Members of Liberty University's Democratic Club met with Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. today to develop a proposal that would let the club regain official status while promoting a pro-life agenda, according to the local newspaper.

On Monday, Falwell wrote on the university's website that the club can continue to meet on campus but will no longer be officially recognized.

"Liberty University is pro-life and believes that marriage between one man and one woman provides the best environment for children," he said. "Liberty University will not lend its name or
financial support to any student group that advances causes contrary to its mission."

Ray Reed writes that the club is drafting an apology to the school and a retraction of some statements it made to the news media last week that accused university administrator Mark Hine of saying a person could not be both a Democrat and a Christian.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at May 27, 2009 | Comments (10)

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania caused a surprising turn of events for Washington today when he said he would switch to the Democratic party, possibly taking away enough Republican's Senate filibuster votes.

If Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next senator from Minnesota, and Specter successfully switches parties when he runs again in 2010, the Democrats will be able to advance President Obama's agenda more smoothly.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at April 28, 2009 | Comments (5)

Sen. Robert Casey, Democrat of Pa., has backed out of giving the commencement address at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. The college, where former President George W. Bush gave the address (and stirred a lot of his own controversy) two years ago, is headed by Jim Towey, Bush's former director of the Faith-based Initiative.

What, you thought the headline referred to basketball?

(Originally published at Religion News Service's blog.)

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at March 27, 2009 | Comments (1)

FATEFUL FRIENDS? Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman (right).

President-elect Barack Obama's honeymoon with conservatives may not last until Thanksgiving Day if partisan Democrats serve up the head of Conn. Sen. Joe Lieberman on a platter.

Sen. Lieberman, who's a so-called independent Democrat and serves as a Homeland Security committee chairman in the Senate, may be living on borrowed time not only for sticking his finger in the eyes of fellow Democrats and Obama himself, but also for his support for the war in Iraq, during the election season.

Of course, now that the election is over, Sen. Lieberman is sorta saying, "Never mind..." Here's what he had to say at a post-election press statement:

"Now that the election is over, it is time to put partisan considerations aside and come together as a nation to solve the difficult challenges we face and make our blessed land stronger and safer... I pledge to work with President-elect Obama and his incoming administration in their efforts to reinvigorate our economy and keep our nation secure and free."

Sen. Lieberman met this week with Senate Majority Leader Reid. So far, so good. Reid seems willing to at least publicly take a wait and see stance about Lieberman's position in the Democratic caucus and leadership role.

Why should evangelicals care? The fate of Lieberman provides a political test for the incoming, fist-bumping Team Obama. If Lieberman takes it in the neck, that will mean either Obama lost an early power struggle with fellow Democrats or tacitly approved.

Lieberman's legislative record is very mixed. He's extremely pro-choice, but, of course, a strong supporter of Israel and the war in Iraq.

Watch Lieberman's fate as an early indicator of what will happen in the new Congress and new administration.

If you wish to explore all the ties with conservatives, be sure to see the Wikipedia entry on Lieberman (click here), and you can form your own opinion about "The Bush Kiss."

Posted by Tim Morgan at November 6, 2008 | Comments (4)

Ted and Collin made astute observations about Barack Obama's acceptance speech and the benediction tonight.

I'm honestly wiped out.

Invesco Field was packed with Obama supporters, stomping their feet and yelling the "Yes we can" slogan.

It felt like a football game, thanks to long lines for drinks and the fallen nachos crunching under my feet.

The fireworks set to cheesy music were pretty grand, but then finding my way out and getting around Denver has been a little nightmarish this entire week.

Here are a few photos to give you a better picture of tonight's event. If you look very, very closely at the second one, that's Barack Obama.

During 'the traditional values' portion of Obama's speech, the crowd seemed to get the most excited about his last part about same-sex marriage.

"We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."

Photos by Sarah Pulliam for Christianity Today.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 29, 2008 | Comments (11)

Sarah promised she would not post any more on Don Miller. So I guess it's up to me to point you to Miller's correspondence with Obama, which he has posted on his new blog.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (3)

After Hunter came Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, whose final words of the Democratic Convention were a kind of benediction of her own:

"Now let us go forward and work hard to elect Democrats at every level of government and to send Barack Obama and Joe Biden to the White House to take our country in a new direction. To make the change America needs. Yes we can. Yes we can. Yes we can. God bless you. God bless America. Amen."

Amen? "God bless America" is a frequent closer for politicians. But can anyone name me someone else who tags it with "Amen"?

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (1)

Yes, he prayed in Jesus' name. But I don't think I've ever seen that long of a preface to praying in Jesus' name.

Not familiar with Joel Hunter? Francis FitzGerald had a recent profile in The New Yorker that's worth reading.

A transcript of the benediction after the jump, along with a few words from Hunter's blog about why he accepted the invitation to give the benediction even though he's a Republican.

We are all here to devote ourselves to the improvement of this country we love. In one of the best traditions of our country, would those of you who are people of faith join me in asking for God's help?

Almighty God, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us a reverence for all life. Give us a compassion for the most vulnerable among us. The babies. The children. The poor. The sick. The enslaved. The persecuted. For all of those who have been left out of the advantaged world.

Give us a zeal to clean the environment we have polluted while we create an economy where everyone who can work can have a job. Help us to honor those who defend our country by working harder and smarter for peace. Help us to counter those that incite fear and hatred by becoming people who are informed and respectful and are known for the principles and projects that aim higher than merely our own group's benefit.

Guide Barack Obama and all of our leaders to be agents of your will and recipients of your wisdom. And grant that all of us citizens will continually do our part to contribute to the common good so that we can truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Now I interrupt this prayer for a closing instruction. I want to personalize this. I want this to be a participatory prayer. And so therefore, because we are in a country that is still welcoming all faiths, I would like all of us to close this prayer in the way your faith tradition would close your prayer.

So on the count of three, I want all of you to end this prayer, your prayer, the way you usually end prayer. You ready? One, two, three.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Let's go change the world for good.

Hunter's blog notes that he was the "the proverbial 'elephant' in the room" tonight -- he's a Republican. So why did he accept the invitation? He responds:

"Because I was asked. ... As Evangelicals, we need to make ourselves available, because the church has untold resources that can help solve the problems of the world. Jesus told us to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" (Matthew 22:21). I've always believed that when our elected leaders call upon us and we answer, that we are fulfilling that command from Scripture. That is why I accepted their gracious invitation. I would accept an invitation from the Republicans as well, or any major government activity that would feature prayer, as was included in the founding of our country. ... I'm not endorsing either candidate. I'm encouraging people to voice and vote their values as I always have.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (20)

I doubt any commentators will accuse Sen. Barack Obama of using religious code language in his acceptance speech. Yet two famous New Testament passages made an appearance. As is typical of civil religion today, God was replaced by the "American promise."

"Instead, it is that American spirit – that American promise – that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend," Obama said, borrowing from 2 Corinthians 4:18.

Obama then concluded his remarks this way: "Let us keep that promise – that American promise – and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess."

This statement comes from Hebrews 10:23. But the context of this passage explains something far more beautiful than the American promise. "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:19-22).

Editor's Update: There's some confusion in the comments below, so some explanation may be helpful. Collin Hansen wrote this, but was having trouble posting it. So Ted Olsen posted it to the blog. The first comment (which begins, "Your observation is a shrewd one") is from John Hubers. The second is from Bethany Pledge Erickson, and so forth. (Oh, I didn't realize you'd gotten married, Bethany! A belated congratulations to you.)

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (56)

One CNN commentator (I think it was Campbell Brown) stopped talking when Florida megachurch pastor Joel Hunter got up to speak after Obama's acceptance speech, encouraging viewers just to hold off one moment for the benediction. Hunter got in about four words before Wolf Blitzer jumped in. "Well, let's not interrupt our discussion of what a historic moment this is. If people want to see what's going on at the podium, they can go to CNN.com. And we'll be continuing our discussion right after this break."

That's why they call it the Almighty Dollar, I guess.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (1)

I'm just watching on TV. Sarah Pulliam is actually at Invesco. But it sure seemed like the abortion line got a lot of applause.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (2)

An interesting testimony from Monica Early from Cuyahoga Falls, who says the circulating e-mail that says he's a secret Muslim led her eventually to support the candidate.

Early's my.BarackObama.com page says she supports Obama because "he speaks to my spiritual beliefs."

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (5)

Not a lot of God talk in Obama's speech tonight, but there will be talk about abortion, same-sex marriage, and traditional values (as well as a promise to "end our dependence on oil from the Middle East" in ten years). From the prepared remarks:

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can’t just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that’s what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America’s promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that’s to be expected. Because if you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (13)

Florida megachurch pastor Joel Hunter told Beliefnet editor Steve Waldman and me that Billy Graham gave him advice in what to pray for tonight's benediction.

"We had this fairly long communication where I was just saying, 'Hey give me some counsel here.' The gist is, he saw this as a magnificent opportunity. He said, 'I'm proud that somebody of your stature gets to do this.' He just gave me some council, 'Just say what God gives you to say.' He's so frail, he can't hear right now, so his assistant was the one who sat down with him. It takes him a while now to communicate. His assistant was the one who was telling me all of this.

"He said he'd be praying for me, and he'll be watching."

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 28, 2008 | Comments (0)

Founder of Relevant Magazine Cameron Strang has received more than 3,000 every day since he backed out of giving the benediction at the Democratic National Convention. He’s still standing, though, and gave a brief address at the faith caucus today.

Tell me about the reaction you’ve been getting.
Since your story got out, and I had to respond to your story on my blog, things hit the fan. You did a story and then the AP, CNN, Fox News and other places have inquired. The message that I’ve tried to explain is that there are areas of correctness and incorrectness with both parties.

My potential involvement with the DNC this week was simply as an opportunity to build bridges and emphasizes areas of agreement, build on common ground. I thought my involvement in praying would be perceived on national television as an unequivocal endorsement and it just gave me pause so I backed out.

Since then, the extreme right wing, the fact that I have the audacity of saying that some Democrats might have it right in some areas, or that I’m not sure who I’m going to vote for yet, that automatically means to the extreme right wing that I am going to hell. And they have no hesitation of telling me so, or sending me pictures of aborted babies.

The extreme left wing says I’m everything wrong with Christianity, that I’m a coward. Everybody’s entitled to their opinions. I’m just trying to navigate these waters, unchartered territories the best way I know how and that’s to talk about my convictions.

What about the reaction from the campaign, are they upset?
Their job is to promote that their candidate is the right candidate, so if somebody has hesitation in making the same declaration, … obviously, they’re not thrilled, nor would the RNC be thrilled about a similar declaration. I understand where they’re coming from, and that was not my intention to make them look bad. I’ve talked about the positive and proactive thing that the Obama campaign has done to emphasize agreement with young Christians. I think that that’s admirable.

I think it’s incredible that they gave Donald Miller the benediction in my place. They value our voice and our involvement, that’s huge credit to them. The same thing right now can’t be said about the McCain campaign or the RNC. They have not talked about things, they aren’t talking about the things that matter to us proactively. I’m sure they will. I think that that’s an absolute credit to the Democrats that they’ve seized this opportunity. I’m here today to continue the dialogue and show support for the areas where we agree. It’s not an all or nothing thing for me.

Are you going to the RNC?
It’s funny, the Obama campaign goes to us. Whenever the Obama campaign comes to us, I go to the McCain campaign so as not to be perceived as favoritism. I got the invitation to come to the DNC and I reached out to the RNC to say, ‘Are young Christians at the table?’ Not necessarily me, but are we involved? The only thing I’ve heard is, ‘We’ll get back to you.’

Am I going to be at the RNC? Not as of now. If they wake up to it eventually, better late than never I guess. Definitely, the Democrats are taking the lead in reaching out to the young, Christian vote.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 28, 2008 | Comments (2)

Douglas Kmiec of Pepperdine University Law School revealed a portion of the meeting Barack Obama had with religious leaders in Chicago a few months ago in the faith caucus this afternoon.

"Franklin Graham asked him, 'Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life?'
"Sen. Obama paused and he thought. And he thought very carefully. He said, Reverend, he is my way.
"(Graham) No, no, is he THE way? Of course, the Reverend was making a point.
"(Kmiec) Our senator, the next president of the United States, a man of great intelligence and great integrity and great honesty, even if he’s not speaking in a place where he’s completely welcome. His message is consistent. No, Reverend, the person in my life who was of great service and most wonderful exemplar was my mother, and she never had the blessing of baptism. It is my understanding of faith that I will see her again in eternity. That she was not lost to salvation. One can dispute the theology, one can dispute the traditions, one can’t dispute the senator’s faith, commitment, his love of family and his authenticity. Barack Obama’s the real deal, and even Republicans can see it."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 28, 2008 | Comments (10)

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, made a surprise appearance at the faith caucus this afternoon. His microphone was muffled, so here are the portions I could catch:

"For those of you who are from new England … you know it’s hard to talk about religion. I think we’ve made a lot of progress for the last couple of years.

"We in the Democratic party don’t believe that you have to change your values in order to cater to people of faith. I mean broadly including people who are evangelicals … faith is faith. Faith in God is something that is common to human beings.

"We talk about faith differently than Republicans do. In this party, we have other values that matter to us. We talk about respecting everybody’s faith.

"It is important for us to use an important word - separation of church and state. Everybody is entitled to follow their faith. It was the dream of the founding fathers. We speak differently about our faith, it doesn’t mean it’s less important. It matters how you live, not necessarily what you say every Sunday.

"We are reaching out to voters of faith, let voters of faith decide which party represents their values."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 28, 2008 | Comments (0)

News never seems to stop here in Denver.

At least 500 church members expect to serve about 50,000 meals to emergency workers by the end of this week, and tonight I watched them dish the food.

About 23 churches in Denver became involved in the project called "Love Denver," a massive project to reach out to the people in charge of keeping the city safe.

"Someone else who has been around for a long time was saying that this is the largest undertaking of the southern Baptist churches in Denver," said Denise Blythe, a pastor at Riverside Baptist. "I don't know of anything that has come together in this size."

The group I followed left just before 1 a.m. to prepare food during a six-hour shift for several police officers sitting in the lounge in a hotel. The volunteers in bright green t-shirts prepared sandwiches, fajitas, apples, tea, coffee, energy bars, and other food for the officers.

"When all this is done, they'll be licking their wounds," co-coordinator Bill Winter said. "We just want to serve them."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 28, 2008 | Comments (2)

Congressman Dan Lipinski of Illinois finds it very challenging to be a pro-life in a party that unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade. He is one of 17 Democrats given 100 percent pro-life rating by the National Right to Life Committee, and we spoke at a Democrats for Life reception earlier this evening.

What obstacles do you face as a pro-life Democrat?
It’s always a difficult issue for a pro-life Democrat, because the Democratic Party is not going to have a pro-life platform. It’s not going to happen. It’s very unfortunate, but I think it’s very important for the Democratic Party to have pro-life party. As some of my pro-life Democratic colleagues say, it’s no use preaching to the choir. You have to go out and evangelize. We just have to keep working on fellow Democrats. It’s a tough position to be in. I think the party from the top and leadership has been much more open to pro-life Democrats. Unfortunately, there are still some groups really trying to get rid of pro-life Democrats. I had a tough primary. I people come up to me and ask me, ‘what are you doing in the Democratic Party?’ The pro-choice groups gave funding to my opponent.

Why are you a Democrat?
I believe in so much of what the Democrats stand for, basically standing up for middle class families, for working people. I believe the government does have a role in some important areas of our society, helping to protect the environment, helping to protect workers, seniors. I think there are some places where they should be involved and I think it’s much better with the Democratic Party than with the Republican Party. But it’s not easy being a pro-life Democrat. So t’s not easy in the Democratic party. I have a lot of a pro-life constituents, too.

Why are you pro-life?
Because I believe life begins at conceptions. It comes from my faith as a Catholic. I don’t think it’s the only place that it comes from. Ever individual has to make a decision about when life began. Why draw a line somewhere else? We were all once an embryo. With the proper conditions, the natural conditions, I think an embryo becomes a child. That’s where we all started from, and that is where I think the line should be drawn. I think drawing lines in other places leaves room for where do we draw that line? I believe in the sanctity of life and it’s something I feel very strongly about.

I truly believe that the Democratic Party, especially now, has a better view of the future and where we should be going, but it’s not perfect. I’m willing to, when I think the Democratic Party is wrong, I’m willing to say it. I’m willing to speak up and willing vote for what I think is right.

What about Barack Obama?
I wish Barack Obama were pro-life. He’s not. I don’t have any expectation that in the future the Democrats are going to have a pro-life presidential candidate. Its disappointing to me, but I am a Democrat and will support the party.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 28, 2008 | Comments (22)

Reader Fred Tennedy writes:

"how can you not realize that the Democratic plank is more pro-abortion than it has been? Any "pro-lifers" who think they are getting even a crumb are truly deceived!"

I think that for pro-lifers the platform was one step forward, one step back. The step forward was language promoting policies that will help make it easier for women to carry a baby to term. The step back was the strengthened advocacy for Roe v. Wade and (arguably) the loss of the "safe, legal and rare" language.

But I will say this: I've never seen so many pro-life Democrats being given platforms to speak. The opening interfaith service featured a vivid declaration against abortion by the lead speaker, Bishop Blake. The official DNC Faith Caucus panel featured a strong speech from former Rep. Tim Roemer advocating a 95% reduction in abortion. Bob Casey, the son of the man who was blocked from the 1992 convention for his pro-life views, had a prime time speech last night (though not about abortion). There's a Democrats for Life event later today, and Catholics in Alliance just released an interesting study making the case for a Democratic-style abortion reduction agenda.

Now, none of this will mean much if Obama himself doesn't get fully behind this (especially given the controversy over the Born Alive bill). He made some positive comments about it at the Saddleback forum. The next test will be whether the campaign actually issues a plan for reducing abortions and whether he and Biden push the idea more persistently.

This article is cross-posted from Steve Waldman's blog at Beliefnet.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 28, 2008 | Comments (1)

Tom Minnery, a senior vice president with Focus on the Family, is attending many of the religious outreach events at the Democratic National Convention this week. He spoke with me about the Democrat’s religious outreach and the challenges Sen. John McCain has to overcome with evangelical voters.

What do you think so far?
I was entirely disappointed in their supposed outreach to conservative evangelical believers. It was a fraud. There was a panel, a faith forum, how can progressives work with conservative, religious people. Not a single conservative among then nine speakers and it was tired old leftist dogma. There was absolutely no discussion about responsible fatherhood. There was not a single solution proposed that didn’t involve the government.

What did you think about the interfaith service?
It’s interfaith as long as it’s on the left. I didn’t see a prominent conservative leader speak. Rev. [Blake] who spoke about the evil of abortion, I suspect he won’t be part of the interfaith dialogue in the future. It doesn’t exist. What a shame. I was hoping to see if there was real fruit in this dialogue in the supposed reach out to conservatives. They now have a candidate Barack Obama who is comfortable talking about religion, but his is a traditional liberal theological viewpoint and they went with the flow. Jim Wallis is an increasing disappointment. He may be evangelical theologically, but politically he’s liberal. Rick Warren said last week in that interview with the Wall Street Journal that his book is an agenda of the Democratic Party and I agree with that.

What about the Democrats’ efforts to reduce abortion?
There’s only a reason that abortions should be reduced, and that’s for the very same reason it should be eliminated. If it’s not life, what’s the problem with it?

What about John McCain? He’s struggled to talk about his own faith.
He does. I’m not sure of the extent of his saving faith if there is one. We as evangelicals would have hoped to hear a lot more. I hope those who are Christians who are around him are talking to him. He usually talks about that Vietnam soldier’s faith. It loosened his bonds, scratching a cross in the dirt, I’ve heard that about six times. He does seem to have viable Judeo-Christian worldview, which means that things of God are significant, the church needs to be vigorous and independent, he knows the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.

What objections do evangelicals raise about him as a candidate?
He’s inconsistent on the abortion issue, given his view of the stem-cell research side of it. He has caused great mischief for a lot of organizations including our own who try to do issue advertising to let people know how the politicians stand during the election. We can’t do that because of McCain-Feingold. Finally, the Supreme Court knocked that part of it out, but there’s an increasing number of regulations that we have to deal with, so we don’t appreciate that. I think that his joining the gang of 14 to take control over the Supreme Court justices was ineffective. Obviously we’d like a candidate that supports the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Barack Obama has hired people like Joshua DuBois and John McCain has Marlys Popma. Can you compare their religious outreach and whether it’ll work?
We’ve heard more from Marlys more than we’ve heard from Joshua, probably not a surprise. I think that evangelicals are sophisticated enough to know that you’re never going to get a perfect candidate, so you gotta take the best you can get. It’s been difficult for [Dr. Dobson]. The selection of a vice president will be significant.

There are rumors that he could choose a pro-choice candidate.
I don’t think he will. I hope he will not be that dumb. He’s the candidate who’s trying to appeal to moderates and independents. He needs somebody on the ticket who would appeal to conservatives. It’ll be interesting if it’s Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney seems to be a genuine convert on the marriage issue, on the abortion issue, although there are a small number of evangelicals who really despise him. Mitt Romney’s statements from his own campaign against Ted Kennedy for U.S. Senate in which each vied to be more liberal, those things still reverberate.

What about his Mormon faith?
There’s a concern, sure. I think that would dampen some enthusiasm. I think evangelical voters are sophisticated enough to know that Mitt Romney did not seem to turn the state house in Boston into a Mormon temple and he probably won’t turn his office in the White House into a Mormon temple. Republicans tend to give the next nomination to the guy who’s waiting. Secondly, McCain’s age is a factor ... although his mother’s in her 90s.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 27, 2008 | Comments (9)

A couple of the people involved with Democrats for Life went a couple of blocks over and cut potatoes at the Denver Rescue Mission for a dinner for the homeless.

Earlier this afternoon, the group met to talk about ways to preserve life from conception to natural death.

The Rocky Mountain News has an update on the state's plans for the homeless.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless ditched plans to hand out 500 movie tickets and to visit the Denver Zoo, museums, and other cultural centers.

"But the DNC plan caused a public flap, and a volunteer told the Rocky in July that it 'sounds like another way to get rid of them,'" Denise Malan writes.

Malan writes that the coalition is hosting a lunch and three events this week to register homeless people to vote and to raise awareness about homeless issues.

Photo of Kristen Day, President of Democrats for Life, by Sarah Pulliam for Christianity Today.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 27, 2008 | Comments (0)

Rep. Heath Shuler spoke with me about the Democratic platform on abortion for about 40 seconds after the Democrats for Life Forum.

Shuler is a pro-life Democrat and a new Congressman from North Carolina.

"Obviously reducing the number is very important. There are other issues that I have a lot of difficulty with.

But I think with the panel we have today, and what I feel the influence of the blue dog members – Lincoln Davis and Bob Casey – we can strengthen that.

My hope is to say that within the platform of the Democratic Party, there is diversity and that we do have people who are pro-life."

Photo by Sarah Pulliam for Christianity Today.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 27, 2008 | Comments (1)

The Democrats for the Life event turned into mostly a couple of speeches on taking care of pregnant women.

Sen. Bob Casey from Pennsylvania drew a crowd of media behind him, but his speech did not not really address abortion.

A few of Casey's remarks: "One area where I think we can bring both sides together, in my judgment, the only way we can bring sides together is to come together on a central priority ... and that priority is pregnant women. What our government and society should do is show solidarity with a woman who is facing a crisis pregnancy. If the law of the land is that a woman has a choice to make, that she has a constitutional right to have an abortion. We ought to also make sure that she has the choice to carry that child to term."

Rep. Heath Shuler, a Baptist from North Carolina said, "The Democrats have it right when it comes from birth to natural death. Whether or not women have access to health care, that's pro-life. We have to make sure all children, unborn or throughout the entire life, that they can count on Congress on this issue."

Rep. Lincoln Davis, a Southern Baptist from Tennessee, spoke on the reduction of abortion.

"It is a blessing to know that at least for the first time our Democratic platform ? has made abortion reduction as a major part of the platform," Davis said. "We need to start giving assistance to those ladies ? who see no hope other than abortion."

Photo of Casey by Sarah Pulliam for Christianity Today.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 27, 2008 | Comments (8)

I'm about to go into the Democrats for Life event where pro-choice Democrat Bob Tuke & pro-life Democrats Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Lincoln Davis will speak.

I ran down to the convention center to look for examples for some of the abortion protesters I've seen holding megaphones and posters of bloody babies.

Instead, volunteers for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice were handing out stickers with the slogan "Pro-Faith, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice!"

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but their event is almost at the exact same time as the Democrats for Life group.

Photo by Sarah Pulliam for Christianity Today.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 27, 2008 | Comments (3)

I promise this is my last post on Donald Miller, who gave the benediction last night at the Democratic National Convention.

He accepted the invitation last week after Relevant founder Cameron Strang backed out, he spoke with me yesterday and then prayed after Michelle Obama's keynote last night.

I overheard a conversation today that pointed out that although Miller used the name of Jesus, he seemed to emphasize the word "I." He said, "I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice." Why do you think he worded it that way?

Here's the video I took of our interview yesterday in a restaurant. I cut down the full interview for those with short attention spans, but he said something later I found noteworthy when I asked him about negative reaction he has received. He said, "It's interesting that you could do something scandalous like deny the trinity and get less flack than support a Democrat for president."

The video focuses on the issues he believes should be important to the Democratic Party.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 27, 2008 | Comments (14)

I caught up with John DiIulio, the first director of President Bush's office of faith-based and community initiatives after the faith caucuses today. DiIulio quit his job after only seven months on the job because of a struggle with Congress to get financial support for the office.

Is Barack Obama’s plan for the faith-based initiatives better than President Bush's?
I don’t think it’s better, but I think it’s different. It’s got sort of a thicker operational spine at this stage than I will say at this stage in 2000 either the plans Gore or Bush plans had. It’s also got a much broader vision behind it. It’s not just about faith-based and grants, it’s an idea about labor and business representatives. When he talked in July, he had a line when he talks about the faith based office or council being a moral center of his administration, that was intimating or suggesting this notion of having diverse religious leaders involved in thinking out loud about other policy issues, immigration, education, health care, the way labor and business and other sectors have usually been represented. That’s an interesting twist and different I think from before.

I know something that has been an issue has been whether organizations can hire based on religion.
It seems to me that he’s endorsing the status quo, the constitutional, the administrative, and the statutory status quo, versus those on the one side who would want to expand that so you want sort of a cart blanche. I think he’s taking a center left position. I have asked people including many of my friends in the evangelical community to tell me specifically what has been said, because there hasn’t been anything that would change the existing constitutional administrative and statutory status quo. The overall plan is very good because it focuses on getting real resources, human and financial, where hope hits the streets.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (1)

Shaun Casey, a professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary is coordinating evangelical outreach for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign. As he walked to a meeting, we spoke about how the religious outreach at this convention is different from 2004.

"It’s completely different in the sense that there were only sort of side groups talking about religion, and here it is the party itself at the heart of what it’s doing. That’s a radical departure.

What did you think about the interfaith service?
You heard a variety of views, clearly no screening of the speakers. You heard a variety of positions taken and embraced. It showed the diversity of the Democratic Party and its openness to evangelicals, there were mainliners. It was an accurate reflection of the diversity of the party.

What do you think about the Democratic platform on abortion?
It’s something that evangelicals ought to take quite seriously that the Democratic Party has made a commitment to reducing the number of abortions without reverting to criminalization. Based on my conversations with evangelicals, I think that resonates, I think a lot of evangelicals find that attractive, they find that helpful and hopeful, and it’s a reflection of who Sen. Obama is.

Barack Obama’s sympathetic, he’s open to evangelical voices, he’s serious about global poverty, domestic poverty, global climate change. I think a lot of young evangelicals will find that very, very attractive."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (13)

Sen. Bob Casey barely mentioned abortion during his speech tonight at on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.

In 1992, former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey Sr. wanted to discuss his opposition to abortion but was denied a speaking slot. His son barely touched on the subject in his speech tonight.

"Traveling around Pennsylvania, and looking around this room, I have no doubt that is exactly what we're going to do. So now let us work together, with a leader who, as Lincoln said, appeals to the better angels of our nature. Barack Obama and I have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion. But the fact that I'm speaking here tonight is testament to Barack's ability to show respect for the views of people who may disagree with him."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (3)

Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Jr's landing a prime time speaking slot at the Democratic convention is another step in the party's campaign to burnish its image among pro-lifers. Casey's dad, then-Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey, was famously denied a speaking role at the 1992 Democratic convention because of his pro-life views. Casey Jr. called God-o-Meter to talk about his role at the convention and to give a little preview of tonight's speech:

Many pro-life Democrats were pushing for the opportunity for you to speak at the convention because of what it would represent symbolically, since your father was famously denied a speaking role at the 1992 convention over his pro-life views. Were you pushing for a speaking slot for that same reason?

We were invited to speak by Senator Obama's campaign and were grateful for the opportunity. But when you're in your first 18 months in the Senate, you shouldn't expect it. So I didn't ask.

Did your father's experience color your own reaction to learning that you'd been accorded a speaking role during prime time?

Everybody remembers 1992, but I also have memories of the 1988 convention, when [my father] did speak about the economic struggles our state had. So I think about more than one convention. What happened in 1992 is something people are talking about, the subject of a lot of discussion, but it's important to look ahead and not just recollect about the past.

Does your inclusion on tonight's speakers' lineup send a message that the Democratic Party has changed on abortion?

The fact that I'm speaking is really a testament to Senator Obama's willingness to reach out to people who disagree with him even on important issues. It's emblematic of his ability to put coalitions together on an issue and to bring all sides together. He's not just talking about that, but acting.

Do you see signs that pro-life voters are getting that message?

It's hard to tell. A lot of what will come before voters between now and Election Day. Most of the hard work of a campaign like this and most of the weighing that voters do when they decide who to vote for will come after the convention. That's the real decision period and the time for the really hard work.

How did you decide what you're going to speak about in your limited time tonight?

I'm speaking with about ten other governors, about the economy and about what I know about Barack Obama personally and about his ideas and his personality. That'll really be the focus of almost every speech at the convention. And also trying to bring people together. If Democrats are going to make the case that they can bring the country together, it's important to bring our party together.

Will your speech address the life issue, which is what many in the party identify you with?

Yes, it will. But it's mostly a night and an opportunity when we've been invited to focus on the economy and frankly what a lot of folks are struggling with in Pennsylvania. But certainly not only that. There's been a lot of discussion about '92, but there is an obvious disagreement I have with Senator Obama and we want to make sure that people understand that difference of opinion.

One of the things that's missing in this important debate in American politics is candid and honest talk about disagreements and an honest effort to try to find common ground. It's much easier to say you don't agree with someone and to continue fighting and discontinue the dialogue. It's much harder but it's important to be honest and show respect for others that we disagree but to actually work to bring the sides together.

One way to do that, and neither party has done enough on this, is to be very supportive of pregnant women. And the Pregnant Women Support Act is the only vehicle and the best vehicle to do that. It's a challenge to the left and a challenge to the right and helps not only bring the sides together but provides affirmative options for women. When a woman becomes pregnant, for most women that's a time of happiness and joy and they look forward to bearing a child. But to some it's a crisis because they don't have the economic wherewithal and the support they need. And a lot of women feel all alone and we don't do enough to show solidarity with them. As Pope John Paul II said, we should show radically solidarity with the woman facing these challenges. This piece of legislation is the one vehicle in American government for bringing the sides together and for providing women with options.

But is Senator Obama supporting it?

He's spoken about it. I have gotten to know him on the campaign trail and he spoke about the concept when he was at Rick Warren's church. So I believe he will be supportive. We have not talked directly about the bill but it's something I will be discussing with people in both parties. It's going to take a lot of work.

Also check out God-o-Meter's interview with Senator Casey in the run-up to the Pennsylvania primaries in April.

This article is cross-posted from Beliefnet's God-o-Meter.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (2)

Susan Thistlewaite, president of Chicago Theological Seminary, spoke at the first faith caucus and said, "I’ve been a pastor for 30 years, and I’m in favor of choice." One person shouted "Yeah!" and a few people clapped.

She then said she was in favor of a women being able to terminate a pregnancy if the other choice is not having health care or being able to provide adequate education.

A man stood up and yelled, "Are you saying it’s convenient to murder a child? Does that child have a choice?"

He was ushered out before she finished.
"I am proud of our Democratic platform because it is innovative on common ground," Thistlewaite said. "What kind of a choice can you make if you have no pre-natal care? Common ground for common good means you are not alone."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (5)

Jim Wallis launched the Democratic National Convention faith caucuses this afternoon by listing the issues he believes is on the agenda of people of faith: poverty, climate change, immigration, the sanctity of life, Darfur, human rights, and Iraq.

"Let's be honest, religion has been used and abused by politics and by politicians. People of faith are those who should speak prophetically more than in a partisan way. It's important that we speak to those issues that are at the heart of God's heart, and try to make politics more of an accountable tool. In November, you won't be able to vote for the kingdom of God. It won't be on the ballot. There is a biblical basis for seeking the common good."

DNC CEO Leah Daughtry made a surprise, brief appearance and said she wants to make the faith caucuses a permanent part of the Democratic Party.

"I was talking with a reporter this morning, who asked about the separation from my faith from my work. I said there is no separation. My faith is part of who I am and it's not something I check at the door. Our faith walks with us through every part of our lives and it informs our decisions."

Rev. Jennifer Kottler, who has served as deputy director of Protestants for the Common Good urged those in the audience to lobby for raising the minimum wage. "A job should raise you out of poverty, not keep you in it," she said. "We have to make a difference in the lives of the least of these."

Rabbi Jack Moline of the Interfaith Alliance spoke on strengthening education and
Bishop Wilfredo DeJesus urged the crowd to support immigration legislation.

"We have failed to pass a law that respects family values, and Barack Obama respects family values, DeJesus said. "Let us support a system of bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows and into the mainstream."

Tim Roemer, former congressman from Indiana who sits Sen. Barack Obama's Catholic advisory council praised the Democratic platform on abortion and John Hunter spoke on prisoner re-entry into the population.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (2)

All of the buzz today is on Hillary Clinton's big speech tonight (and, to a lesser extent, Bill Clinton's speech tomorrow night).

But this is also a fascinating night at the Democratic podium for a several other reasons. First, this is the night of Bob Casey Jr.'s address. It's an important symbolic moment because of the decision in 1992 to deny then-Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey Sr. a speaking spot at the convention. Casey had wanted to talk about his opposition to abortion. Some suggest that the invitation to Casey Jr. demonstrates a Democratic Party that's more open to prolifers. Others say he's not as prolife as his father was.

It's unclear whether Casey will talk about abortion, but a few hours before his speech you'll almost certainly hear the subject come up as Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards addresses the convention. A big difference: Casey is speaking in prime time. Richards is on around 4 p.m. (Casey also has a much better slot than Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Casey's opponent in the tumultuous 2002 primary race for governor. Reckon that has more to do with Casey's strong support for Obama over Rendell's major backing of Clinton than it does with either's views on abortion.)

Another speech tonight that could be more conservative or more religious than usual: that of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. The United Methodist minister did very well among evangelicals in 2006.

Mara Vanderslice and Eric Sapp won't be speaking tonight, but their presence will be felt. Their old organization, Common Good Strategies, is credited with helping Strickland, Casey, Kansas Gov.Kathleen Sebelius, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm -- all of whom are speaking tonight -- win election in 2006 by emphasizing their religious backgrounds. All the podium is missing is Sen. Sherrod Brown (Oh.) and Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.), but if they did that they'd probably have to make one of those video tributes to Vanderslice. (Vanderslice is now with the Matthew 25 Network. Sapp is at the Eleison Group.)

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 26, 2008 | Comments (3)

If you want a good summary of the interfaith gathering, Mollie over at GetReligion has raked through the mainstream press with excellent analysis.

She notes that several of the reporters wrote that the interfaith event was an effort to reach out to "values voters."

"Now if the reporters actually think that the interfaith service would woo evangelicals in the GOP, they are probably high or know nothing about culturally conservative evangelicals," she writes.

Mollie also wrote a piece for National Review with a nice summary and background. She has been to several interfaith services and said that this one followed suit with a few exceptions.

Looking back, it barely felt like a worship service to me. There were readings (from everything but the New Testament), there was beautiful choir singing, and there were read prayers. But because of the heavy politics in the speeches, it felt a little more like a pep rally than a worship service.

As Mollie writes, "Will the interfaith gathering help more religious voters feel comfortable with the Democratic party? Only time will tell. It’s somewhat difficult to imagine which religious voters would be swayed by a worship service with such liberal political advocacy."

In an earlier post, columnist Cal Thomas pointed out how many other evangelicals might feel about interfaith services.

"What do Christians have in common with Islam and with any of those other so called faiths that were there? Jesus said, 'I’m the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.' Why waste time on other things?"

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (3)

Evangelicals like Jim Wallis and Joel Hunter quickly praised the new Democratic platform on abortion a month ago, but Archbishop of Denver Charles Chaput is not impressed. This is what he told me tonight at the vigil in front of Planned Parenthood.

"I think [the Democrats] committed themselves without any doubt to choice on the matter of abortion, and I don't think that's a start.

I think caring for women who want to have their children is essential. That's a given. That isn't a step in the right direction, that's where we should all be standing from the beginning.

I stand with that with great enthusiasm, but it doesn't distract me from the fact that platform still allows for abortion and the destruction of unborn human life.

"Bishop Charles Blake did a marvelous service for all of us, and especially to the Democratic Party. He reminded us in the midst in social justice, one of the most important social issues is the protection of human life."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (13)

More than 2,000 people marched around a new Planned Parenthood Clinic in Denver tonight instead of following the Democratic National Convention.

Alveda King, a niece of the late Martin Luther King Jr., and Archbishop of Denver Charles Chaput spoke to the crowd before they lit candles and circled the gated clinic.

Alveda King's mother conceived her daughter when she was a freshman in college. She had wanted to get an abortion, but Martin Luther King Sr. told her mother she could not abort her baby.

"This little baby human girl was allowed to live," she said to the cheering crowd.

King later aborted two of her children.

"People say, ?Aren't you embarrassed and ashamed to stand up and say you had abortions?" King said. "I'd be more embarrassed if I didn't tell you, because it is wrong, and without the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, I would not have been forgiven. Jesus Christ said, ?Go and sin no more.'"

She then praised Bishop Charles Blake's pro-life message at the interfaith gathering yesterday.

"He delivered some very startling and surprising words. They expected the rhetoric that always proceeds. But he began to tell the audience, ?I am a pro-life Democrat.' We want to commend those men and women and say that life is a civil right, life is precious, and that it transcends politics."

King wrote a guest column last week for the Denver Post, calling abortion an "industry of racism. She does not plan to vote for Sen. Barack Obama unless he changes his stance on abortion.

"People in every party should say, ?We're for life,'" she told Christianity Today. "They should not be held captive by politics in the battle and the struggle."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 26, 2008 | Comments (3)

Flipping channels, I saw Relevant publisher Cameron Strang signing off an interview on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes. Strang, as you probably know, was due to give tonight's benediction but bowed out. Anyone catch the interview? Did he say anything interesting that he didn't say in our earlier interview? (The sentence or two I saw suggested he was getting a bit of rough treatment.)

Update: Thanks to Jeremy Moore for the link to the video. Strang says being on stage and giving a benediction wouldn't let him talk about the issues his generation wants to talk about. He'd rather talk at the forums during the week, he says.

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 25, 2008 | Comments (9)

Updated post: Here's the video of Miller's benediction:

Did anyone else wonder whether his introductory comment about the appropriateness of praying for good weather was a reference to the (pulled) Focus on the Family video on praying for rain?

Earlier Monday, Miller posted the text on his website. (They're posted after the jump.)

I'm honored to deliver the closing prayer at the DNC. Evangelical voices have been scarce within this party, perhaps since the Carter administration. But as strides are being made on key issues of sanctity of life and social justice, as well as peaceful solutions to world conflicts, more and more evangelicals are taking a closer look at options the Democratic Party are beginning to deliver. There is a long way to go, but sending a message to Washington that no single party has the Christian community in their pocket, thus causing each party to carefully consider the issues most important to us, is, in my opinion, a positive evolution. I am glad that, for the most part, the dialogue has been constructive and positive. Will you join me in keeping the conversation thoughtful and not reactionary?

That said, I am honored to speak to, and especially pray with and for, the DNC. Here is the full text of the prayer:

Please join me for the next few moments in our Benediction.

"Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don't have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Hep us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don't like us but that's because they don't know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments - but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen."

Posted by Ted Olsen at August 25, 2008 | Comments (26)

Here's an excellent slideshow from the National Journal on yesterday's interfaith gathering.

Update: If you want the whole thing, C-Span has the video.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 25, 2008 | Comments (1)

Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas offered a few words of wisdom about the Democratic National Convention, but don't expect anything too political. His column runs in 550 newspapers and he is heard on over 300 radio stations.

"It’s whole matters little in eternity. It’s all a diversion from things that matter most. You look around and you see all the promises of politicians pledged to make our lives better, but no politician can make our lives better. That’s up to each individual. Plus, of course, the one glaring omission from all of this in Denver and in St. Paul is an accurate diagnosis of the human condition, which is, that we are sinners and do not need to be reformed as much as we need to be redeemed, which is something no politician has the power to do."

"That sounds rather blanket, but my first convention was when I was a copy boy for NBC in 1964. I’ve been to many of them since them, and I’ve not noticed that any politician has made any significant difference when it comes to poverty, race, war and peace issues, AIDS, education and the long list that Republicans and Democrats continue to address. That’s because they address it from the outside instead of from the inside where the problems lie.

"I notice the Democrats think they’re making inroads among the religious. The Democrats are trying to do some of the same thing at the Republican Party, that is to cynically manipulate Christians into believe that there’s more power in this world than there is in the kingdom not of this world."

(On the interfaith gathering)
"What do Christians have in common with Islam and with any of those other so called faiths that were there? Jesus said, 'I’m the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.' Why waste time on other things?"

(On the Democratic Party’s religious outreach)
"This is an attempt by man to bring God down to his level. The only time that God has stooped to our level is Jesus Christ so that we might be brought up to his level."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 25, 2008 | Comments (15)

I just met with Blue Like Jazz author Donald Miller who accepted an invitation last week to give the benediction at the DNC tonight.

I will post a longer interview later, but he gave me a few hints about his prayer tonight.

"I wrote a version of it and it was awful. It just sounded like something that was like every other political speech of idealistic language. I knew it when I wrote it and sent it to some friends and they said, ?huh.' I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it, got off the plane in Denver yesterday, stopped at a Mexican restaurant, on my way to the rehearsal where we had to enter the text into a teleprompter, I said ok, ?If there were no cameras on me, and there was no microphone on me, what would I pray, what would I request of God for the people who are in the room?' And I wrote that prayer.

"It's not very shocking, but it's, ?Be with people of power, and give them wisdom to come up with policies that will help the least of these, with opportunity to success, help to support people not causes, help us get our hands dirty, and then a sort of affirmation that we need God. All of our best efforts have not worked so far. We need him to show up and help us. And that's it.

"This is a prayer where I use the name of Jesus, and there was no push back at all. In fact I think I had something that they considered it to be a little tense against Republicans when I talk about our standing in the world and restore favor. They actually backed down some of the language.

"I'm telling you, if Christians were to show up here they'd be very, very surprised. You can find what you want to find if you believe these people are evil and hate you. You can find that much easier when you can find the evangelicals who are protesting, the things that they're doing and the language that they're hearing. They use blow horns, so they're easier to hear."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 25, 2008 | Comments (2)

Several politicians spoke at the Faith & Politics Institute lunch today, but they tended to talk more broadly about faith without being too specific.

Here are some of Sen. Bob Casey's remarks:

"As a public official, one of the best ways to confront this issue of faith and how you talk about it in a campaign and the public square, is not only talk about your own reflection. One thing that’s been missing is a respect of people of other faiths. I think politicians think it’s best to talk about what you believe. Listening to others and their friends is as important as what we have to say.

"All of us need to do more to bring faith into the public square, to bring faith into our politics, because unless we do that, those we seek to help … cannot be helped in the way they need to be helped unless we bring this discussion into more and more campaigns."

Here are a few remarks from Katheleen Kennedy Townsend, former lieutenant governor from Maryland, author of Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way.

"I really believe that children are not born good and they are not born bad. You have to teach them. That’s what I learned from my Catholic faith. I think it’s important to teach the values I learned as a child. Kids need to learn to serve, to care about others, to think about others. It came from my faith. In politics, what your faith gives you is to do things that aren’t popular but is the right thing to do.

"Faith gives you a way to deal with the toughest things in your life. We’ve dealt with a lot of tough things in our life. You have two choices. You can grow scared and angry and hit or you can say that that teaches you. We share these moments of difficulty with others, and if we open our hearts to others, our lives will be open to others. That’s really what I’ve learned from my faith."

By the way, the event ended with a prayer, er, a moment of silence.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 25, 2008 | Comments (2)

Faith in Public Life is holding a panel this morning to discuss the roles of evangelical and Catholic voters this fall and the energy around a common good agenda.

The panelists are Steve Waldman from Beliefnet, Ron Stief from Faith in Public Life, Alexia Kelley from Catholics In Alliance for the Common Good, Zack Exley from the blog revolutioninjesusland.com and moderator Amy Sullivan from Time.

Here are a few snippets that give you an idea of what they're saying.

Steif: People of faith are embracing a broader agenda. We’re seeking common ground, and we’re seeking new dialogue. The religious right no longer controls the values debate in this country.

Waldman: In 2004, I think there was one faith caucus meeting. It was a sad little affair. The key line from the last convention speech was John Kerry’s speech. He welcomed people of faith. It sounded like it was some other group that he was welcoming. In this case, they’re saying ‘we are people of faith.’ It’s a big open question, which way this goes. There’s a de-alignment of evangelicals, but they have not yet gone over and signed with the Democrats. They’re right in the middle.

Exley: A few years ago, I stumbled in from the secular left into this white, evangelical, most of these suburban, working class culture. I sort of married into this. I became an accidental anthropologist in this culture. I was just shocked the first time I went into these megachurches. The young people are becoming pacifists. I know there are a lot of people who voted for Bush in 2004 and will vote for Obama.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 25, 2008 | Comments (2)

Burns Strider ran the religious outreach for the Hillary Clinton campaign and now runs the Eleison Group with Eric Sapp. Here are a few of his comments following the interfaith gathering.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (2)

Rev. Ron Stief, director of organizing strategy for Faith in Public Life, gave me his initial response to the interfaith gathering.

"In Boston back in 2004, I had 15 faith leaders come to a lunch, and that was it. A lot of faith leaders were saying, 'What was that? What did you just invite me to?' because it was so new. People weren't used to being invited to bring our issues into the conversation. Here, it's a major interfaith event, it launched the entire convention. What I like about the faith community is and probably why we haven't been invited before you can't control us, we work based on our own moral convictions.

"The fact that the party could put something together and let the faith community speak from their heart what needs to be done, if that doesn't indicate openness by this party to a range of issues, I don't know what does. The forum itself was just amazing, about letting the faith leaders come and speak. This will probably be one of the most open discussions that happens in this convention. This was to bring what is the mood in the country. There's a tremendous mood for change in the faith community. That's why these folks are here.

"This was a chance really for the black evangelical and Pentecostal community to say, 'Hey we're part of the evangelical community, too.' I think it's good for people to understand the diversity of the evangelical community.

"I don't know if I would've changed anything [about today]. I actually think they got it right, which is not easy to do. I've done enough interfaith events. It was very broadly represented of what this country looks like demographically with faith. We put out capital punishment, torture, abortion reduction, poverty, the environment. Maybe the Democratic Party can just vote on our agenda and go home, save themselves three days of the convention. I was pretty impressed with the platform that was laid out here."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (1)

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter invoked a passage of Micah as an example of how faith intersects with politics.

"Politics is about us as spiritual beings understand that there is a God, that this is a created world," he said. "In Micah, it says love justice, be merciful and walk humbly with our God."

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) sat in the front row.

The theater seating 5,000 inside the convention center was not packed, but an impressive number attended the first official event.

"This is just the beginning for us as people of faith," DNC CEO Leah Daughtry said. There will be caucuses for people of faith later in the week.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (0)

Sister Helen Prejean spoke against the death penalty and torture during her address at the interfaith gathering.

"It reveals the deepest wounds of our nation ? a readiness to use violence to solve social problems. We've killed over a thousand people in our killing chambers. It's the death of white people that causes outrage in our country.

"90 percent plus on death row are poor. Our DNA instinct of this country is to kill people. If needed, torture the enemy since he's not human like we are anyway. We are not worthy of the death penalty as a people. I invite dialogue with both political parties.

"There's a deep religious underpinning. When you start talking about the death penalty, the image of God comes forward. Many people still have an image that God demands an eye for an eye, it's God who's pleased with a sacrifice.

"There's a deep religious underpinning. When you start talking about the death penalty, the image of God comes forward. Many people still have an image that God demands an eye for an eye, it's God who's pleased with a sacrifice.

"There are those in the Christian community that say ... when we kill criminals for their crimes, God accepts their death as payment. What kind of father would demand the death of a son? Is it a God or an ogre? We project a God of vengeance. Jesus forgave his executioners and showed us the way of compassions. Jesus showed such a way of loving that no one can be called enemy, at least for long. He said, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Not a life for a life." Jesus said, "Pray for those who persecute you."

"Our faith goes hand in hand with our understanding of human rights. Every human being has the right to life and no human being should be tortured. All religions teach humans have sacred life."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (2)

The keynote for the interfaith gathering is a pro-life pastor who did not shy away from the abortion issue in his address. Maybe it was just me, but I felt the room tense up as soon as he called himself a pro-life Democrat.

Here are some of the remarks from Bishop Charles E. Blake, presiding prelate of the Church of God In Christ, Inc. and pastor of West Angeles Church of God In Christ.

"Surely we cannot be pleased with the routine administration of millions of surgically terminated pregnancies. Something in us must be calling for a better way. We know that our party will acknowledge the moral and spiritual pain because of this disregard for the unborn. Those of us who support the Democratic Party support it because the Democratic Party supports more of the positions that are relevant to the lives of our people, the people of America in general, and the people in the world. Others loudly proclaim their advocacy for the unborn, but they refuse to recognize their responsibility and the responsibility of our nation, to those who are born. (standing ovation) Senator Obama and all of us should follow up and elaborate on his stated intention to reduce the number of abortions (interrupted by clapping) … We should support him in this endeavor."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (10)

The religious leaders and the interfaith gathering read from a diverse list of religious texts, but there's nothing from the New Testament.

The leaders read from the Torah (Gen. 45 and 48), Metta Sutra, the Qur'an, and the New American Bible (Isaiah 58).

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (4)

DNC's CEO Leah Daughtry gave the first speech at the interfaith gathering. Here is part of the speech where she emphasizes how there are people of faith in the Democratic Party.

"Over the past few years, many have had much to say about our efforts to ‘bring faith’ to the Democratic Party. With all due respect to the commentators and my friends in the media, we didn’t need to bring faith to the Democratic Party, faith was already here. (clapping). Those of us know that Democrats, are, have been, and continue to be people of faith.

"We believe we are created equal and each one of us deserves the opportunity to live full and prosperous lives. Our responsibility to our neighbor is at least as important as our responsibility to God. These values of fairness, opportunity, inclusion, and respect are central to my faith. While our party may not be perfect, it is perfect for me. We stand at crossroads today. Our jobs are disappearing. We are working harder and earning less.

"Today is a celebration of our faith and our values. The best tradition of the Democratic Party. Today we respect our differences while striving to find our commonalities. It remains true that there’s more that unites us than divides us."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (13)

The start of the DNC's interfaith gathering was less than peaceful.

One man stood up and said, "Obama supports the murder of children by abortion." He was quickly booed and ushered out.

After the choir sang, another man stood up after a choir song and said, "Abortion is murder."

Between songs, a third man said, "Obama is a baby killer." The crowd began chanting "Obama. Obama. Obama."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (8)

The Democratic National Convention is about to launch its interfaith gathering, but I don't see any evangelical pastors from Denver on the list:

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.
Bishop Charles E. Blake, Presiding Prelate of the Church of God In Christ, Inc. and Pastor, West Angeles Church of God In Christ
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America
Social Activist Sister Helen Prejean
Rabbi Tzvi Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America
Governor Howard Dean, DNC Chairman
Leah D. Daughtry, DNCC CEO

Imam Abdur-Rahim Ali of the Northeast Denver Islamic Center
Rabbi Steven Foster from Congregation Emmanuel
Dr. Polly Baca, Center for Spirituality at Work
Reverend Lucia Guzman, Director, Human Rights/Community Relations
Richard Smallwood & Vision
The Spirituals Project
Trinity United Methodist Church Choir
The Denver Indian Singers

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 24, 2008 | Comments (4)

Below is a collection of the ratings of Joe Biden by various abortion-related groups.

Here's the bottom line: Biden is a pro-choice centrist on abortion. What does that mean? He votes consistently with the pro-choice forces on most matters, and is a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade -- but he departed from pro-choice orthodoxy on two of the biggest abortion issues:

--Unlike Obama, he opposes federal funding for abortion, arguing that has pro-choice views should not be imposed on others. "I still am opposed to public funding for abortion," he said on Meet the Press in 2007. "It goes to the question of whether or not you're going to impose a view to support something that is not a guaranteed right but an affirmative action to promote."

--Unlike Obama, he voted for the ban on late term abortions.

On most other issues - stem cell research, banning abortions on military bases, etc - Biden supported the pro-choice position.

Now for the ratings:

Biden got a 60% rating from the National Abortion Right Action League in 2007 and a 36 in 2003. (NARAL's ratings for Biden are very confusing. One part of the website lists him as having a 60% rating, another part says he has a 75% rating but was absent for five of the six votes. ) In 2006 he apparently got a 100% .

The National Right to Life Committee gives him a consistent zero.

Democrats for Life gives him a 33%

In earlier years, he got lower ratings from the pro-choice groups and higher ratings from the pro life groups, for instance , he got 34% in 1997 from NARAL and a 41% from the National Right to Life Committee.

This article is cross-posted from Steve Waldman's blog at Beliefnet.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 23, 2008 | Comments (3)

For those who don't have time to read the full Christian Science Monitor piece on Joe Biden's faith, here are the most salient parts.

He went to high school at a Catholic boys school called Archmere, and goes to mass almost weekly. "I get comfort from carrying my rosary, going to mass every Sunday. It's my time alone," he says.

He carries a rosary. When he had brain surgery for an aneurism he asked the doctors if he could keep the rosary under his pillow.

In Junior high he briefly considered entering seminary to be a priest but his mother urged him to wait until after he'd had some experience dating girls. "I told him: 'Wait until you start dating girls, then go,' " said Mrs. Biden

When he faced unspeakable tragedy - his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident - he turned heavily to faith. The Monitor reports:

His spiritual crisis was not so readily resolved. "I never doubted that there was a God, but I was angry with God," he says. "I was very self-centered: How could God do this to me?"

Friends close to Biden during this time credit his faith for helping pull him through the despair. "In times of crisis, he goes to church a lot," says Ted Kaufman, a former chief of staff who was with Biden for 22 years.

What also helped break his rift with God was a cartoon his father, Joe Biden Sr., gave him. It showed "Hagar the Horrible" blasted by lightning. The bubble read, "Why me, God" - and the answer: "Why not." Biden says: "I realized, who am I to think that I'm so special?"

He was as Vatican II Catholic, meaning he was encouraged to question and discuss Church doctrine. "Questioning was not criticized; it was encouraged," Biden says. He recalled a question in ninth-grade theology class at Archmere:

"How many of you questioned the doctrine of transubstantiation?" the teacher asked, referring to the teaching that the bread and wine change into the body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist. No hands were raised. Finally, Biden raised his. "Well, we have one bright man, at least," the teacher said.

The teacher didn't say criticizing the church was good. "He led me to see that if you cannot defend your faith to reason, then you have a problem," Biden says.

More thoughts soon on how Biden's Catholicism has affected his views on public policy.

This article is cross-posted from Steve Waldman's blog at Beliefnet.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 23, 2008 | Comments (4)

The guessing games are finally over, and Sen. Barack Obama's campaign sent the official text message at 3 a.m. declaring Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has a nice site set up giving a brief bio and links to articles on Biden's Catholic background.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 23, 2008 | Comments (0)

Best-selling author Donald Miller will give a benediction Monday night at the Democratic National Convention. He replaces Relevant Magazine founder and CEO Cameron Strang, who decided not to give the benediction at the Democratic National Convention as previously planned.

Christianity Today featured Miller on its cover in June 2007, and his spirituality book Blue Like Jazz has sold more than one million copies.

"Don is one of the top names among young evangelicals," said Joshua DuBois, director of religious affairs for the Barack Obama campaign. "We didn't think he would do it. We're just ecstatic. I love Blue Like Jazz myself. I think it sends a huge signal that someone who's is helping to lead off the conventions is an evangelical of his calibre."

I spoke to Miller this morning.

Why did you choose to accept the invitation?
Somebody calls you and asks you to pray, you do.

You get three minutes to pray? Have you thought about what you're going to pray?
I've not written the prayer yet, but I really wanted to hone in on the theme of unity, even unity between Republicans and Democrats. In the convention, as we highlight our differences that we wouldn't forget that we're unified, we have more in common than we don't. That's the focus of the prayer.

Cameron Strang was in that slot before and said that people perceived the prayer as showing favoritism. Are you worried you'll receive the same reactions?
I'm not. I'm a registered Democrat. While that's perceived as black or white, or hostile toward the Republican Party, I grew up in the Republican Party. I even attended as a kid the Republican National Convention when it was in Houston when Bush Sr. was running against Clinton. I changed parties about five years ago. I really felt like the Republican Party was taking advantage of the evangelical community by throwing us abortion and gay marriage, really not giving the heart of Christ more thought. I felt like it was the party of the extremely wealthy and they needed this conservative base in order to get a majority and so they pandered to us.

(The rest of the Q & A is posted after the jump.)

I felt used by the Republican Party in that sense. I started looking at the Democratic Party and looking at social issues that are affecting the world, seeing the presidency and Congress from a global perspectives. Even though many Democrats don't identify themselves as evangelicals, many of the precepts of the party, charitable foundation of the party did reflect what evangelicals are about, the sanctity of human life, the importance of really not leaving people behind. I don't think either party is the answer to the world's problems. I lean toward solutions the Democrats seem to favor.

Where do you stand on issues like abortion and gay marriage?
The issue of abortion is a very sensitive one and it's an important issue. I look at from a perspective of, what's the best that we can do. As we elect a Republican House and Senate, and as we elect Republican leadership in the executive branch, we see very little changes on that issue. We're electing someone who agrees with us on abortion, being sort of a tragedy in our country, and yet can't get anything done. It's kind of like saying, I want a pilot on my plane who feels this way about abortion, but he can't fly the plane. The executive branch doesn't have that much power, it has some power, but it doesn't have much power. You look at the reality of that and say, what can I do to defend the sanctity of all human life, including the living, and the marginalized and the oppressed and the poor? What can we do to better social conditions so that less women are put in situations where they feel like they need to have an abortion. What does looking at the issue holistically look like. I hope the Democrats will listen to those of us who lean toward pro-life and those changes can be made.

In terms of gay marriage, I see it as a constitutional issue. Until we become a theocracy, I think that judges should look at it from a constitutional issue. Whether I think homosexuality's wrong, personally? America is not God's country. It's not considered a Christian nation anymore. You have to look at everybody, not just Christians and say, what are the rights of these people based on this constitution. That's another difficult issue as well. I get a bit frustrated when the evangelical position is reduced to two issues. So many other issues are not a concern to us. What happened was, in my opinion, the Christian positions has been reduced in order to manipulate us. If we give them these two issues, we can do whatever we want.

I assume that means you support Barack Obama? What do you think he will do as president that would appeal to evangelicals?
This is one of the reasons I was attracted to obama and read his book and wanted to take him seriously as a candidate. If you look in the last eight years, we have lost our reputable standing among most nations. Certainly among many poor nations and Muslim nations, we're not very respected. There's a great deal of hostility against us. As we travel the world, America represents Christianity to the rest of the world. What we have is Christianity being represented by what is perceived as arrogance, bullying, an inability to negotiate peace, an inability to listen. People assume that Christianity is that way. You ask yourself, what sort of person might God rise up to heal the wounds that have been created by that kind of positioning in the world. You would think a very intelligent minority, who came not out of wealth, who's not only power position in Washington, D.C., a man who's more thoughtful in his answers and less bullyish, not as simple of a thinker, even as reality is not simple, a man who has spent part of his upbringing overseas and has connections with Kenya, that's the guy. A name like Barack Obama, you just kind of go, that would be the guy that God would choose to heal some of the wounds that we've caused in the world. That's what made me take him seriously. I read his book, listened to his speeches, asked myself some of those hard questions. When all the math was done, he edged out as a favorable as a favorable candidate for me.

Do you see yourself as a person who plans to be more involved in political activism?
I'm a writer. That's my calling. I'm not a pastor. I'm a believer. I write about spirituality. I have political opinions that may not have more worth than anybody else. In this instance, when someone calls and asks you to come and pray, I say yes. I'm a supporter of this candidate, and I think that's great. After I came out on a blog and expressed about the Bush administration, they invited me to the White House and had breakfast with the president's assistant. I enjoyed that and enjoyed them as people. When someone asks you to come, you come, and you have a conversation. I don't see this as an, "I'm against Republicans." That's not that kind of a move. This is about any believer who's called and asked to come and pray. No matter you're called to pray, you go.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 22, 2008 | Comments (18)

Relevant Magazine founder and CEO Cameron Strang decided not to give the benediction at the Democratic National Convention as previously planned.

Strang said his planned prayer was perceived as showing favoritism, so he pulled out and recommended Blue Like Jazz author Donald Miller instead.

Strang sent the following statement to me in an e-mail.

"As a pro-life voter, I never intended my participation to imply unequivocal endorsement, and the DNC knew that and were fine with that. I viewed it simply as an opportunity to continue positive dialogue, show support for a continuing emphasis on faith issues, and pray in a forum where faith isn't typically thought to be emphasized. I wanted to show that this generation of values voters doesn't necessarily need to draw battle lines politically the way previous generations have, that we can work through areas of disagreement to further the common good.

"However, the reality is, through RELEVANT I reach a demographic that has strong faith, morals and passions, but disagreements politically. It wouldn't be wise for me to pick a political side, when I've consistently said both sides are right in some areas and both sides are wrong in some areas. My desire is to keep an open dialogue with both campaigns and talk about the issues that matter to my generation of Christians. If my praying at the DNC was perceived as showing favoritism and incorrectly labeling me as endorsing one candidate over the other, then I needed to have pause. And that's what was happening.

"So I brought that concern up to the DNC, and they understood. I recommended bestselling author Don Miller as a much better representative of our audience than I am, and they were glad to invite him to give the invocation in my place. I think this will ultimately be much better for the DNC. The campaign and I still have positive dialogue, and I'm thankful for that.

"Like I mentioned, they've invited me to participate in a "Faith in the '08 Election" panel on Thursday, which seems to be a perfect fit. It allows me to continue a positive conversation with the DNC and be involved a bit more behind the scenes. I want to make sure our generation of Christians has a place at the table, so to speak, and this will afford us that chance -- even moreso than if I was to give a prayer onstage.

"As an aside, in a "put your money where your mouth is" move this week, I changed my party affiliation from Republican to Independent. I want to vote because of values and convictions, not party affiliations. To me, that's an important part of being a thinking, values-minded Christian."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 20, 2008 | Comments (12)

Relevant Magazine founder and CEO Cameron Strang and Florida mega-church pastor Joel Hunter will pray at the Democratic National Convention later this month, according to a DNC press release.

Strang will give the benediction on Monday, August 25 and Hunter will give the benediction on Thursday, August 28. Sojourners head Jim Wallis will moderate the faith caucus on "Common Ground on Common Good" and "Faith in 2009: How an Obama Administration will Engage People of Faith" on Tuesday, August 26.

David Gushee, professor of Christian ethics at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, will be a panelist on the caucus on "Moral Values Issues Abroad" on Thursday, August 28. The full list of religious speakers is below.

Evening invocations and benedictions

Monday, August 25
Invocation: Polly Baca, Catholic, Greeley, CO
Benediction: Cameron Strang, Evangelical, Orlando, FL
Tuesday, August 26
Invocation: Dr. Cynthia Hale, Disciples of Christ, Decatur, GA
Benediction: Revs. Jin Ho Kang and Young Sook Kang, Methodist, Aurora, CO
Wednesday, August 27
Invocation: Archbishop Demetrios, Greek Orthodox, New York, NY
Benediction: Sr. Catherine Pinkerton, Catholic, Cleveland, OH
Thursday, August 28
Invocation: Rabbi David Saperstein, Union for Reform Judaism, Washington, DC
Benediction: Pastor Joel Hunter, Evangelical, Northland, FL

Faith caucus meetings

Tuesday, August 26
Common Ground on Common Good
Moderator: Rev. Jim Wallis
Panelists: Dr. Douglas W. Kmiec, Rabbi Jack Moline, Rev. Jennifer Kottler, Bishop Wilfredo DeJesus, Rev. John Hunter

Faith in 2009: How an Obama Administration will Engage People of Faith
Moderator: Rev. Jim Wallis
Panelists: Rabbi David Saperstein, professor John Dilulio, Rev. Otis Moss, Jr.

Thursday, August 28

Moral Values Issues Abroad
Moderator: Joshua Dubois, Obama campaign’s director of religious affairs
Panelists: Dr. Preeta Bansal, Dr. David Gushee, Sr. Simone Campbell, Dr. Claude d’Estree

Getting Out the Faith Vote
Moderator: Joshua Dubois, Obama campaign’s director of religious affairs
Panelists: Rev. Romal Tune, Mark Linton, Rev. C Welton Gaddy, Rev. Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Rabbi Steve Gutow

This is cross-posted from CT's liveblog.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 16, 2008 | Comments (2)

Focus on the Family Action pulled a video off its site Monday that asks people to pray for rain during Sen. Barack Obama's anticipated acceptance speech in Denver later this month.

Stuart Shepard, director of digital media at Focus Action told Colorado Springs Gazette reporter Mark Barna that the video, posted July 30, was meant to be "mildly humorous."

Tom Minnery, Focus Action vice president of public policy, told the Gazette that the video was taken down Monday because several Focus members complained that prayer shouldn't be used to bring harm on someone else.

"We are not about confusing people about prayer," Minnery said.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 12, 2008 | Comments (13)

Earlier today I listened in on a phone press conference with leading pro-life religious liberals called by Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners. (Click here to listen to the call.) They were praising the new draft Democratic Party abortion plank which advocates government policies to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. (Click here to read the new plank and the 2004 platform). Wallis called it a "real step forward," while Rev. Joel Hunter called it "a historic and courageous step."

What am I missing? It seems to me that, on balance, if you're pro-life this platform is about the same as the 2004 platform -- slightly better in some ways and, actually, slightly worse in other ways.

Where it's better: the draft platform endorses policies, such as better sex education and health care, that would "help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby reduce the need for abortions." And, religious progressives were particularly pleased that the platform stated: "The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child," as well as policies -- such as "caring adoption programs" -- that make such a choice practical.

Where it's worse: the platform actually drops the language from the 2004 platform that abortion "should be safe, legal, and rare." That breakthrough formulation, popularized by Bill Clinton, reiterated support for legal abortion but rhetorically endorsed the idea that society would be better off with fewer abortions. By contrast, the 2008 platform emphasizes the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies and the "need" for abortions. It's a subtle but important difference that preserves what pro-choice activists wanted: absolute neutrality on the question of whether society is better off with fewer abortions.

Some of the religious leaders are hoping that Obama personally will go farther than the platform did. "Key is what Obama says at Saddleback," says Rev. Tony Campolo, a leading religious progressive and a member of the Democratic Platform committee, referring to Obama's public interview with Rev. Rick Warren this weekend. "What we are waiting to hear is that he sees this as a moral issue." In other words, we're supposed to look at the draft platform plank as Act One of a two act play.

Indeed, I can envision a way in which the Democratic Party could make real headway with pro-life voters, despite Obama's very pro-choice voting record. At Saddleback, Obama could make a strong statement that he thinks there should be fewer abortions in America and - here's the new part - the Democratic Party will be better at reducing the number of abortions than Republicans.

This may sound far fetched but it might actually be true under certain conditions. The Republicans have focused on legal restrictions - but mostly what they propose is either substantively sweeping but unpopular, or popular but substantively marginal. They support a Constitutional amendment to ban all abortion, which certainly would reduce the number of abortions in theory, but hasn't come close to passage in decades. They support banning partial birth abortion which could be passed but affects less than 1% of abortions. And they have an ideological aversion to certain additional steps -- such as encouragin birth control and more government-financed health care for women -- that could help reduce the number of abortions.

Studies show that many women have abortions because of economic reasons so it's plausible that abortion frequency could be reduced through an agenda that focused on preventing unintended pregnancies (through family planning and birth control) , improving health care and wages for low income women, and encouraging adoption. Jim Wallis hailed the "Juno option": some teens who get pregnant should neither get an abortion nor get married but rather should carry the baby to term and then give it up for adoption.

So Obama could address pro-life voters directly and say something like this:

The Republican party uses you every four years to get elected. But they don't deliver on their goal of substantially reducing the number of abortions. They prefer symbolism to results -- demonizing Democrats to saving babies. It's time for a new approach. This new approach will make it less likely women would get pregnant. For those who do get pregnant, it will make it easier for them to have the baby. And for those who can't or dont want to raise the child, it will make it easier for them to find adoptive parents.

Let me be clear. I'm not retreating one inch from my commitment to the legal right to choose. It is because abortion is such a profound moral dilemma that it must be made a woman in consultation with her clergy person, her doctor and, yes, hopefully the father of the child. It is her decision. What we can do as a society is to make sure the deck isn't so stacked against her that she feels pressured to have an abortions.

If we take this approach, I believe we can cut the number of abortions in America in half -- and I will commit to making this a major goal of my presidency. It's time to break out of the old approach on abortion that uses this as a political football. It's time to try a new way that protects a woman's right to choose -- but helps society dramatically reduce the number of abortion.

Obama has mostly adopted the value-neutral language of the pro-choice community. On a few occasions - mostly when addressing Christian audiences - he's changed his rhetoric, talking about abortion reduction as a goal unto itself. If he wants to win over moderate evangelicals he's going to need to enthusiastically embrace the abortion reduction language here on out. Politically, this means telling the pro-choice community: I'm with you on legal restrictions, but you need to accept that I'm going to campaign against abortion.

Would this approach actually win over all pro-life voters? No. Some will never vote for a pro-choice politician. And the Obama campaign has so far done a terrible job at responding to the single most important abortion charge against him, that he opposed the "born alive" legislation in Illinois that would have protected the lives of fetuses or babies that survived abortions.

But there are a large number of voters -- moderate evangelicals and centrist Catholic -- who support the Democratic Party position on almost every other issue. They are itching to vote based on Iraq, the economy and health care. Each time they sidle up to Obama they trip over the charge that he's a pro-choice radical. The Obama campaign has not come close to showing him to be anything other than that. It's not too late, but the platform plank was one opportunity squandered. The next big opportunity is his speech at Saddleback Church. If he doesn't significantly improve on the platform language and cast himself as a champion of an energetic, plausible, specific pro-choice abortion reduction agenda, he's not likely to do much better than John Kerry in winning evangelicals or Catholics.

This article is cross-posted from Steve Waldman's blog at Beliefnet.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 12, 2008 | Comments (8)

In their proposed new platform language, the Democrats toss a bone to the pro-life community by spelling out ways to make abortion rarer:

We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre and post natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.

Brody, who's got the old and new text side by side, is somewhat impressed--but claims that the proof of the pudding will be whether the Democrats in general and candidate Obama in particular say they're prepared to sign on to concrete anti-abortion measures such as parental notification. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Douglas Kmiec, who as Obama's most prominent conservative Catholic supporter had a hand in the new language, contends that it represents a significant (if not, by his lights, sufficient) move. Naturally, his erstwhile friends on the right don't think so, and are contemptuous of him for making the case. They recognize that the language will enable Obama and party to make the case that they are not, as the pro-life community always puts it, "pro-abortion."

The abortion battle between Democrats and Republicans has always involved a complicated dance of absolutes and increments. The party platforms have historically been the place for the absolutes, with the Republicans declared in opposition to abortion under all circumstances and the Democrats in absolute support of a woman's right to choose. But the real abortion game has always been played in the middle--up to and including Roe v. Wade, which never guaranteed choice in any and all circumstances.

Partisans love the absolutes, but the public at large doesn't. Americans' predominant view is that abortion is a bad thing that under some circumstances is preferable to the alternative. In 1996, Ralph Reed (then executive director of the Christian Coalition) proposed helping Bob Dole's presidential candidacy by making the GOP's abortion plank less rigid via language acknowledging that the American public was not ready for an absolute abortion ban. And while the pro-life corps handed him his head for his pains, that's the position George W. Bush articulated in 2000 and never abandoned, his party platform notwithstanding. Moreover, the pro-life agenda became purely incrementalist--ranging from parental notification to banning the "partial-birth" abortion procedure.

What the Democrats are now signaling is that they are prepared to undertake policies that do more to reduce the number of abortions than the Republicans' incrementalist measures. For pro-lifers willing to sacrifice principle for results, it's a pretty good argument. Especially when they consider how little the Republican increments have achieved. This a.m. at 11, a conference call with the media will be held by the group of Catholics and evangelicals most supportive of the new language. Here they are:

• Rev. Tony Campolo, Eastern University, author of The Red Letter Christians, and member on the Democratic Platform Committee
• Rev. Joel Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland Church (Orlando, FL), author of A New Kind of Conservative and former President of the Christian Coalition
• Dr. Lisa Cahill, J. Donald Monan, S.J., Professor of Theology at Boston College
• Douglas Kmiec, Chair & Professor of Law at Pepperdine University, and the former Dean of the The Catholic University Law School
• Chris Korzen, Executive Director of Catholics United and author of A Nation For All
• Rev. Jim Wallis, Founder and CEO of Sojourners, the largest network of progressive Christians in the United States, and best-selling author of God’s Politics and The Great Awakening (HarperOne 2008)

Stay tuned.

This article is cross-posted from Spiritual Politics.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 12, 2008 | Comments (5)

Abortion has created a semantics battle for the Democrats' platform drafting committee as the writers try to perfect the language before the convention later this month.

Eric Zimmermann over at The New Republic writes that the party does not want to anger feminists, many of whom were upset at Hillary Clinton's defeat. But "... ongoing outreach efforts to religious voters and swelling ranks of pro-lifers in Congress mean that the abortion-reduction message will likely persist," he writes.

David Brody at CBN posted the new platform:

The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre and post natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.

This is compared to the Democrats' current platform on abortion:

Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman's right to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay. We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoption incentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.

Evangelicals Tony Campolo, Joel Hunter, and Jim Wallis will respond to the Democratic Party's platform on abortion tomorrow.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at August 11, 2008 | Comments (3)

The Matthew 25 Network, a new faith-based political action committee started by John Kerry's 2004 faith outreach director, is preparing to launch its second pro-Barack Obama radio ad this week, the group's founder and director said on a conference call with reporters today. Matthew 25 will be spending $500,000 to broadcast the ad on Christian radio in Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan, with hopes of airing it in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Missouri down the road. Technical difficulties prevented the ad from being broadcast on the call, but Matthew 25 chief Mara Vanderslice (pictured) said she expected the ad to be ready later today.

God-o-Meter realizes that Barack Obama might face an uphill climb among religious voters because of the false rumors that he's Muslim and over his liberal stances on social issues like abortion and gay rights. In the primaries, Hillary Clinton trounced him among white evangelicals and Catholics in many places.

But God-o-Meter noticed two things on today's Matthew 25 call that could make it more successful than some other faithy progressive outfits:

1. Some of the religious figures supporting Obama and Matthew 25 re on today's call, including former Vice-President of Catholic Charities Sharon Daly and Rev. Wilfredo DeJesus, Vice-President for Social Justice Ministries at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, are pro-life. They talked about their pro-life positions on the call, and how they hoped Obama would come around to their side.

In the past, Democrats have tended to embrace religious figures who took liberal positions on social issues or who ignored them entirely. This new posture will give Matthew 25 more credibility in the eyes of some values voters.

2. As Bart Campolo, founder of Mission Year, pointed out on the call, The Matthew 25 Network is a real political action committee with real money making real endorsements. Previous liberal faith groups have issued press releases and sponsored an event or two to fetch media attention, but Matthew 25 is on the airwaves making a serious case to Christian voters on why they should support Obama.

In Christian Right terms, this is the difference between the Moral Majority of the 1980s, which held press conferences and issued media releases, and the Christian Coalition of the 1990s, which had real members (hundreds of thousands of them) and helped shape elections with huge get-out-the-vote drives.

Is Matthew 25 the lefty version of Christian Coalition? In terms of size, budget, or influence, it's not even close. But the post-2004 religious left is growing up a lot faster than the post-1976 Religious Right did. It's getting more sophisticated. And it's accumulating a lot more influence early on because of it.

This article is cross-posted from Beliefnet's God-o-Meter.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at July 24, 2008 | Comments (1)