As we all know, the Democrats included more faith-oriented outreach at this convention than ever before. Dan blogged about the faith panels at the DNC and, of course, this convention started with the first-ever Interfaith Service to open the party's convention. According to the Democratic National Convention committee, this gathering featured a diverse array of leaders from the faith community.

And they are right -- it did. Muslims, black Pentecostals, Jews, and Catholics were represented. Both men and women made up the religious ranks on stage. Ideologically, the participants were diverse, especially when it came to stances on abortion.

Curiously, however, the interfaith gathering didn’t include a single white Protestant speaker. Also, as Sarah Pulliam at Christianity Today points out, there were a variety of readings, none of which came from the New Testament.

On the other hand, two white Protestant evangelical leaders -- Pastor Joel Hunter and Don Miller -- were asked to offer prayers from the podium (video of both in Katie's roundup of all the prayers offered below). And Cameron Strang, as well as David Gushee, plus Jim Wallis, participated in DNC-sponsored panels.

Before his benediction at the DNC, Don Miller said:

Democrats are doing “an exceptionally good job. This is a party who reached out to the evangelical community; we didn’t reach out to them, it’s worth noting. And so, you come when someone calls and says we want to have a conversation. There are people who say that the Democratic party is just using us and I think there are elements within this party, there are people who are, but there are many people who aren’t. And so finding common ground with people of faith within this party is tremendous."

If Don’s right, why wasn’t a white Protestant featured in the opening Interfaith Service? Or is that insignificant since white evangelicals were featured in other parts of the convention in a way that seemed unthinkable at past conventions? What do you think?

Posted by Kristin at 02:35 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

In case you missed the invocations and benedictions at the Democratic Convention this week -- which would have been easy to do given that the cables talked over or went to commercial during every single one (one more reason to stick to CSPAN) -- we've rounded them up for you below.

We'll do the same with the prayers next week at the GOP Convention. Will be interesting to observe how they differ -- both in who delivers them and what they say.

The choices that a political party makes in picking those who will offer the prayers at their convention reflect who it wants to reach out to the faith community. The Dems clearly went for racial and religious diversity -- these folks are white and black evangelical, white and Latino Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Asian American Methodist and reform Jewish leaders. (Their opening Interfaith Service also included Muslim representation.)

Pastor Joel Hunter, Senior Pastor of the 12,000-member Northland Church in Florida, who has been a real hero for the environment and was a questioner at the Compassion Forum, delivered last night's benediction:

Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, described by the Washington Post as the “quintessential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hil," delivered last night's invocation:

Donald Miller, popular speaker, writer, and best-selling author of his spiritual memoir Blue Like Jazz, delivered Monday night's benediction:

Sister Catherine Pinkerton, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph of Cleveland, lobbyist on Capitol Hill for national Catholic social justice organization NETWORK for more than twenty years, and FPL Board member, delivered Wednesday night's benediction:

We'll add video of the prayers from (click each name for the transcript of their prayers) Rev. Cynthia Hale, Revs. Jin Ho Kang and Yoougsook Kang, The Honorable Polly Baca, and Archbishop Demetrios as soon as we get it.

Posted by Katie at 11:40 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (2)

Christianity Today has a side-by-side comparison of the issue planks in the two major party platforms of interest to many Evangelical voters. Since the Compassion Issues are well-represented, plus a few of the more traditional "values" issues, we thought you'd like to check it out: Comparing the Platforms.

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

Just as Colorado is a presidential battleground state, it is critical ground in the movement for immigrants' rights. As the state's immigrant population continues to burgeon and ideologues spew invective against them, the faith community is standing up for the rights and dignity of all people, including newcomers to the country.

To this end, leaders of We Believe Colorado are taking part in today's We Are America march and rally for immigrants' rights in Denver. Early reports indicate that 1,500 people of all backgrounds joined the march. It included prayers and remarks from We Believe's interfaith leadership, and attracted significant community and media attention to their call for beloved community and the common good. Yet another example of faith groups across the country taking action on values issues. Doing so in the shadow of the convention is especially significant.

Posted by Dan at 12:52 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

Let me just state for the record that this discussion is unsuited for stenographic or quick liveblogging. Relaying the multilayered view of faith, politics and our moment in history needs digestion, reflection and conversation. I'll be on the hunt for video, but can't guarantee it'll turn up. I am a little more enlightened (or a little less unenlightened) than I was before this discussion started. We ranged from witch hunts to opinion research, from the religious right to Jeremiah Wright, and there wasn't an ounce of acrimony amongst the incisiveness. It was civil, illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable.

Posted by Dan at 06:14 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Marianne, Celinda and Jim point to the flagging energy of religious right politics, suggesting that we are at a critical moment at which extremism can be marginalized by a deeper political engagement.

Derrick says that resonant issues of inequality and poverty are now being talked about in more palpable terms than ever before, pushing the conversation forward so that "we become something that we were not the day before." He says it both resonates with and transcends the African-American community.

Marianne says Democrats (and possibly Republicans) "are loathe to look within their own houses." She senses that now there is a serious need for the Democrats to end the acrimony within the party in order to be spiritually healthy. [Civil dialogue is important within parties as well as between them.]

Ron to Celinda: "Is there such a thing as a values voter?"
Celinda -- "I don't think there's such a thing as a voter who isn't a values voter" at the presidential level. Issues matter less than values and character because voters don't know what issues a president will face. Voters' top values, according to opinion research: 1) freedom [wins across all demographics] 2) equality 3) justice, liberty, personal responsibility 4) morality. I really want her handout. Issues at top include healthcare, economic security, gay marriage was far far down the list. "Let's not assume that because the right has won the dialogue, that they have won the hearts and minds of voters."

Posted by Dan at 05:47 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

We're at the Sea Change Ideas Forum at Denver's Starz FilmCenter, and FPL organizing director Ron Stief is introducing a New Faith Voters dialogue with Jim Wallis, polling expert Celinda Lake, bestselling author and radio commentator Marianne Williamson, and Rev. Derrick Harkins. The small theatre has directors' chairs and soft, almost-sepia lighting and perfect acoustics. TV cameras mill around in the lobby following people I vaguely recognize as famous (also, Wyclef Jean). The Ideas Forum series, as its name indicates, is the place at the convention for dialogue that transcends the political.

First question goes to Jim Wallis -- "what is this ground that we are standing on with faith voters, compared to '04? Who are these new values voters?"

Jim: "At the Democratic convention, faith has become cool." He doesn't mean that in a braggy way; it's comedic. Seriously though, he says media looks at the shifting religious poverty through the lens of Democrats' faith outreach, but that the sea change within the faith community is what's really driving it. He talks of Ban Ki Moon's visit to the NAE's board last fall to discuss climate change and the Millenium Development Goals.

Likens the religious right to men standing in a river telling it to stop as the water flows right past them. Notes -- correctly -- that as these believers leave the religious right they are not becoming liberal, rather unaligned.

Marianne Williamson -- Notes that the spiritual community is having a deeper discussion about how humans relate to the earth, who constitutes the neighbor. Says that religious/spiritual people must play the conscience role. Religious life is about the transformation of the heart, and people who seek and undergo this have an important and unique role to play in politics. Says that the deeper faith community must lead in calling on the nation to repent its sins.

Derrick Harkins -- "the tradition from which I come has a holistic perspective" of what constitutes one's faith journey, including the historical role of slavery and enduring disparities. In reference to Trinity UCC, says calling to account is a central part of the prophetic tradition. "Faith must speak truth to power." The episode earned Barack Obama's campaign a sense of authenticity. This has resonated in the black community and the nation at large and shaped the moment we are in here in Denver, he says.

Celinda Lake -- Has data on religious voters. "The voters have been way ahead of the elite dialogue in either party for a long time." Notes that candidates now don't jump into policy, but rather start in with shared values first -- polls show that voters want it. Finding a comfortable mode of expression, along with growing cynicism about the religious right's use of religion, has created a unique moment. NOTE: Celinda will be emailing me the handout she is walking the panel through right now. Breaks down votes by numerous factors, such as church attendance, comfort with candidates' religious beliefs, and many more. I really want to see this handout. Notes that voters are evenly split between candidates on "shares my values," and that hot-button wedge issues are carrying less weight than in recent decades.

Posted by Dan at 05:13 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Christianity Today's politics blogger Sarah Pulliam caught up with Donald Miller, best-selling author of his spiritual memoir Blue Like Jazz (a read I recommend highly), before he gave Monday night's benediction at the Democratic National Convention.

In the first minute and a half of this clip from her interview, Miller gives one of the best articulations I have heard lately of why we should -- and must -- all be working together to find common ground on abortion. It's all about getting past rhetoric and getting to work on reduction.

Posted by Katie at 01:40 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

The Democratic party's first-ever faith caucus began this afternoon, with Jim Wallis moderating two panels -- one on the meaning of the common good, the other on faith-based initiatives and community partnerships.

The former included FPL board member Sue Thistlethwaite, Rev. Jennifer Kottler, Rabbi Jack Moline, Rev. John Hunter, former Congressman Tim Roehmer, and Rev. Wilfredo DeJesus. Each speaker touched on different aspects of the faith community's common good, common ground agenda. They tackled high-profile compassion issues such as immigration reform and abortion reduction (from both pro-choice and pro-life perspectives) but also spoke about economic justice, criminal justice reform and education from a faith perspective.

The second panel featured Rabbi David Saperstein, Rev. Otis Moss III and John DiIulio, and provided the most incisive commentary I've heard about the government's involvement in and funding of faith-based initiatives.

I found the diversity of ideas encouraging. Sue and Tim disagree with each other about abortion, but their different emphases and beliefs inspire similar goals. Some speakers, such as Tim and Obama campaign religious outreach chair Joshua Dubois, were overtly partisan, while others, such as John Hunter, focused more closely on particular issues but complimented Obama's stance on them, and still others such as Jim Wallis, David Saperstein and John DiIulio were assiduously nonpartisan.

The audience was as interesting as the panel. Five rows to my right was Congressman Bobby Scott, four rows behind me sat Tony Campolo, and Michael Lerner sat between me and the stage. At the end of the caucus, Joshua asked all clergy to stand, and no less than twenty rose from their seats. He then asked everyone who worked for religious nonprofits to rise and be recognized, and just as many stood. As interesting as the content of the gathering was, the auspicious crowd reflected that the fact of the event was far more significant.

Posted by Dan at 05:33 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

An expert panel moderated by Amy Sullivan just kicked off the week of discussions at The Big Tent. Just as the first event of the convention was a religious service, the first panel deals with faith and politics. Participants were FPL Director of Organizing Strategy Ron Stief, MoveOn alum and New Organizing Institute founder Zack Exley, Beliefnet's Steven Waldman, Catholics In Alliance For the Common Good executive director Alexia Kelley, and Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, and the discussion centered on the ferment in the religious community as people of faith embrace a broader, common good agenda and weight the appeal of both parties.

I'll be blogging about the full slate of religion and politics events in Denver this week. Stay tuned!

Posted by Dan at 11:14 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

This afternoon marked two beginnings: the kickoff event of the 08 Democratic National Convention, and the first time the convention launched with a religious service. I was one of 2,000 on hand as convention CEO Leah Daughtry introduced an interfaith worship including a diverse and inclusive spate of religious leaders and musicians: black and white and Latino, Jewish and Christian and Muslim and Buddhist, international and local.

It was passionate and prophetic. Worshipers rose to their feet as Richard Smallwood and his chorus shouted and sang with fervor and beauty that must be experienced to be understood. Party officials probably felt a measure of discomfort as nuns, bishops, rabbis and imams challenged the Democrats on issues ranging from abortion to poverty to health care to criminal justice. The speeches and sermons were surprisingly spare in their praise for the party, and I doubt that most people in the audience agreed with everything the speakers said. To me that was a mark of the event's integrity.

The 90-minute program drew international media, which underscored the significance of the event. I strained to keep from looking into the camera lens as a photojournalist took aim at me from 15 yards away during a choral performance of Oh Freedom, and TV camera crews followed faith leaders throughout the auditorium as the crowd dispersed. Reporters with voice recorders leaned forward as activists described their reactions to the service.

Later this week, delegations will wave signs and cheer, deals will be cut over cognac at steakhouses, balloons will drop, and speeches will echo through the rafters and energize delegates determined to win in November. I'm sure it'll be impressive in that conventional election-energized way. But today, just for a moment, it felt different. It felt like church.

Posted by Dan at 08:37 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off next week, religious leaders and faith-and-politics experts will put on educational event and panels on the role of religious voters in the election. FPL organizing director Ron Stief (accompanied by yours truly) will be on hand to contribute to the dialogue. RNC events aren't publicized yet, but we're on the lookout and will share word on them as soon as it's available.

On Monday the 25th at 9 am MST (11 eastern), Faith In Public Life, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Beliefnet are cosponsoring "The Shifting Faith Vote: What It Means for this Election," a panel discussion at The Big Tent assessing how the changing values debate among religious voters will impact the general electorate, the campaigns and the media, and explore how those who support this expanded debate are getting the message out broadly between now and the election. Amy Sullivan will moderate, and Ron, Alexia Kelley, Zack Exley, Paul Raushenbush and Michael Beckwith will share their experience and expertise on the topic.

Check back here Monday for liveblogging and youtube clips of the panel. And please comment on the proceedings!

More to come about another faith-and-politics discussion later in the week.

Posted by Dan at 04:17 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (3)

Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency powerfully demonstrated last night that religion is not the exclusive domain of any one political party or ideology and that the faith community has an important role to play in fostering civil political discourse in America.

During the primary, Faith in Public Life organized the Compassion Forum in Pennsylvania with Sens. Clinton and Obama (Sen. McCain was unable to attend), featuring questions from members of the Compassion Forum Board - a diverse coalition of faith leaders from across the ideological spectrum - to elevate compassion issues: poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate change, abortion reduction, genocide in Darfur, and torture.

Faith in Public Life asked Rick Warren to join our efforts with the Compassion Forum Board to elevate compassion issues in the election by hosting another Compassion Forum with the presumptive nominees of both parties leading into the general election. Based on our experience organizing the Compassion Forum, we were happy to consult and advise Saddleback in the initial stages of planning for the Saddleback Civil Forum, but this was Saddleback's event. While we certainly would have framed a number of the questions differently and focused more on compassion issues Rick has championed, we applaud him for providing a civil forum for discussion that moved beyond the gotcha-questions and partisan sniping of traditional debates.

We look forward to working to continue building bridges to find common ground for the common good and to elevate issues of compassion as important faith and values issues in the 2008 election and beyond.

Posted by Katie at 12:18 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (3)

Franklin & Marshall released a Pennsylvania poll today with some eyebrow-raising figures, as well as some red flags. The numbers:

--Obama up 44-36 percent among registered voters, 46-41 among likelies.

--McCain leads 45-37 percent among protestants (no racial disambiguation) and 48-31 among those who self-identified "born again Christian or fundamentalist," and Obama is winning Catholics 44-37. Coming off the Barna poll I blogged about yesterday, this puts another nail in the coffin for "Obama's Catholic problem."

The problems:

--The religious ID options did not include "evangelical," as is common now. It might seem a quibble, but there's a world of difference between fundamentalist and evangelical.

--When sorting candidate preference by issue priority, "moral and family values" was offered as a distinct category, apart from the Iraq war, healthcare, the economy, energy policy, taxes, foreign policy, or "something else." Didn't we learn about the pitfalls of this after the 2004 exit polls? "Moral and family values" can mean anything and thus nothing. Is it meant as a stand-in for abortion and same-sex marriage? Then why not say that? Why does the issue preference question ask about a 6 specific issues, and one amorphous "values" answer? (In case you're wondering, 9 percent of respondents chose moral and family values as most important, and 77 percent of them prefer McCain.)

--The sample was 89 percent white.

(h/t, once again, to Mark Silk. Ps, Mark, I endorse your hobby horse.)

Posted by Dan at 02:38 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

So, the Barna poll released yesterday has Obama ahead of McCain among Catholics by a ten point margin, 39 to 29 percent. The 32 percent undecided is just as remarkable. Compare this with McCain's 45-44 lead in a July Time poll. (Side note: Pay no attention to what they say about evangelicals -- Barna's definition, while sophisticated, is so different from the self-identification measure used in other polls that it would be like comparing apples to cinderblocks.)

The entire poll is an outlier, though. Barna has Obama leading McCain by 9 percentage points overall, but Pollster.com's mean of current numbers has Obama ahead by only 2 1/2. Still, it's one more piece of evidence that "Obama's Catholic problem" has gone the way of the dodo. The stage is set for some intense parish politicking this fall.

UPDATE: Zogby released a poll on August 7 that shows McCain leading Obama 50-34 among Catholics, a rather ginormous swing from an 11-point Obama lead in their mid-July poll. I have no idea what to make of it.

Posted by Dan at 10:22 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

Now that The Games are under way, speculation on China's response to human rights/religious freedom/genocide criticism, the Bush administration's engagement with Chinese policy on those issues, and the activist community's role in the games can give way to reporting and evaluation. A look at some early reviews:

Sunday's Washington Post characterized Beijing's respect for religious freedom as, shall we say, limited, and pretty much wrote off Bush's efforts to push the government:

"To open religious services and make some literature available to a limited number of people during the Olympics is a welcome thing, but it means nothing in terms of religious freedom in China," Fu said.

"It would mean more if Beijing residents are able to access the Bible and other religious literature in a public bookstore, and if Chinese citizens could choose their places of worship without being afraid of harassment, being arrested or sent to labor camps," added Fu, who said Bush's appeal to Chinese officials on religious freedom and human rights was mostly for the benefit of his domestic critics.

A New York Times headline writer with an affinity for alliteration proclaimed "Bush Banters as a Buffer in Beijing," and the story reported that

Emerging from services at a small Protestant church here, President Bush on Sunday prodded China’s leaders over religious freedom, saying they had nothing to fear from believers, but he avoided public confrontations over it or any other issue during his visit for the Olympic Games.

The US Olympic teams are garnering much better reviews, though. From the editors of The New Republic:

If the Chinese government insists on preventing athletes, spectators, and activists from making political statements during the Olympics, it is incumbent upon those competing in the games to respond appropriately. We're pleased to observe that some are already distinguishing themselves in this regard. Forty Olympic athletes have signed an open letter to President Hu Jintao urging China to improve its human rights record, and German fencer Imke Duplitzer, a silver medalist four years ago, announced she would skip the opening ceremonies in protest. Also impressive was the decision by the American delegation to have runner Lopez Lomong carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremonies. Lomong, a member of Team Darfur, is a Sudanese native who was taken from his parents by rebels at the age of six, grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya, was adopted by a family in upstate New York, and became an American citizen last July after attending Northern Arizona University.

Posted by Dan at 01:55 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

It's been a privilege and a blessing to spend the summer as an intern with Faith in Public Life. Before I head back to the best little college town in the Midwest, indulge me a moment of reflection.

I'm a product of conservative evangelical circles who has only recently seen the beauty of the Beatitudes and the richness of the Biblical mandate to serve the poor with an unobscured view.

Being at FPL, then, was a chance to progress on a journey that will hopefully last a lifetime, a chance to see for myself that people of all theological and spiritual backgrounds can come together to seek the common good.

In vivid, unforgettable ways, I saw it with my own eyes:

---In the remarkable dispatches of local leaders changing their communities for the better through compassion and courage.

---As I was provoked to ponder my role by brilliant thinkers asking substantive questions about religion in the public square and rebels challenging the very way people of faith interact with the state.

---In the empowerment I felt as the faith community stood up for itself, putting the media on notice that divisive figures like James Dobson don't speak for their values.

As I move on and look ahead, I can see clearly the challenges awaiting people of faith: putting an end to poverty, defeating global AIDS, turning the tides back (literally) on global warming and ensuring that the horrors of Darfur are never repeated elsewhere. These will be the issues which will define not only the legacy of my generation, but also the social relevance of the faith community.

Before this summer, I suspected there was a faithful movement ready to meet these challenges. Now, I believe it.

Posted by adanielsen at 04:30 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Dubbing them "an interesting group to watch over the next three months," Reuters' Ed Stoddard examines why Latino evangelicals may be swing voters on two fronts this election year.

With their votes more up-for-grabs than in previous years and their concentration in swing states, Latino evangelicals "could be a key vote in both battleground states and battleground faiths," Stoddard reports. His analysis comes as Latino Christian leaders are meeting in California to discuss how they can best exercise their growing political capital in 2008.

Latino evangelicals' importance as a voting bloc, however, isn't as much about geography as their commitment to a broad values agenda.

Over at The Immanent Frame, Calvin College's Joel Carpenter astutely examines the way immigration is diversifying Christianity. Carpenter argues that as "Christianity is increasingly made up of people and movements from every part of the world, some things may change in evangelical Christians’ outlook." He sees this playing out with concerns on poverty, human rights and immigration growing while more traditional evangelical views on family are reinforced. Carpenter writes:

Among Latinos, the one politically important group today with a large immigrant population, these trends are already clear. Latino evangelicals support government programs to help the poor and vulnerable, but also strong “pro-life” and “traditional marriage” social views.

And, as far as party ID is concerned, he says "neither party at the moment lines up as a perfect match for the group’s concerns." To that end, Stoddard identifies "windows of opportunity" for each candidate:

McCain can appeal to this crowd with his opposition to abortion rights and talk of action on climate change, though the hardening of his views on immigration reform are probably not a winner here.

Obama, on the other hand, talks easily about issues of faith and poverty and his own personal spirituality.

Latino evangelicals are champions of a broadening agenda that is making more and more room for compassion issues. As this group does grow in political stature, their work will be key in opening up the values debate and making the common good a reality.

Posted by adanielsen at 04:15 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Mark Silk pointed me to today's CBS poll showing that white evangelicals support John McCain over Barack Obama 58 to 24, with 15 percent undecided. As Mark points out, if those 15 percent break 50-50, Obama's 31-32% share would be a major improvement on Kerry's 21% share in 2004. A ten point gain among a bloc that makes up approximately a quarter of the electorate seems like a heck of a payoff.

A couple of caveats, of course: That 50-50 break is a big if -- there's a case to be made that the undecideds could break strongly in either direction -- and it isn't clear how white evangelicals are defined here, so we might have an apples-to-oranges issue.

However, the potential gain here could be a game-changer. It reminds me of Bush's 9-point gain among Latino voters in 2004. His campaign saw an opening with a solid Democratic constituency, reached out, made big gains, and set the precedent that the Democrats couldn't take them for granted. (As Latino evangelicals are demonstrating this year.) If the Democrats pull this off among white evangelicals, that's roughly 2.5 million votes picked up, and a couple of swing states sewn up

It bears mention that Bill Clinton won one-third of white evangelicals in 1992 and 1996, so Obama's potential success isn't exactly unprecedented. But Clinton no doubt got a boost from actually being a Southern Baptist running against classic country club Republicans. The real question, in my mind, isn't whether the Obama campaign's outreach is worthwhile. It's whether future Democratic candidates' success among white evangelicals will depend on their personas as opposed to their strategy and infrastructure. Time will tell.

Posted by Dan at 11:29 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Most commentators have treated the McCain campaign's "The One" rather lightly, calling it"a little bit of humor," "juvenile," a much-needed parody.

Yet, beneath all this light fun some have found symbolism that would give it a different meaning among many evangelicals and fundamentalists. Specifically, several observers have noted that it contains imagery and language resembling that of the Left Behind series -- Revelation-inspired end-times literature that has sold over 70 million copies.

A couple of examples:

---the conspicuous and remarkable resemblance between images in the ad and apocalyptic pictures used in cover art for the Left Behind books. Specifically, the orange cloud depicted several times in the ad unmistakably evokes the cover of Kingdom Come, the final book in the Left Behind series.

---The title of "The One," and the attribution of the title to Obama, is analogous to "The One World Religion" set up by the anti-Christ, Nicolae Carpathia, a junior Senator who rises to power with the aid of Satan and a message of unity and hope in the book series.

Given the incongruity between eschatology and our soundbyte-driven political culture, it's easy to either dismiss this ad or evaluate it as entertainment, but there might be more to the "The One" than meets the eye. What some might see as parody could also be seen as a coded message meant to portray Obama as an anti-Christ. What do you think?

Posted by adanielsen at 03:57 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

Religious leaders of all stripes can hardly be faulted for speaking out on political issues, but there is a difference between operating out of faith and operating out of opportunism. For an example of the latter, see the Family Research Council's action alert email today, in which they peddle a partisan myth that was debunked almost two months ago.

The email, which asks Nancy Pelosi to call a special session for Congress to vote on an energy measure that includes domestic drilling, ends as follows:

Please forward this email to at least one friend. Now even Chinese oil companies are drilling for oil just outside our coastal waters. Our economy and national security alike depend on energy independence.

As pointed out by numerous sources, Chinese companies are not drilling for oil just off the coast of Florida. Pundits and politicians have made the claim, but it's just flat-out wrong. And there've been no recent reports of China drilling elsewhere off America's coast.

Everyone makes mistakes. But the falsehood of the Chinese drilling claim isn't exactly a secret. It's been reported in The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and McClatchy Newspapers among others, confirmed by Florida Senator Mel Martinez on the Senate floor (h/t ThinkProgress), and admitted by story-originator Dick Cheney. Nearly two months ago. Putting such a long-debunked claim in an email meant to inspire political action on a contentious issue shows an unwillingness let facts get in the way of a good story. That is an improper approach for any individual or organization that claims a religious mandate to engage in the political process. Politicians need no help exagerrating, spinning and lying. The last place they should get it is from people of faith who claim to put principle above partisanship.

Posted by Dan at 02:17 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (2)

The Washington Post released a poll today that illuminates the sense of insecurity, disaffection, faith and hope among low-wage Americans (defined as people who work 30+ hrs/week and make $27,000 or less -- 22 percent of the adult population).

Consider:

78% said faith or religion play an important role in getting them through tough times, and 57% said it plays a very important role. 34% attend worship weekly or more often, and 36% attend occasionally.

NINETY percent rated the economy "not so good" or "poor."

A majority said they feel financially insecure (52%), but "somewhat secure" was the most frequently chosen response (42%). "Very insecures" outnumber "very secures" 19% to 6.

72% said their standard of living are the same as or better than their parents,' and 59% said their children's standards of living will improve.

85% like or love their jobs, and 78% feel their jobs are secure.

Large majorities say that in the past few years it has grown harder to find good jobs (75%), afford health care (74%), pay for college (74%), and get ahead financially (72%).

During the past year, 51% have postponed medical or dental care to make ends meet, and 31% have lost a job.

51% say they'd hit "real financial trouble" within a month if they suddenly lost their income.

This mixture of hope and anxiety and hard times shows us the human face of our economy. Even among our full-time workforce, there is a remarkable amount of insecurity. It's inspiring that faith is helping so many people through. The poll also contains a wealth of information about what low-income Americans want their government and their employers to do to help them. More on that tomorrow.

Posted by Dan at 03:37 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Quite a week for immigration activists in the faith community. Religious groups across the country took action to affirm the dignity of immigrants and call for just and compassionate solutions from their government and fellow citizens.

Responding to the May raid at a kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa, marchers put feet to their faith in the name of justice for immigrant laborers. Not content to simply symbolize change, Jewish rabbis from several Midwestern states used the march to publicize plans making the moral treatment of immigrant workers part of new standards for kosher food certification.

We Believe Colorado stood with Denver city leaders to urge voters to say no to an initiative that would require police to conduct racial profiling against Latinos. Working together, they provided a blueprint for healthy church-state cooperation.

Catholic leaders gathered in the nation's capital to appeal for sweeping changes in immigration policy. Comparing devastating raids to the havoc of a hurricane, they called the current approach what it is: unacceptable.

These leaders, like other people of faith, see the urgency of addressing this issue in an election year. From the NCR article:

“This is an important moment,” said Kevin Appleby, director of the U.S. bishops’ Office of Migration and Refugee Policy. “America could become more restrictive, belying our history as nation of immigrants.”

Journalists and lawmakers are becoming increasingly aware of the faith community's courageous efforts. In fact, as people of faith step out, opinion leaders are adding their voices to the call for a just immigration policy. Hopefully, candidates for national and local office will also take notice and follow and make humane treatment of immigrants a top priority.

Posted by adanielsen at 04:45 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

The enviro-magazine Grist hosted a wonderful dialogue between three leaders at the crossroads of religion and the environment: Richard Cizik of the NAE, LeeAnne Beres of Earth Ministry and Peter Illyn of Restoring Eden.

Cizik said evangelicals have a lot to confess, namely being AWOL on climate change for so long. While acknowledging evangelicals must then earn the right to speak on the environment, he said their urgency is motivated by a desire for justice and the common good. Speaking of moving beyond polarization and tired culture wars, Cizik said: “We’re interested in something else. We’re interested more in, frankly, making a difference than in making a statement."

The conversation is also hopeful, suggesting that climate change can be a bridge-building issue. Illyn says, for example, that some politically conservative Christians are beginning to see concern for the environment as part of a widening definition of being "pro-life." Beres testifies to the sea change on this issue, noting an "organic" interest among mainline Protestants and saying that youth especially understand the need to engage.

Finally, Cizik discusses how far evangelicals' numbers and political capital can help move the dialogue:

This type of bold language and leadership is necessary to continue what has been an encouraging move toward increased evangelical engagement. The climate crisis is a tremendous problem but also a tremendous opportunity to shed differences and come together around shared values.

Posted by adanielsen at 10:16 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)