2010 Essay Topic

The year 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of presidential nominee John F. Kennedy’s speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association about the relationship between his religion and his politics. On September 12, 1960, the Roman Catholic politician spoke to the group of Protestant ministers about his religion and the way it would – and would not – affect his decisions as president.

In his speech, Kennedy said, “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.”

He also said, “I would not look with favor upon a president working to subvert the First Amendment’s guarantees of religious liberty. Nor would our system of checks and balances permit him to do so – and neither do I look with favor upon those who would work to subvert Article VI of the Constitution by requiring a religious test – even by indirection – for it. If they disagree with that safeguard they should be out openly working to repeal it. I want a Chief Executive whose public acts are responsible to all groups and obligated to none – who can attend any ceremony, service or dinner his office may appropriately require of him – and whose fulfillment of his presidential oath is not limited or conditioned by any religious oath, ritual or obligation.”

In an essay, discuss whether you think Kennedy was correct in advocating an absolute separation of church and state. Also, discuss the implications of his speech and how the principles he laid out are – or are not – followed by politicians and other leaders 50 years later.

Some ways to approach this topic might include (but are not limited to):
•    How has the relationship between presidential politics and religion changed since 1960? How has it stayed the same?
•    What does this speech say about the political climate in 1960? Did Kennedy have to address the issue of church-state separation at that time? Why or why not?
•    How have other presidential candidates handled the issue of religion and politics and church-state separation since Kennedy’s speech?
•    Did Kennedy’s speech go too far?
•    Kennedy became our first – and only – Roman Catholic president. Do you think the United States will ever have another non-Protestant president? Do you think we will ever have a non-Christian president? Why or why not?
•    Did the kind of America called for in this speech come to pass?
•    How important should an individual’s faith be to his or her public life and public service?
•    Does the constitutional separation of church and state require a political leader to separate religion and politics?

In your response, please take into account the entirety of the speech and not just the excerpted sections listed above.

Click here to read the full text of the speech. Full text and audio of the speech are available online at the John F. Kennedy Library’s Web site.

National Public Radio has video of the address available to view online.

Download registration form and submission coordinator form by clicking here (for a 4-page pdf document).

Eligibility
Open to all high school students in the graduating classes of 2010 and 2011.

Scholarship Prizes Awarded
First Place – $1,000 and travel and lodging for two to Washington, D.C.*
Second Place – $500
Third Place – $100

Winners will be announced in summer 2010 and will be featured in the Baptist Joint Committee’s Report from the Capital newsletter.
* Trip includes reasonable travel and lodging expenses for the contest winner and accompanying parent or guardian to attend the BJC board meeting.

Length
800 (minimum) to 1,200 (maximum) words

Due Date
March 1, 2010 (postmarked)

Coordinator information
Students must have a submission coordinator that can review their essay. Coordinators must be a teacher or counselor at the applicant’s school or on staff at the applicant’s church and cannot be the student’s parent. The coordinator reviews the essay to ensure that it meets all the necessary requirements, is free of typographical and grammatical errors and appropriately addresses the topic. A submission coordinator may work with more than one student.

Requirements
1. Submitted essays should be in 12-point type, double-spaced and with 1-inch page margins. Essays must have a title, and they must be between 800-1,200 words.

2. Sources must be cited and credited in a bibliography, consistent with an accepted citation style.

3. Students should complete all fields on the registration form. To ensure fairness, no personal or identifying information should appear on the essay itself. Registration forms are available on the contest Web page, www.BJConline.org/contest.

4. All registration forms and the essay should be mailed with a postmark no later than March 1, 2010.

Baptist Joint Committee Essay Contest
200 Maryland Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002

Essays failing to meet any of the above requirements will not be judged.

Judging Criteria
Entries will be judged on the depth of their content, the mastery of the topic, and the skill with which they are written. Students should develop a point of view on the issue and demonstrate critical thinking, using appropriate examples, reasons and other evidence to support their position. Essays should be free of grammatical errors and should be clear, concise and well-organized. Judges reserve the right to reduce the number of awards if not enough deserving entries meet the requirements.

For more information, contact Cherilyn Crowe at 202-544-4226 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it