In The News

“What Voters Don’t Know About Sarah Palin’s Last Days Religion”

Welcome back!

Sarah Palin’s religious beliefs about the “Last Days” have received almost no attention in mainstream media and as a campaign issue. Beyond a brief mention in a Saturday Night Live skit, Sarah Palin’s religion has been treated as off-limits.  Part of the problem is that most reporters don’t understand fundamentalist religious beliefs enough to ask good questions.   Read more…

“Hiding The Pentecostal Faith Of Sarah Palin”

One of the fascinating elements of this political campaign is the juxtaposition between the present ”bible-believing Christian” Sarah Palin and the past “Pentecostal” Sarah Palin. 

It is clear that she was chosen as the Republican vice-presidential candidate to appeal to Evangelical Christians.  She was promoted to the “conservative, Christian base” as one of them, without making clear her Pentecostal roots.  Read more…

“My God Is Bigger Than Your God: Does God’s Reputation Depend On Your Vote?”

Today, at a John McCain rally, a pastor prayed a prayer.

Unhelpful for establishing the tone McCain sought in Davenport was the Rev. Arnold Conrad, past pastor of the Grace Evangelical Free Church. His prayer before McCain arrived at the convention center blocks from the Mississippi River appeared to dismiss faiths other than Christianity and cast the election as a referendum on God himself. Read more…

“Politics In Church: Challenging The IRS By Endorsing Candidates From The Pulpit”

Some preachers participated in a political protest against the IRS on Sunday.  

Dozens of pastors across the country took politics to the pulpit yesterday in hopes of influencing the Nov. 4 presidential election and setting off a legal fight over the Internal Revenue Service’s restrictions on church involvement in politics.  Pastors take politics to the pulpit. Read more…

“John McCain Jilts The Evangelicals and Chooses Sarah Palin From The Assemblies of God”

John McCain has courted Evangelicals for much of his political campaign. Meanwhile, the Evangelicals have not quite trusted him to be one of their own. McCain made the ultimate effort to woo the Evangelical vote in his appearance at the Civil Forum at Saddleback Church.

After all of this effort to capture the Evangelical vote, it is rather astonishing that McCain did not choose an Evangelical to run as his vice-presidential nominee. Instead, he chose a woman deeply rooted in the Assemblies of God. Read more…

“Evangelicals Do Not Own God”

It is time for a confession. I have fallen into the trap. I have let Evangelicals define the agenda, even here on this blog. I’ll explain what I mean by telling a personal story.

While I was pregnant with my second child, I was under the obstetric care of two brothers who shared a joint practice. I never knew which brother I would see at any visit. I knew only that I liked one brother and didn’t like the other. Read more…

“Get The Bible Verses Right, Journalist”

Here’s my helpful tip: never trust a journalist who gives “biblical” advice. In the most recent issue of Time Magazine, Joe Klein makes this statement about what Barack Obama “should have said” to Pastor Rick Warren at the “Civil Forum” at Saddleback Church. Read more…

“Why Obama And McCain Will Submit To Rick Warren’s Evangelical Civil Forum”

On Saturday, August 16, Barack Obama and John McCain will attend a “Civil Forum” at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The forum will be moderated by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church.

Time Magazine made Rick Warren the subject of a recent cover article. The cover identifies Warren as “America’s most powerful religious leader” (Time Magazine Cover, August 18, 2008 Issue.) Read more…

“Does Religious Authority Override Secular Authority?”

When religious authority conflicts with political authority, which authority takes precedence?

Any consideration of the relationship between religion and politics in the United States must take into account that most churches, religious organizations, and ministers are tax exempt. Read more…

“Public Money For Religious Education: Pervasively Sectarian or Merely Religious?”

A recent decision by the United States Court Of Appeals Tenth Circuit raises significant questions about the relationship between religion and politics.

The question at issue was whether students at Colorado Christian College could receive scholarships from the State of Colorado.

In other words, should public money be used to fund private religious education? Read more…