Archbishop Chaput on Christians in public life

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver spoke recently on "The Vocation of Christians in American Public Life," which is not surprising news except for the fact that this talk was at Houston Baptist University in Texas. In his introduction, the archbishop noted the fact that a Catholic bishop speaking at Baptist college in America's "Protestant heartland" might seem unusual but that he was welcomed more warmly there than he might have been at "a number of Catholic venues."

Starting off with a few "caveats" -- that he was speaking for himself and not the pope or U.S. bishops, that Catholics and Protestants have "different memories" of history, that as much as he loves his country, his faith is first and foremost -- he dove into the idea that "real Christian faith is always personal, but it's never private."

If you have some time, watch the YouTube clip of his talk. It's long, but you can fast forward past the first seven minutes to get right to the archbishop's address.