If I were required to compromise my faith and values in order to get elected, then public service wouldn't be worth it.
A few residents want to know where I stand on questions of faith because they say my answer will have a bearing on how they vote. I don't verbally broadcast my beliefs, but do my best to live out my faith through my actions and relationships with others. Since I've been asked to give an answer to my faith, I'm describing my background and beliefs below. Perhaps for some people, my answer will be a turn-off. Others might be more likely to vote for me based on my response. That said, I encourage you to focus on my actual positions on city topics because my municipal government decisions as mayor (and for that matter City Council) won't be based on what church I attend or how I pray.
But, since I was specifically requested to provide an answer, here are my beliefs; you can decide whether or not these beliefs influence who you'll vote for in November.
My spiritual beliefs
I believe in the Apostle's Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
My faith background
I grew up attending both Lutheran and Catholic churches, and in high school attended a non-denominational church and then a Baptist church in Louisiana. As a Coast Guard Academy cadet, I was active in Officer's Christian Fellowship and Baptist Campus Ministry, and the Academy chapel choir; on my Coast Guard cutters I served as the Protestant Lay Leader and led services at sea. I had planned to attend Capitol Bible Seminary in Washington, D.C. in order to become a chaplain in the Naval Chaplain Corps. But those plans changed after meeting my future wife in the singles' ministry at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, VA. After a year with the Coast Guard in Alaska, we settled in Cedar Falls and attended Walnut Ridge Baptist Church for many years. During that time, I served as the volunteer leader of the College & Career Ministry and as a leader in the Cubbies program for AWANA. My family attends Trinity Bible Church on Orchard and South Main, where we are active in the Pathfinders adult bible fellowship ministry and youth programs. Jocelyn is also an award-winning (dare I say famous) novelist in the Christian historical fiction genre, and has also written a number of non-fiction books -- including The Five Love Languages: Military Edition with Dr. Gary Chapman. Faith is very important to my family.
How does his impact my motivations for elected service?
If you've looked through my Facebook posts and public statements, you'll find that I don't talk a lot about spiritual things. I don't seek to push my beliefs on anyone else, but do my best to live my life in a way that honors Jesus Christ. And I fail sometimes...I'm a sinner. But core to my beliefs and actions -- why I joined the Coast Guard, why I serve on City Council, why I'm running for Mayor -- is the understanding that my God-given calling is to love others, to put their needs before my own, and to do my best to use my skills and talents for the betterment of my community. That drive -- that mission - is 100% due to my relationship with Jesus Christ, and his commandment to "love my neighbor." It doesn't mean agreeing with everyone (especially when I'm in a leadership position), but it DOES mean seeking to understand and empathize, and to respect the feelings, ideas, and beliefs of those I serve. And in seeing the dignity and value in every human being.
One specific question
I've been asked the question, "Do you agree with the science of evolution?" The answer is...it's complicated. There's a group of strict Creationists that believe the world is something like 8,000 years old. That's hard for me to believe. On the other hand, I don't believe that an organ as complex as an eyeball could come about from random chance....an intelligent and purposeful Creator was behind it. But my "I don't know for sure how old the Earth is" response isn't a stumbling block for my faith. These "I don't know for sure" responses have no bearing how I treat my family and neighbors, my charity to others, my desire to be a man of integrity...or my votes on City Council. In my roles as husband, father, employee and local elected official, I can still endeavor to make wise decisions without knowing everything.
Faith and environmentalism
An area where my faith perspective could have an impact on elected service is in the city's priorities for environmental stewardship. I believe that humans have an absolute responsibility to be wise stewards of the environment -- for the generations ahead of us and for the creatures that share our planet. Both in high school (I placed 1st in state in the Environmental Science competitions) and at the Coast Guard Academy (with its many marine & environmental science courses), I gained a strong appreciation for the complexity and fragility of Earth's biosystems. Looking locally, I believe strongly in "infill development" in Cedar Falls; we should place a premium on re-developing and repurposing existing commercial and residential properties for the city's long term health, rather than destroying greenfields just because we can. Sprawl isn't good stewardship. I support renewable energy, and a conversion of the city's vehicle fleet to electric as soon as is practical, to reduce our carbon footprint. I also support developing the city's capacity to return 'unwalkable' mowed property (like that surrounding The Falls Aquatic Center) to tallgrass prairie as a haven for pollinators and other fauna.
One last takeaway for you...
As you've read, I take my faith seriously. I also appreciate that a community is made up of people from all faiths, or no faith at all. But when it comes to city governance, potholes don't care whether you're a Christian, Buddhist, Democrat, Jew, Muslim, Republican, or Atheist. Just as you've seen from my City Council service already, I won't use my elected position to push a faith agenda. As I appoint board and commission members as Mayor, a candidate's religious views will be irrelevant to their qualification for service. As a military officer, I led men and women from all walks of life, and different faiths (or none at all). I did so without favoritism or special treatment to any one group, and will conduct myself the same way as Mayor. Because "love your neighbor" means just that -- and as Jesus taught, you don't get to single out the neighbors who are exactly like you. I take that mandate seriously too, and I hope (for those of you who know me personally) you've seen me live that out at work and in the community.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end, and I hope to earn your vote as Mayor of Cedar Falls on November 5th.