Rudy and the Evangelicals

Maybe you've been wondering why Evangelicals have begun to warm up to Rudy Giuliani, despite the statements by people like Richard Land of the SBC and Jim Dobson, that they could never support someone so wrong on the great moral issues of our time -- abortion and gay marriage. Dan Gilgoff writes in the LA Times today -- "A New Crusade within the GOP" -- why this may be happening. Gilgoff notes that when reporters questioned Mitt Romney as he emerged from a time of questioning at the National Religious Broadcasters convention, he said that the leading question asked him had to do with how to deal with Islamic radicalism. Apparently, as Gilgoff points out, "terror values" are growing on "moral values" among White Evangelicals. Since there is no strong "moral values" candidate, it appears that "terror values" has the upper hand.

But why is this? Consider what Gilgoff reports:

Polls show that evangelicals support President Bush's "kill the terrorists over there so they don't kill us here" vision in greater numbers than other Americans. A survey by the Pew Research Center in December found that 63% of white evangelicals supported Bush's handling of the terrorist threat, while fewer than half of all Americans expressed similar support.

What explains that gap? "It's that evangelicals often look at the world in terms of good and evil because of their understanding of the Bible," said Joel Rosenberg, a Jew-turned-evangelical-Christian who writes novels dealing with terrorism. His books, including "The Last Jihad," have sold millions to a largely evangelical readership. "Because we understand that there's evil present in some foreign leaders," Rosenberg said, "we understand they are capable of committing acts that most people think are impossible."

Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, holds a similar opinion. "This is a fundamental clash of world views," Perkins said after he and other Christian-right activists met with McCain at the NRB convention. "More than any other segment of the American population, the evangelical movement understands that because they operate from a
biblically-centered worldview."

Ah yes, it's that good old biblical world view at work. And so these new Rudyites are seeing the world through a crusading prism. And so, Rudy is the knight in shining armor.

But Rosenberg, the evangelical novelist, is not so sure. "With [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad's nuclear weapons program, a lot of evangelicals are going to have to say, 'Look — we need somebody who can defend Judeo-Christian civilization,' " Rosenberg said. "If the election comes down to Giuliani against Hillary [Clinton], the evangelical base … will have to ask who they want sitting in the chair if we go to war with a nuclear Iran." For many evangelicals, that question could deem Giuliani not just the lesser of two evils but a national savior.

Ah, not just a crusading night -- but our national savior. I hear some priestly faith in this!