The strains of Woody Guthrie’s “Christ for President” echoed through the sanctuary of D.C.’s Calvary Baptist Church Friday night, setting the tone for a powerful evening of words, worship and activism-- a "theological circus," as dubbed by ringleader Shane Claiborne who, along with co-author Chris Haw and a host of skilled musicians, made a stop there on their Jesus for President book tour.

Shane and Chris are upstarts even by the standards of upstart evangelicals. The media often focuses on Shane's most radical features: his dreadlocks, the "intentional" Christian community in Philadelphia where he lives, his vegetable oil-powered van.

Yet, the most radical aspect of Friday’s gathering was the vision laid out for a new way of political engagement. It is a vision based on the teachings of Jesus and the subversive ways in which the first Christian churches interacted with the Roman empire.

Shane and Chris are fine representatives for a growing generation of evangelicals who refuse to be typecast as conventional political actors. Trading in wedge issues for a focus on poverty, peace and the environment, they are basing their actions on spiritual teachings, not the directives of old-guard leaders or the Religious Right.

They long to see Christians place their faith in the front seat, the state in the back. They want a faith no longer co-opted and changed into some extreme form of nationalism. A political climate stripped of bitterness and partisan hostility (As Shane said Friday night, one thing he's learned from liberals and conservatives is that you can have all the right political answers and still be mean).

The pair also offered some of the most beautiful, stirring calls to non-violence I’ve ever heard. They spoke of soldiers and ordinary citizens, motivated by faith to reject the myth of redemptive violence and change their communities through love. Hearing their stories, I couldn't help but feel a sense of connection to peace activists of generations past.

Shane, Chris and their "theological circus" are modeling a faith marked by serious intellectual/theological engagement and practical acts of love. From what I saw and heard Friday night, there is much reason to hope that young evangelicals will continue to be guided by love and devotion, rather than by tired, unfeeling rallying cries.

Posted by adanielsen at 02:06 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Last week we chided the cable news networks for severely overplaying the story about James Dobson denouncing Barack Obama. To their credit, CNN ran a story on Sunday that better reflects the evolving state of evangelical politics and turns to new leaders instead of the weakening old guard. More like this, please:

Posted by Dan at 12:49 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

When a person has been in the spotlight as long as Dr. James Dobson, a narrative tends to emerge. In Dobson's case, news coverage and conventional wisdom have coalesced to depict him as a game-changer, able to overload the fax machines and email servers on Capitol Hill with a single nod to his supporters.

But how true is that conventional wisdom today?

On Wednesday, in response to the launch of www.JamesDobsonDoesn'tSpeakforMe.com, a website created by a group of Christians led by Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell following Dobson's attacks on Obama and his religious views, Dobson's Focus on the Family Action sent an email to supporters asking that if they "support Dr. Dobson and appreciate his strong stand for Christ" to "please send a respectful e-mail to the anti-Dobson Web site." The action alert was part of Focus on the Family Action's Citizenlink e-mail news service, which is distributed to about 100,000 subscribers. They even created a form to make it easier for supporters to quickly send emails supporting Dobson.

Yesterday, 24 hours after the alert was sent, Focus on the Family's CitizenLink could only boast that "nearly 900 family advocates" had emailed www.JamesDobsonDoesn'tSpeakforMe.com to voice their support for Dobson. In contrast, according to the www.JamesDobsonDoesn'tSpeakforMe.com website, 10,000 people have signed their statement saying Dobson doesn't represent their views. Meanwhile, in less than 24 hours, more than 5,000 people signed the Faithful America petition telling the cable news networks to cool it on their Dobson coverage.

Let the numbers speak for themselves. For all the media's portrayals of Dobson as a galvanizer of the masses, the disconnect seems clear.

It's time for some major reexamining of the entire landscape of faith and politics. Good thing we are finally beginning to see some of that, too.

Posted by adanielsen at 03:24 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (3)

The Center for American Progress released a new book, Debating the Divine
Religion in 21st Century American Democracy, arguing for some fresh approaches on religion in American public life.

David Hollinger, the Preston Hotchkis Professor of American History at the University of California, Berkeley, argues in his essay for a strong civic sphere in which democratic national solidarity and civic patriotism trump all religious loyalties. He asserts that religious ideas are too often given a pass and argues that they be critically scrutinized.

Eboo Patel, a scholar and activist who founded the Interfaith Youth Core, calls in his essay for the vigorous participation of religion in public life, founded on principles of religious pluralism. He argues that religious voices, in all their particularity, have a legitimate and important role to play in public debate. And he spells out ways in which interfaith collaboration is strengthening civic and political institutions.

Melissa Rogers examines how the tradition of religious freedom can help define the role of religion in current civic debates. Melissa Rogers serves as visiting professor of religion and public policy at Wake Forest University Divinity School. She previously served as the executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in Washington, D.C. Previous to her leadership at the Pew Forum, Rogers served as general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty based in Washington, D.C. In 2004, Rogers was recognized by National Journal as one of the church-state experts "politicians will call on when they get serious about addressing an important public policy issue."

The iconic public square where Americans of the past used to gather to debate the politics of the day is long gone from most cities and towns, but the spirited conversations that once defi ned these places—both in myth and fact—are alive and well today. The topics of our current political and cultural conversations range from the mundane to the profound, but a recurring theme has to do with religion and politics—in particular, whether religion should be a force shaping our public policies and our common civic life.

Of course, this is not a new conversation. Contrasting views about the role of religion in public life predate our nation’s birth—from the Massachusett s Bay Colony, where officials collected taxes to support the Puritan church and compelled att endance at its services, to the Founders who disestablished religion from the state and drafted the Constitution without mention of God.

In recent years, these conversations have been heating up. Invectives fly back and forth as opponents stake out mutually exclusive claims on behalf of truth, fairness, and the American way. Listening to each side, one is hard-pressed to tell whether we are a God-saturated, intolerant, anti-intellectual theocracy—or a severely secular nation that punishes the practice of religion and banishes God altogether from our laws, policies, and public life.

Debating the Divine: Religion in 21st Century American Democracy aims to turn down the heat and turn up the light. Because the issue of religion in public life is complex, encompassing theory, history, and practice, we purposely did not set up a narrowly-focused debate in which each side shot at the other, and the side with the fiercest arguments and most adherents won. Instead, we have chosen to examine the many facets of the issue in a thoughtful way, in hopes of finding new insights and, perhaps, common ground.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 01:33 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

The Fidel "Butch" Montoya, blogging at the Latino Evangelical, writes:

One of the biggest concerns about the news media covering religious news and issues of Evangelicals revolves around the central fact of who actually represents the point of view of this large diverse group.

The on-going controversy and questions as to whether the Religious Right is dead or is irrelevant to the issues of the 2008 Presidential election continues to generate more questions and interest in the mainstream news media.

This election year we have seen a resurgence of new voices raising concerns and wanting to be heard. Many members of the Evangelical sector of the Church have tired of being aligned with the voices of the Religious Right and in particular of Rev James Dobson.

In Colorado, a diverse and cross cultural interfaith group of religious leaders are tired of being misrepresented by Dobson and his cohorts at Focus in the Family and have formed “We Believe Colorado.” We Believe Colorado has committed to work together on issues of common interest and to represent faith groups not aligned with the dying breed of the Religious Right leadership.

A question continually bought up, “Is why does the cable and network news media think that Rev. James Dobson speaks for the majority of religious and value voters?” That is one question We Believe Colorado can answer. Dobson and company do not speak for the new voices of religious leaders fighting for justice and righteousness and who have no interest in taunting our faith as a wedge issue.

Read More Here.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 10:24 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

The Weather Channel's Forecast Earth talks with Evangelical leaders about the "greening" of God's people. This 8 min. clip features Dr. Joel C. Hunter, author of "A New Kind of Conservative" (Regal) and senior pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed and Richard Cizik, governmental affairs director of the National Association of Evangelicals.

The June 30 New Yorker has an article (not online) by Frances FitzGerald on "The New Evangelicals: A growing challenge to the religious right."

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 09:07 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

As we pointed out yesterday, James Dobson attacking Sen. Obama should really have not been treated as a major news story.

Nevertheless, wall-to-wall coverage persisted on the cables. We did not realize until today however, how bad it got.

According to a search of the Lexis-Nexis news database, Dr. Dobson was mentioned a total of 189 times on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News yesterday.

There was another religion story hot off the presses yesterday, too. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a groundbreaking survey of 35,000 Americans documenting the diversity and tolerance of people of faith and the growing consensus around issues like poverty and the environment.

How many mentions did the landmark Pew survey get on the cables? Just eight.

We decided to do something about this over at Faithful America because we don't believe James Dobson's opinion is worth more attention than the beliefs of the entire American population.

So we are sending a petition to the cables to let them know that there's a lot more to faith than James Dobson. It's really time they got the message.

Will you join us? You can here.

Posted by Katie at 06:38 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

Tomorrow we observe the UN’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. As we mark this occasion, we do so at a time when people of faith are courageously stepping forward and saying enough is enough. Just today, an impressive lineup of leaders from different faiths and political philosophies called on President Bush to ban torture. Learn about their effort at http://www.campaigntobantorture.org/.

When I think about torture, the word flesh comes to mind. There are obvious reasons for this connection: torture often involves the beating and bruising of human flesh.

But, I’d like to focus on another link between these words. A link that reminds us there is a moral dimension to torture.

Brennan Manning, author and former Franciscan priest, has identified a concept that should be central to our views. He once wrote we need to be “for others, all others…to the extent that no human flesh is a stranger to us…to the extent that for us there are no ‘others.’”

Torture’s victims are as varied as its methods. Some we would hesitate to even call victim. Yet, Manning’s words suggest that if we are to uphold the idea (central to all faiths) that every human being possesses some dignity, we will apply this concept to the innocent and guilty of society.

While there are obvious differences in the circumstances of those affected by torture, saying all humans have dignity means that we act like it even when it’s unpopular or goes against our natural impulses.

It is for this very reason that we can say torture is not a liberal issue or a conservative issue, not a political or military issue, not even a sacred or secular issue. It is much more basic than that. It is a human issue. Torture is an issue that cuts to the soul of a nation and exposes its moral center. Unfortunately, it seems that the soul of our nation and many others have all too often been laid bare, brutally exposed.

When we don’t see others as “others,” torture loses its power. When we stop seeing politics, spirituality and people’s lives through a haze of battle metaphors or the ever-popular us-vs.-them mentality, torture stops. We cannot decry the use of torture as the moral failings of another, we must take ownership as well.

We must see the flesh of the stranger as our own and work together until no human flesh is tortured. There are no “others,” we are all victims of torture.

Posted by adanielsen at 04:35 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Today on the radio, James Dobson accused Senator Obama of “distorting the Bible” in a two year old speech. As a result, as of this moment, there are 599 related stories on Google news and cable news stations have been running clips of Dobson's attacks multiple times per hour.

But isn't news supposed to be new? As in, previously unknown information?

James Dobson not being a fan of Obama is not news. As the Christian Broadcasting Network notes with an appropriate dash of sarcasm, "Now here's a news flash - James Dobson is not a Barack Obama supporter. He is not a Democrat. "

The media's repeated hyping of this story further implies that James Dobson somehow represents the views of the American evangelical population and that his attacks on Obama will have major consequences. While Dobson was repeatedly identified as a leader of the evangelical movement in news stories today, there was no mention of the fact that many evangelicals do not share his political views or feel that he represents them.

As the recent Evangelical Manifesto recognizes: “Evangelicals have no supreme leader or official spokesperson, so no one speaks for all Evangelicals, least of all those who claim to.” Moreover, the 2006 American Values Survey found that 44% of the Americans expressed that leaders such as Dobson did not represent their political views well or not at all.

Thankfully, the media has also lately noticed the emergence of a new generation of evangelicals interested in new leaders, discussing political issues from a different mindset and a broader agenda than that of old guard leaders like James Dobson.

But we didn't hear anything about this trend today. Today it was all old news.

Posted by Stephanie at 05:42 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Although a majority of Americans say religion is very important to them, nearly three-quarters of them say they believe that many faiths besides their own can lead to salvation, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The report, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, reveals a broad trend toward tolerance and an ability among many Americans to hold beliefs that might contradict the doctrines of their professed faiths.

For example, 70 percent of Americans affiliated with a religion or denomination said they agreed that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” including majorities among Protestants and Catholics. Among evangelical Christians, 57 percent agreed with the statement, and among Catholics, 79 percent did.

Among minority faiths, more than 80 percent of Jews, Hindus and Buddhists agreed with the statement, and more than half of Muslims did.

The findings seem to undercut the conventional wisdom that the more religiously committed people are, the more intolerant they are, scholars who reviewed the survey said.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 05:00 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

In case you're still not convinced, there's more evidence today that people of faith have enough in common to come together at the table of public discourse and embrace their shared values.

So say data released in part two of the Pew Forum's monumental Religious Landscape Survey. First impressions of the results are good...there is ample encouragement for Americans who would use their faith to build bridges, rather than torch them.

On the following key points, researchers found agreement among most Americans as well as most religious groups (and if not a majority among all groups, at least a significant plurality):

62% of Americans "favor the government doing more to help needy Americans, even if it means going deeper in debt."

61% "say tougher environmental laws are worth the cost."

59% "say good diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace."

62% "reject the notion that religion causes more problems in society than it solves" while 68% are frustrated with the way our political system operates.

String these numbers together and what do you get? Solid evidence that Americans are tired of the politics of division, see religion as a force for good and agree on enough of the day's issues to move forward for the common good.

The study doesn't gloss over points of division--faithful Americans still disagree on issues like abortion and homosexuality--but we can take away hope in the knowledge that Americans from all backgrounds are hungry for new solutions and common ground.

Political and religious leaders, take note: we won't be divided as easily as in the past. A message to this year's candidates: leave the wedge issue politics behind, because the voters already have.

For more on results of the Pew Forum study, check out these sources of early coverage:

USA Today

Washington Post

New York Times

Associated Press

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Last week, I spotlighted my pastor after he advocated for creation care in a newspaper article. I felt proud to be part of a faith community seeking to understand how its beliefs interact with all areas of life.

Today, I feel the same pride but to a much greater degree. I just finished reading Faith in Action, the Sierra Club’s first national report on how people of faith are confronting environmental issues with courage and grace. The report highlights the work of one group from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The simple fact that the Sierra Club, viewed as a "secular" group (the report states almost half of Sierra Club members attend church monthly), released the report is reflective of just how valuable the faith community is becoming in combating environmental problems. Multiple faiths are represented, each group has found a unique, and ultimately prophetic, way to live responsibly within their community.

Faith in Action displays a beautiful tapestry of activity, some endeavors tremendous in scope, others more routine. From conservation tips in the church bulletin to constructing a green building, opposing ANWR drilling to passing out reusable shopping bags, all point to care for the planet as an act of worship.

People of faith already pursuing environmental justice will be both encouraged and inspired by this report. It also has an underlying message for those who are reticent to move forward for fear of political entanglement: Creation care is an essential spiritual action that transcends our political boundaries. That point, vital for every faith, is best made in a discussion of how pastor Joel Hunter uses the Bible to motivate his church:

In doing so, he encourages his congregants to see that God cared about creation long before environmentalism became wrapped up in politics.

In his writings, Christian author and activist Shane Claiborne speaks of “ordinary radicals.” That seems a fitting designation for the groups in this report. Megachurch pastors and nuns, Eagle scouts and Jewish farm directors, they are everyday people who understand that their faith gives them a bigger vision for how we should treat our planet. Ordinary radicals furthering an ordinary (and crucial) revolution.

Posted by adanielsen at 09:19 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Here's that increasing meme. . .

Thanks to the AmericanNewsProject:

How solidly Republican will Christian evangelicals be in 2008? As the country enters the next phase in this historic election season, concern about the state of God's earth may be the issue that draws many believers into the Democratic camp.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 09:02 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

There's plenty of news out there about growing divisions among evangelicals over the science and the action required to address global warming. Although this video is a bit light on information, the young Christians here actually give a good sense of the debate and reveal some emerging generational, authority, and messaging issues.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 07:50 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Looking for a window into Congress' soul? Did that question just make you shudder? Understandable. Driving to work this morning, the fine folks at NPR alerted me to a website which could be a resource in checking the moral pulse of our public servants.

Capitol Words, from The Sunlight Foundation, pares down the Congressional Record into a single word said most frequently on a given day. For example, the LA Times reports that, this month, the word "energy" has been used most often during seven of the last 12 days Congress has been in session. The site hosts records dating back to the year 2000.

While, to some, Capitol Words might be just another way for political junkies to waste time, I like how they see their role. From the Times piece:

Gabriella Schneider, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based foundation, said the site used the "simple lens" of that one word to reflect "the mood of our country and what our priorities are.”

Doing a little unscientific research of my own (and by unscientific, I mean I sat down with a pen and paper and made tally marks), I looked to see how often a few words that matter to me appeared.

Since 2006, health was the most used word of the day an admirable 49 times. From there, it was housing---nine, community and wage---four, children and food---three, care---two and Darfur---one. There were a few other words I'd like to have seen. Poverty. Compassion. Genocide. Justice.

Now, of course, just because these words failed to make the cut doesn't mean Congress isn't talking about them. Similarly, just because health was used most frequently on 49 separate days doesn't account for its context.

But, if nothing else, Capitol Words is a great reminder to listen closely to our leaders because often what we talk about most is what we value most. Proud parents talk at length about their kids. Buy a new car? You’re likely to tell everyone at work the next day.

If words can express values, we need to make sure the words Congress uses express our values. Then, we need to take it past the Capitol Words step and make sure those words aren’t just lip service.

Posted by adanielsen at 01:09 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (2)

Here's three short clips of Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for "The News Hour With Jim Lehrer" on PBS, discusseing the politics of faith in America in a special "Inside Media" program at the Newseum.

Sen. Obama's faith

Here he discussion religion in public life in the context of the polygamy case in New Mexico.

On Creation Care

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 02:08 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

There was good news from my hometown of Columbia, Missouri this weekend: My church was well-represented in the public square by a friend crying out that God cares how we care for creation.

In “Environment of contention,” Columbia Tribune writer Annie Nelson approached the intersection of faith and the issue of climate change from the perspective of several evangelical leaders. I was proud that my pastor was one of them:

Pastor Kevin Larson of Karis Community Church, an interdenominational congregation with Baptist ties, said global warming is absolutely a Christian issue because of God’s cultural mandate to be good stewards of creation. Larson said evangelicals accept that murder is a sin but have a hard time thinking of pouring motor oil in a storm drain as something they need to repent. "I see both as sins," he said.

Later, he rebutted some Christians’ use of end-times theology to excuse a lack of environmental concern:

"Since God is going to restore all things, we should work with him and not against him by destroying everything," Larson said.

What’s most gratifying is knowing Kevin and knowing he really believes this. His words aren’t for publicity or attention. I know it because, as a church, we’re humbly struggling together to live these words out. We realize this is uncharted territory for our faith tradition and we’re doing our best, knowing we’ll make mistakes.

This year, we’ve been besieged by stories about the Wrights and Hagees and Parsleys (oh my!) of the faith world. Amid this noise, it's almost surprising to find a story with a pastor making reasoned, articulate statements about
a controversial topic -- but it shouldn't be.

We can't let people get away with using this election cycle as justification to divorce faith from social engagement. There are pastors and faith leaders who make their stand based on strong beliefs, rather than the shifting winds of public opinion or the directives of faith bosses from the fundamentalist fringe. We need to hear more about them. That my pastor gave me the chance to make that argument is reason enough to be proud.

Posted by adanielsen at 02:10 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Last Thursday, We Believe Colorado put on the most inspiring display of interfaith and racial unity I have ever seen. The group's introductory meeting brought together Jews and Christians and Muslims, African Americans and whites and Latinos and Arabs. Rev. Andrew Simpson of the AME shouted in agreement as Rabbi Brian Field asked whether America today would welcome Ruth as the Israelites did. Rev. Butch Montoya offered an impassioned amen to Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni's proclamation that liberal and conservative politicians alike need leadership from the faith community. Rev. Janet Forbes inspired spirited applause from all when she admonished young evangelicals to engage in politics.

They weren't there just to join hands and declare unity. We Believe Colorado's coalition members are taking action on common good issues that affect people across their state and the country. Terri McMaster described Lutheran Advocacy Ministry's work to ensure that the state budget meets the needs of the poor. Imam Rahim Ali educated activists about Project Redemption -- his campaign to reform the state's criminal justice system. Peter Sawtell of Eco-Justice Ministries taught clergy to engage their congregations in environmental activism. The energy and expertise on hand were palpable.

On a note that was especially encouraging, the leaders on the stage and the activists in the audience interrupted FPL organizing director Ron Stief with warm applause several times as he spoke of the growing role people of faith are playing in state politics. He prayed that religious leaders across the country would take action for the common good in the public square, and thanks to the committed leaders of We Believe Colorado, We Believe Ohio and emerging state-level faith coalitions across the country, his prayers are being answered.

Posted by Dan at 04:08 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

In this video with Sally Quinn, Tim Russert discusses his childhood, faith, the Catholic Church, religion mixing with politics, and a life of service.

And over at On Faith, Timothy Shriver writes:

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “You have never met a mere mortal.” Those words came to me as soon as I heard of the sudden and heartbreaking death of Tim Russert. He was no mere mortal.

The last time I saw Tim Russert was just 10 days ago. He came up to me as I was talking to his sparkling wife, Maureen Orth, about the school in Colombia that bears her name and is the focus of her passion. Tim asked me about my uncle Ted, who’s fighting cancer. He told me that he’d written to Ted to express his support. “I wrote him,” he said, “and told him that I was praying for him with my wood bead rosary. I told him that nothing beats praying with the wood bead rosary.”

I’m not sure why, but on that particular day, I had my own wood bead rosary in my pocket, a rosary I’d bought in Nazareth last Christmas. As Tim spoke, my fingers were on the beads and I felt a rush of emotion and strength. I felt an immediate closeness to Tim and an immediate sense that my uncle was in God’s hands at that very moment. I could only smile.

I didn’t have any words. I simply pulled the rosary from my pocket, cupped it in my hands and showed it to Tim. He smiled. “You got it,” he said. And in the moment, I knew I did have “it.” And I knew he had “it” too.

Many things will be written about the greatness of this brilliant journalist in the days ahead, and many people knew him far better than I. But I hope amid all the political and journalistic wisdom, people will remember that Tim Russert was a man raised and steeped in faith—a faith that focused on service, a faith that is confident in God’s plan, and a faith dedicated to the love of peace and the work of justice.

Life was the race that was most important to Tim Russert and he won it by a landslide. It was no accident that he loved people, loved the pursuit of the common good we call politics, loved his family. After all, he loved God and prayed with a wood bead rosary.

Tim Russert was no mere mortal. May his wife Maureen and his son Luke be comforted in believing that the mother of God to whom he prayed was with him at the hour of his death. Amen.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 01:08 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

The poll reading gurus at FiveThirtyEight note a key demo shift. This lackluster appeal to the secular Americans, combined with David Brody's analysis of McCain's slow reach for faith voters seems like trouble.

According to Gallup, John McCain trails Barack Obama by 25 points among voters for whom religion is not "an important part of [their] daily life". McCain leads by 5 points among those who answer that question in the affirmative.

These sorts of numbers are generally described as a problem for the Democratic candidate. However, as Ruy Teixeira pointed out four years ago, if you had to pick a sign of this divide to be on, it might be on the side of the secular. That is because by almost all indicators, religious participation in the United States is decreasing. According to a Pew poll, 45 percent of Americans now completely agree with the statement that "prayer is an important part of my daily life", down from a peak of 55 percent in 1999. (There does appear to have a bit of a "God Bounce"/mini-revival in the mid-late 1990s -- not so much in the number of religious Americans, but in the activity and enthusiasm of those that do practice).

Moreover, the younger generation is less religious than the older generation. 19 percent of those born after 1977 say they are atheist or agnostic, as compared with 11 percent of Boomers (born 1946-1964), and 5 perecnt of pre-Boomers (born before 1946).

Barack Obama, of course, does need to at least hold his own among actively religious voters, who constitute 65 percent of the electorate according to Gallup. He is able to do so thanks to substantial support from African-American and Latino voters, while trailing McCain by 25 points among actively religious, non-Hispanic whites. Nevertheless, if these generational trends hold, then each year a coalition based on actively religious voters will become marginally less successful.

Of course, the religious right will reconstitute some sort of mobilization, but clearly, the indicators place McCain in the middle of something like a Malthusian-scissor faith effect.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 07:23 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

David Brody and Tony Perkins talk about McCain's faith outreach difficulties and Obama's recent visit with evangelical leaders.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 07:21 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

On Hardball, David Kuo and Tony Perkins discuss the politics of evangelical options in 2008.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 07:09 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Rev. Otis Moss III: 2007 Proctor Institute Great Preachers Series.

I like that: I was colonized, but now I'm carrying the Lord.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 12:59 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

A couple of weeks ago:

The largest workplace raid in Iowa history Monday resulted in the arrest of more than 300 people and reignited the debate over immigration.

As two law enforcement helicopters hovered overhead, dozens of federal agents descended on Agriprocessors Inc., the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse.

The 300 people arrested represent almost one-third of the plant's 968 workers, and federal officials said the number of arrests could increase.

Fearing the return of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, hundreds of Christian immigrants wait at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville, Iowa for any word on their missing family members.

After watching this video, do you think that Sr. Mary is right to note the personal aspect of the immigration raid. She compares the ICE comment about the law with its personal impact. Is that a fair comparison for a follower of Jesus Christ to make?

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 09:32 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

When The New York Times runs an A1 story and the Washington Post runs an op-ed on the same day about your campaign's struggles with evangelical voters, it's fair to say that the conventional wisdom is solidifying. An understated aspect of this alleged problem is that it's with conservative evangelicals.

To believe the CW, McCain must be heading straight off a cliff, about to be dashed on the rocks of failure to mobilize “the base.” Not so fast: This particular McCain-is-in-trouble argument is based on his rocky relationships with the usual suspects: Dobson. Hagee. “Agents of Intolerance.” Excuse me while I promptly insert my fingers in my ears and sing loudly. Over at Spiritual Politics, Mark Silk pokes a few much-needed holes in current assumptions about McCain and evangelicals. He writes:

“McCain's real trouble is with evangelical political leaders--with the Religious Right, understood as an organized movement. Those guys don't like him for much the same reason they don't like all this ‘broadening the agenda’ stuff: He, like it, tends to dull the sharp end of the wedge in the culture wars.”

Silk adds that Mike Huckabee struggled to gain traction with the Religious Right for the same reasons. McCain isn’t us vs. them enough to satisfy the premier figures of the movement, he says.

It’s true that these leaders have a great deal of influence and following. Yet, a great number of evangelicals see Dobson and Hagee as leaders of a Bizarro evangelicalism they can’t abide. Evangelicals who believe Dobson, et al. don’t get to cast votes as proxy for an entire, diverse group of people will go a long way in deciding what problems McCain does or doesn’t have.

The final story on how the dynamics of this historic race affect evangelicals is unlikely to be written until after the votes are cast. Clinging to the tired meme that as the old guard leaders goes, so go the faithful, ignores the host of factors that make 2008 such a unique year for evangelical voters.

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Film-makers with Al-Jazeera follow an evangelical charismatic Christian preacher as he tours China and meet Guo Fenglian nicknamed the 'Iron lady'.

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 02:02 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

So that's why John McCain sought him out. La Aprobación de Dios.

Think Progress has the Scott McClellan deets on the Bush+Hagee relationship.

According to an interview on NPR's Fresh Air, McClellan says that Hagee had "sway" in the White House. I wonder if this is why. . .

Despite accusing Bush Sr. of collaboration with the Antichrist, Hagee delivered for George W. Bush in his 2000 book, God’s Candidate for America. In that book, Hagee was unequivocal that Jesus would vote for Bush. “If you are concerned about the sort of America your children and grandchildren will grow up within,” Hagee wrote, “then you need to cast your vote for George W. Bush and the Republican Party.”

And where was the IRS?

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 01:21 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

As we approach the general election campaign, looking back at the looong primary season suggests a great deal about what to expect between now and November. As the campaigns heated up in the fall, it didn't take long to see that, for better and for worse, religion would play a prominent role in the race. Since then it has been utilized, politicized and weaponized in ways that capture the better angels and base elements of our political culture, the shifting role of religious leaders in elections, and the broadening agenda associated with people of faith.

Lately we've been so steeped in pastoral perfidy that it's easy to forget about all the other faith and politics storylines of this primary season: religious prejudice hurting Romney and Obama; Catholic, Jewish and evangelical voters in play; the Religious Right edging toward disarray -- it's all been quite a drama. (Incidentally, that's almost a limerick.)

Over the summer and into the fall I'll be looking for most of these storylines to continue developing:

Jeremiah Wright will keep many a Swiftboat Veteran employed. The inefficacy of the Wright ads in North Carolina and Mississippi this spring won't stop 527 groups from trotting him out through the summer and fall.

Democratic religious outreach will rival the Republicans' 2004 efforts not only in scale but in sophistication (while differing in method).

McCain will figure out that there's more to courting white evangelicals than lining up a few big-name endorsers and saying "activist judges" over and over. Look for him to talk to them about compassion issues such as poverty and HIV/AIDS relief too.

When gay marriage turns out to be a flop as a wedge issue the religious right will embarass the hell out of itself with absurd spin the likes of which we've never seen.

Posted by Dan at 06:10 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) lists diverse faith groups that support aggressive legislation to mandate carbon reductions to stop global warming.

June 3, 2008

Posted by Alex Carpenter at 01:30 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Via TPM Election Central:

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