 2007, she announced it had returned and spread. Her cancer is incurable, but still treatable.
Edwards’ faith has sustained him through these difficult times:
In 1996, on a day I'll never forget, my 16-year-old son died. And the days after that, when I was trying to survive and Elizabeth's trying to survive, my faith came roaring back and has stayed with me since that time, and helped me deal with the personal challenges we've had. Not only the death of my son, but some of the politics and the difficulty of that on our family. Elizabeth's breast cancer. All the things that we've seen, which is not that unusual for families.[x]
There were more changes in the Edwards family after Wade’s death. Elizabeth Anania took the last name “Edwards” in her son’s honor. The couple also decided to have more children. A daughter named Emma Claire was born in 1998 when Elizabeth was 48, and a son named Jack followed two year later.
Edwards also decided to pursue his long cherished dream of a career in politics. In 1998, he successfully ran for the Senate. In 2004, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. He lost, but eventual nominee John Kerry selected him as his running mate. His selection was due in part to his appeal to traditional southerners. Edwards explained that while his faith is a “private matter…I have a connection with their values, and that includes faith. Do I think I can connect with those people? Of course, I do.”[xi]
After he and Kerry were defeated in the 2004 general election, Edwards said he wished he had been better able to communicate his religious beliefs to voters:
I wish we'd had better chances, better opportunities for me to talk about what my personal values are. How important my relationship with God is, how important my faith is in our day-to-day lives, the struggles my family's had in the past, plus what Elizabeth is facing now…voters have to believe that our values - my values and the values of other Democratic leaders - are the same values they believe in.[xii]
United Methodist
John and Elizabeth Edwards are members of Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. They recently moved from Raleigh to Chapel Hill and say they are now in the process of looking for a new church.[xiii] Their heavy campaign travel schedules, however, often include visiting Sunday services in states with early primaries. This will likely prevent them from finding a church home for the foreseeable future. During his time in the Senate, Edwards attended the more liberal Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Washington, DC.
The Methodist Church was founded by John Wesley in the mid 18th century.[xiv] From early on it was characterized by a strong emphasis on social justice as well as a disciplined personal holiness of life. Wesley’s original Methodist movement and preaching were fervently evangelistic, resulting in one of the fastest growing denominations in the world. It was especially effective in the United States where Methodist churches dotted the cities, countryside and even Indian territories by the mid 19th century.
By the early 20th century, however, many parts of the Methodist church were influenced by progressive politics and liberal theology. Edwards’ denomination, the United Methodist Church, was formed in 1968 by the mergers of several Methodist denominations. It is the second largest protestant denomination in America.[xv] Other famous members include President George W. Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton.
In recent years, the United Methodist Church has been divided over the issue of homosexuality. More than two hundred of its congregations are members of Reconciling Ministries, a group that promotes acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle in the United Methodist Church. Clergy are defying church leadership by performing same sex unions.
James Holsinger
While Edwards has not spoken publicly about the United Methodist Church’s struggles, he did recently denounce one of his church’s strongest opponents of homosexuality.
Earlier this year, Dr. James Holsinger, a professor of preventative medicine at the University of Kentucky, was appointed by President Bush to the position of Surgeon General. In 1991, Dr. Holsinger wrote a paper for a United Methodist Committee studying homosexuality. He suggested that human anatomy is intended for heterosexual intercourse. He also pointed out the health risks associated with homosexual activity.
During his time as president of the United Methodist Judicial Council, Dr. Holsinger supported a pastor who blocked a gay man from membership in his congregation. He also voted to expel a lesbian from membership in the clergy.[xvi]
Edwards joined the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in denouncing Holsinger’s nomination. He said in a statement:
President Bush has sought out a nominee who will divide America. Dr. James Holsinger's anti-gay writings and beliefs suggest that he will undermine, not advance, the cause of equality and fairness in health care.[xvii]
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