 Long after the Republican “revolution” of 1994, a spiritual revolution was still churning in the lives of several leaders in Congress. The story of Sen. Sam Brownback—our 2000 Distinguished Christian Statesman—shows how faith can inspire the best ideals of public service.
Senator Sam Brownback is living proof that a cellular phone call can change your life. For Brownback, it happened back in August of 1995. At the time, Brownback was a rising star in the G.O.P. who was swept into office as part of the Contract with America. That’s when the call came.
“Up until that point I had been your typical ambitious politician,” he says. “I wanted to climb the ladder.... I was focused on me; I was ‘number one’ and everything else was secondary.” But then, he answered the phone and heard one of the most feared words in the English language: cancer.
His bout with cancer was, in his words, a “crushing” experience. But “through that crushing God stripped me of everything.” Suddenly, the rising political star’s focus changed from self-centered striving to Christ-centered living. And with priorities in place, Brownback’s political future would soon turn even brighter.
Just one year after he found out he had cancer, Brownback was elected to fill the remainder of Sen. Bob Dole’s term—completing a rapid rise from Kansas’ Secretary of Agriculture in just three years.
In the Senate, Brownback has made his mark as a “maverick lawmaker” who “focuses more on moral principles than political pragmatism,” says Congressional Quarterly. His work on four key committees has helped raise the bar for America’s interests overseas and family-friendly reforms at home. Brownback has also helped foster understanding of issues of faith on Capitol Hill, serving as co-chair with Sen. Joseph Lieberman for the Center for Jewish and Christian Values. Plus, he has made his mark on Hollywood by encouraging entertainment leaders to clean up their industry and even inspiring an episode of Touched By An Angel that was based on his work combating slavery in Sudan.
Clearly, this is not the same politically-driven man who was voted student body president at Kansas State University, earned his law degree from the University of Kansas, and quickly moved up Capitol Hill’s political ladder. An unexpected phone call changed all that and gave Brownback a fuller understanding of his calling to public service. “We’ve been given a pedestal to shine and touch souls,” Brownback says. “Every day we are touching people for good or for ill and that is our true mark.”
Sen. Brownback and his wife, Mary, have five children and reside in Topeka, Kansas.
Back to Disginguished Christian Statesman Award Page
|
