I would have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Lindsay's assessment that Obama will serve as a "common enemy" to galvanize the Religious Right. I think both the Republican Party and the Religious Right are in too much disarray to be galvanized the way they have been in the past. The Religious Right is facing a generational shift and, given that it is beginning to address a broader moral values agenda, it is very likely that there may not be as clear a leadership that will emerge as existed with the old guard (Dobson, Falwell, Robertson et al). And Obama is exactly the kind of leader who can reach out to conservative religious voters and find common ground with them to work on issues such as abortion reduction, poverty, and climate change. All the polls indicate that he did better among every religious group than Kerry did 4 years ago, but the impact of the economy should not be underestimated there. Even more telling, however, is that in regions where Obama made concerted faith outreach efforts his support among religious voters well exceeded the national average. This election was not an overwhelming embrace of the Democratic Party and platform, but it does signal significant potential for Democrats and progressive Christians to build bridges with religious communities that they have been estranged from for decades. It is my personal hope that we will seize this opportunity and that Obama will seriously listen to those progressive leaders Mr. Lindsay mentions. They all would have excellent advice and insight for how to move beyond the old culture wars and adopt constructive policies.

Very good point. These are very exciting times indeed. Now the key will be for President Obama to put all the words into practice. To do that, he'll need people with a proven track-record in this area of acually reaching these people. I've read a lot about Burns Strider and Joel Hunter who both seem to do a good job of actually building the relationships and drawing from a wide circle within the faith and especially evangelical community that will be the key to forging new coalitions and bringing people together. We saw what happened when we had a president who worried more about spin and press coverage for the next day than about governing and delivering real results. Obama has an incredible message, but he'll need people who can turn that into real results. Let's hope and pray that this new administration will move from campaigning to governing by bringing in the best that are out there!

It certainly is time for a new style of leadership. Jim Wallis and Joel Hunter have gained a lot of people's respect for how they are trying to apply the evangelical message to more than just a few hot button issues. I really appreciate the way they are drawing people's attention to what the Bible has to say rather than just saying that the Bible strictly follows the Republican Party platform. Evangelicals have adhered to party line over Scripture for too long. That's actually what has impressed me most about the work people like Burns Strider are doing. I've followed Strider since the Democratic Primary process when he was doing faith outreach for Hillary Clinton and the three leading candidates were getting a lot of press for their efforts to reach religious voters. Where at times it seemed like the Republican Party was just using religious voters and manipulating them to get an edge in the polls, Strider and his counterparts work to engage faith communities authentically and try to find ways that they and Democrats can collaborate. In a nation with so much diversity, even within individual religions and political parties, no party will ever completely line up with any religious community. But that doesn't mean that there is no common ground. Strider, Wallis and others have proven that there are ways for these communities to work together and I hope President-Elect Obama will seek their advice.