A former three-term U.S. Republican Senator from Missouri and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and an ordained Episcopal priest, John C. Danforth has watched the changes in today's politics with growing alarm. His op-ed pieces for The New York Times have criticized the Right for its focus on divisive wedge issues: abortion, stemcell research, gay marriage, the Schiavo case, the public display of religion. In his book, Faith and Politics—based on years of hard-won political experience and a life of religious service—Danforth advocates for a more secular vision of politics and calls for returning the country’s focus to a common ground for all its citizens.