Topeka to Tangier: The Impact of In His Steps on Public Administration

Abstract

Many have recognized the need to “recapture the soul” of public administration, but the development of a spiritually oriented praxis remains elusive, if not contentious. Drawing on the literary works of the Social Gospel period, this article describes a decision-making framework employing the axiom “What would Jesus do?,” based on the 1896 bestseller, In His Steps, by Charles M. Sheldon. Citizens of Tangier Island, Virginia, recently have used this practical faith-based framework to address severe environmental issues threatening their livelihoods and their future.

Keywords:

• spirituality
• social gospel
• progressivism
• environmental sustainability

Notes

1. Susan Drake (now Emmerich) describes her doctoral research on Tangier at http://www.creationcare.org/magazine/fall00.php.

2. In 1998, the Tangier Watermen's Stewardship for the Chesapeake (TaSC) was created to implement a “biblically-based sustainability plan” known as the Stewardship 2020 Vision. The components of this vision are: “biblically-based environmental stewardship principles, including care-taking, reconciliation, gratitude, love and obedience (to divine and civil laws).