http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/formersena_3227.mp3
Former US Senator Jack Danforth was in Springfield Tuesday and made remarks at several events. KSMU's Missy Shelton caught up with him at Stone Chapel on the campus of Drury University and files his report.
More than 70 people sat in pews in Drury's Stone Chapel to hear former Senator Jack Danforth speak. Even though Danforth, an ordained Episcopal minister spoke from the pulpit, he focused on the need to separate religion from politics.
It's a topic he wrote about in his most recent book "Faith and Politics."
He blames the divisiveness in the country on 24-hour cable news channels that emphasize theatrics over substance and political parties no longer competing for the votes of moderates.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Danforth outlined what he calls marginal issues that draw attention away from big issues facing the country.
Danforth says another marginal issue is the effort to amend the constitution to stipulate that marriage is exclusively for heterosexuals. Despite a focus on so-called wedge issues in recent elections, Danforth says he sees a change taking place.
Danforth says he doesn't know if the intermingling of faith and politics has been a problem in Missouri. He says he's preferred to talk about the issue in more general terms. Asked what advice he has for politicians running for the Missouri General Assembly, he said they should state their respect for people who are different from them.