2008 Election and Religion
As a politically-inclined pastor I find the intense interest in the relationship between religion and presidential politics extremely interesting. As we know, in recent years, it has been the GOP that has dominated the "values" talk, but this year Democrats have set out to capture the "moral high ground" and all three top tier candidates, especially Barack Obama, have emphasized their religious grounding.
At the same time, the GOP candidates have had a hard time gaining the hearing of the religious constituency. Rudy Giuliani has sought to deemphasize religion. McCain doesn't make much of his beliefs (keeping them largely private). Mitt Romney is, of course, a Mormon, which seems to be a problem for people left and right. Fred Thompson's religious inclinations seem unclear. The two most overtly religious candidates -- Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback -- have found it difficult to get any traction at all.
I'm one who believes that faith influences political decisions, but I do recognize that we may be entering dangerous territory, where religious professions become political tests. Integrity and intelligence are the core issues, not religious particulars.
This is an intriguing piece written by Thomas Raum of the Associated Press, which deals with this historic sea change in our political fortunes.
At the same time, the GOP candidates have had a hard time gaining the hearing of the religious constituency. Rudy Giuliani has sought to deemphasize religion. McCain doesn't make much of his beliefs (keeping them largely private). Mitt Romney is, of course, a Mormon, which seems to be a problem for people left and right. Fred Thompson's religious inclinations seem unclear. The two most overtly religious candidates -- Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback -- have found it difficult to get any traction at all.
I'm one who believes that faith influences political decisions, but I do recognize that we may be entering dangerous territory, where religious professions become political tests. Integrity and intelligence are the core issues, not religious particulars.
This is an intriguing piece written by Thomas Raum of the Associated Press, which deals with this historic sea change in our political fortunes.
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