The significance of Christianity in the actions of Governor Walker and among the protesters continues to be a matter of debate. Diana Butler Bass’s interprets Governor Walker’s actions in light of a talk he gave to Christian businessmen in which he said his motto was “Trust and Obey.” Walker is the son of a Baptist pastor and member of a non-denominationl church. Bass argues that absent the rich moral reasoning traditions of mainstream Christianity, Walker has developed a highly individualistic theology. To use her words:

His spiritual universe is that of 20^th century fundamentalism, in its softer evangelical form, a vision that emphasizes “me and Jesus” and personal salvation.

From there, she jumps to a comparison of Walker’s position with that of President Bush whose certainty led the United States into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her complete remarks are here. My guess is, she did what I did. She googled Scott Walker and religion and found this.

I find this analysis unhelpful and misleading. Granted, I’m a relative newcomer to Wisconsin; I live in Madison, which is very different from other parts of the state, and I’ve relocated from South Carolina, where religion (Christianity) does play a prominent role in politics. Plus, I watch relatively little local TV, and get my news and politics (even local) from alternative sources. So, my perspective is quite limited. Still, I haven’t noticed the foregrounding of religious language or religious arguments, either from Walker or from his supporters.

I went back to earlier coverage of Walker’s campaign in Isthmus. In an early piece on him, there was barely a mention of religion. In fact, it seems to me that religion, Christianity, has been a bit player in the drama that is unfolding and that it entered only in the second or third act. For example, last week Dan Schultz wondered where the religious voices were.

I rather doubt that Walker’s refusal to negotiate has anything to do with his religious beliefs or religious certainty. If anything, I would suspect that his religious certainty is a product of his personal and political certainty, not the other way around as Bass would have it.

Updated. Here’s The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank on Walker’s rigidity.