Melissa Rogers

New Baptist Covenant Celebration Round-up

I'm not finding much time to blog here in Atlanta, so I'm going to pass along some snapshots others have taken of the proceedings.

1.  The quotable Campolo (John White and Robert Dilday)

Some quotes from the incomparable Tony Campolo:

Jesus pronounced his priorities in Luke 4, beginning with preaching good news to the poor, Campolo noted. "Do you think Jesus meant what he said, or do you think he was kidding?"

"We've got to challenge young people because we are losing them. We have not lost them because we are making Christianity too difficult for them but because we are making it too easy for them," he said. "They want their lives to count. They want their lives to matter."

"Rise up, you suckers, and go out and do the work of Jesus!"

2.  Report on the Baptist version of Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" slide show  (Bruce Gourley)

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof," former Vice-President Al Gore quoted from Psalm 24:1 as he gave a special, scripture-saturated presentation of his well known slideshow-turned-movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

You can watch the slide show presentation and other videos from the conference here.

3.  Marian Wright Edelman on child poverty and churches  (John White and Robert Dilday)

Edleman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund, said about 13 million children in America live in poverty-5.6 million of them in extreme poverty. . . .

Churches-"which ought to be the locomotive, and not the caboose, in speaking up for children . . ., said Edleman, daughter of a Baptist minister.

4.  Bill Leonard on the historic significance and possibilites of the New Baptist Covenant  (Tony Cartledge)

Church historian Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest Divinity School, just gave me his perspective on the historical significance of this Baptist Celebration.
"It is the largest gathering of Anglo- and African-American Baptists in this country ever," said Leonard. . . .

"The last thing we need in America is a new [Baptist] convention," [Leonard] said.
[He] said this historic and significant occasion also helps former Southern Baptists, like himself, to continue moving forward with new possibilities.
"It is a sense that I don't have to go back to that," he said. "You just let it go and channel your energies into something like this."
Most significantly, Leonard said, Baptists who have been divided by race and other distinctions are able to listen to one another.
"We've not even been with each other to hear each other, let alone to do ministry together."
The New Baptist Covenant allows for growing relationships and new cooperative ministry, he said, without creating a "new organic union," that is a new denominational body.

Reports on First Night of the New Baptist Covenant Celebration

Marv Knox and Greg Warner report on the first night of the New Baptist Covenant Celebration:

"This is the most momentous event of my religious life," said an emotional [Jimmy] Carter, who at 84 has been a Baptist since he was a child. "For the first time in more than 160 years, we are convening a major gathering of Baptists throughout an entire continent, without any threat to our unity caused by differences of our race or politics or geography or the legalistic interpretation of Scripture."

The convocation-the first trans-racial gathering of its kind since North American Baptists split over slavery in 1845-fulfilled the prophecy of Martin Luther King Jr., [Mercer University President Bill] Underwood told the crowd.

"Forty-five years ago, a native son of Atlanta, a Baptist pastor, shared with all of us his dream: One day, on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners would be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood," Underwood said to sustained applause.

"Today, here on those red hills of Georgia, Baptists have come together to take a step in the long and difficult journey toward achieving Dr. King's great dream. After generations of putting up walls between us-separation, division by geography, by theology, but most of all division by race-a new day is dawning. . . .

One more thing on the New Baptist Covenant

One more thing on the New Baptist Covenant before I leave.  The Christian Science Monitor notes:

Besides Democrats Carter and former President Clinton, who joined with Baptist leaders last year to announce this week's meeting, participants include Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Charles Grassley of Iowa, along with bestselling author John Grisham.

Speakers have been told to avoid politics altogether.

The McClatchy-Tribune News reports:

The Atlanta event will include the preeminent staple of all Baptist gatherings — preaching. Five broad themes will be contemplated: poverty, diversity, peace, immigration, and prisoners.

On the schedule are well-known speakers such as the Rev. Charles G. Adams, pastor of a Baptist church in Detroit, and the Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, an up-and-coming preacher from Decatur, Ga. Best-selling author John Grisham and Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa will also speak.

Although organized by prominent Democratic Party leaders — former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore will speak, in addition to Carter — the meeting is not intended to draft evangelical Christians to their base. And pastors who signed up said they have no veiled political agenda.

“Most of us will walk away very disappointed if it turns into a political rally,” said the Rev. Randy Sherron, pastor of Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary, N.C.

If any speaker tries to use this meeting to campaign, either for himself or herself or for others, that speaker will be met with an extremely cold shoulder.  That is not what this meeting is about.  If any speaker attempts to veer away from the meeting's agenda to electioneer, leaders of the event should be prepared to publicly disavow such remarks.   The goal of the meeting is to unite across many lines, including the red-blue divide, for the work that is at the heart of the gospel.

Campaign Round-up

1) Brownback helps build McCain Catholic support  (Dan Gilgoff)

There's a memo at the link regarding John McCain's Catholic support in the Florida primary.  The memo is from John Rankin, communications director for Sam Brownback's presidential campaign, who's been helping McCain with outreach to religious people who are politically conservative.

2)  McCain hoping to get Guiliani's Jewish Supporters (JTA)

Many of Rudy Giuliani's Jewish backers are defecting along with the former New York mayor to the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. John McCain, one McCain official said. . . .

[Fred Zeidman, McCain's top fund-raiser,]  said it would be a natural transition for supporters of Giuliani to switch to McCain.

"It's a trust issue," he said. "One of the things people always liked about Rudy Giuliani is that he was going to tell you what was on his mind." That was an implied dig at Romney, who has been painted by his Republican rivals as a poll-chasing flip-flopper.

Zeidman also said that Giuliani and McCain were similar in emphasizing a strong defense as the cornerstone of their foreign policy.

3) JTA reports on a phone call Jewish reporters recently had with Barack Obama

Asked why it was sufficient for him to denounce his church’s recent praise for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan but not resign from the church itself, Obama repeated his condemnation of Farrakhan’s “reprehensible” anti-Semitic views. Then he added what sounds like a promise: “My church has never issued anti-Semitic statements, nor have I heard my pastor utter anything anti-Semitic. If I have, I would have left the church.”

The audio of the phone call is at the link.

4)  Romney speaks to Ralph Reed, others (The Caucus via Spiritual Politics)

A few items of note from Mitt Romney’s morning event, in which he fought through a hoarse voice to address up about 150 supporters:

Among the notables in the audience was Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition.

Mr. Reed has ties to several Romney aides, including Gary Marx, who works on evangelical outreach for Mr. Romney. And Mr. Reed spent much of the event chatting with Peter Flaherty, Mr. Romney’s deputy campaign manager, who also does work for the campaign on social issues. But Mr. Reed insisted he was staying neutral in the contest.

The challenge for Mr. Romney, he said, is to get the conservative vote that was split in earlier states between Mike Huckabee, who has faded in Florida, and Fred D. Thompson, who has now dropped out.

“If Mitt can get that vote, he can win the nomination,” he said.

5) Obama cancels visit to Utah out of respect for funeral services for LDS president Salt Lake Tribune)

Sen. Barack Obama has canceled his visit to Utah in advance of the state's presidential primary next Tuesday out of respect for funeral services of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
    The Illinois Democrat was scheduled to drop by the state for a short appearance in Salt Lake City, but his campaign said Tuesday the visit was off. Because of previously scheduled events, Obama won't be able to make the trek to the state another time but plans to send surrogates to stump for him.
    "Last night I spoke with President Thomas Monson and expressed my deepest sympathies to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley," Obama said in a statement. Monson is Hinckley's likely successor.

6)  Remarks by incoming senior pastor of Obama's church

Given the fact that Trinity United Church of Christ of Chicago, Barack Obama's church, has been the topic of some discussion on the campaign trail, this video of some remarks by the incoming senior pastor of the church, Otis Moss, may be of interest.   Dr. Jeremiah Wright, the current senior pastor of the church, is reportedly retiring later this month. 

Copeland Vows to Resist Any Subpoena From Senate Finance Committee

This piece of information on the Grassley investigation is somewhat dated, but I want to note it for the record:

In rousing style, the televangelist Kenneth Copeland has pledged to fight efforts by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to make his Christian ministry’s finances public, reports Roll Call, a Washington political newspaper.

During a closed-circuit broadcast last week to about 1,000 ministers and other guests, Roll Call reports that Mr. Copeland said he would vigorously resist the request.

“You render unto the government what belongs to the government. And you render unto God what belongs to God,” he said, according to the newspaper. “You can go get a subpoena, and I won’t give it to you,” Mr. Copeland continues. “It’s not yours, it’s God’s and you’re not going to get it and that’s something I’ll go to prison over. So, just get over it.”

CSM on the Celebration of the New Baptist Covenant

The Christian Science Monitor on the celebration of the New Baptist Covenant:

"In this country saturated with religion, there's a great struggle over what it means to be religious and particularly to be Christian," says Dr. [David] Gushee, who teaches Christian ethics [at Mercer University]. "There's a clash in visions between what the [Southern Baptist Convention] leadership says it means to be Baptist and what this large group of other Baptists is projecting it to mean."

Another trend that helped spur the New Baptist Covenant is the "softening" of denominational identity.

The dynamic growth in nondenominational megachurches has wooed people away from both black and white congregations, says Bill Leonard, dean and professor of church history at Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, N.C.

That concern, together with the disaffection of many young people, "has Baptists asking, 'What does it mean to use the B word?' " says Dr. Leonard. "How do we think together about that and pass on that identity ... to a new generation?"

Many students even in Baptist colleges find the Baptist label problematic because they associate it with hard-right politics and intolerance, Gushee says. "We need a Christ-centered vision ... that is full of love; that's about what we are for, not what we are against."

Organizers of the New Baptist Covenant have made strong efforts to bring college and seminary students to this week's meeting, during which Leonard will teach a course on "A New Baptist Identity for the 21st Century," giving the youths a voice in defining that future.

I'm on my way to the meeting today. 

Programming Note

I'll be on the road tomorrow and at a conference on Thursday and Friday.  I'll try to post as time and wireless connections permit.

More Coverage of Bush Visit to Baltimore Religious Social Service Provider (Updated)

I still have not found time to write about the speech President Bush gave earlier today at the offices of a Baltimore religious social service provider, but I want to flag two additional reports on the event.  For now at least, I'm providing excerpts from the reports without any comment.

1.  The Washington Examiner

Jericho is run by Episcopal Community Services of Maryland, an independent nonprofit with ties to the Episcopal Church. Executive Director Jean Cushman made clear that religion is not a big part of the program - "We're not saying you need to be a Christian," she said - but she credited faith for giving Jericho a larger sense of purpose.

"I think that how faith plays a part is that sense of holistic embracing of a person who has been shunned by society," Cushman said. "The holistic approach, that commitment that our staff has, I don't think you'd find in too many state government offices."

Jericho's $750,000 annual budget is mostly funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and has counseled 365 people since it began in March 2006. Of those, 247 have found jobs. The yearlong program costs $3,500 per client, Cushman said - less than 10 percent of the $38,000 annual cost of keeping a person incarcerated.

2.  The Washington Post

As Bush received a tour of the facility today, he was in high spirits, mugging for the cameras, querying participants about their lives and speaking of his faith in a "higher power." The White House allowed a reporter to sit in on a 20-minute meeting Bush had with Boyd, a security guard, and Moseley, who works at a warehouse after graduating from the Jericho program. . . .

Moseley told Bush they could use more such mentoring and counseling programs on the west side of Baltimore, and Bush replied: "There are programs like that all over the city; they are called churches."

"They are not sincere, like Jericho," Moseley replied, seeming to take Bush a bit aback.

"My only point to you is there are a lot of faith-based organizations that exist to help deal with very difficult problems," Bush said. "It starts with the notion that there is a higher power that will help people change their thinking.

"It's very important for everybody to understand that there is a commonality, that we all have to deal with the same problems in different ways," Bush said. "First is to recognize that there is a higher power. At least that helped in my life -- it helped me quit drinking."

Moseley interjected, "That's right, there is a higher power."

"Step One, right?" Bush said, alluding to Alcoholics Anonymous.. . .

[President Bush] asked Moseley how old his daughters are, and when told 17, 15 and 13, Bush said, "Hooo, man!"

"Girls love their dad, especially a redeemed dad," Bush said.

UPDATE:  Some video clips from Bush's speech are here.

Florida Republican Exit Polls (Updated)

The Florida Republican exit polls are here.  It looks like they asked Republican voters three religion-related questions -- their religious affiliation, whether they were a born again or evangelical Christian, and how often they attend religious service (if at all).  Here are some of the interesting data points: 

*  Huckabee and Romney tied in their share of the evangelical vote at 30% each.  McCain got 28% of the evangelical vote. 

* McCain continues to draw strong support from Catholics (33%), those with no religious affiliation (42%), and those who never attend religious services (41%).  Guiliani got 22% of the Catholic vote.

*  Romney was the most popular among those who attend religious services once a week.  He got 34% of their vote.  30% of this group voted for McCain, 16% for Guiliani, and 15% for Huckabee.   Romney also was the top choice of Protestant voters -- 36% of them voted for him.  McCain won 27% of the Protestant vote, and Huckabee won 22% of that vote.

*  McCain won 36% of the non-evangelical vote, with Romney a close second at 34%.  Guiliani won 21% of this group, while Huckabee got only 4%.

*  Huckabee came in last among those with no religious affiliation (3% of them voted for him) and last among those who never attend religious services (6% of them voted for Huckabee).

Of these findings, the one that really pops out is the fact that Huckabee and Romney tied in terms of the evangelical vote.  It seems like we have seen signs this week that a growing number of nationally known evangelicals who are politically conservative are coalescing around Romney.  This exit poll seems to demonstrate that that is happening at the grassroots level as well, at least to some extent.  Anyway, these are just some initial reactions.   Let me know if you have thoughts to share.

P.S.  May I just add that it would have been wonderful to have data like this from the South Carolina Democratic primary?  A message for the media powers-that-be:  Let's level the playing field in terms of the polling questions on religion.

UPDATE (1/30):  Ted Olsen has posted a very neat graph that shows how evangelical Republicans have voted thus far in the primaries.   He makes an excellent point -- in terms of the conservative evangelical vote, "Florida looks a lot like New Hampshire."  Check it out.

Another Report on the Celebration of the New Baptist Covenant

Rachel Zoll reports on the upcoming celebration of the New Baptist Covenant.  Here's her lede:  "Weary of Southern Baptists' dominance in American Protestantism, a new push is starting by other Baptist groups aimed at working on social justice issues, and showing their religious tradition is broader than the conservative SBC."

Missouri Catholic Bishops Call for End of Contest to Be Toughest on Illegal Immigrants

The Missouri Catholic Bishops have written a letter to the governor and elected officials of their state on the issue of immigration.  A press release describes some of the letter's contents:

The Missouri Catholic bishops issued a statement today delivered to Governor Matt Blunt and state legislators calling for an end to rhetoric in which political candidates vie to see who can be tougher on illegal immigrants. The statement urges a more positive discussion of immigrant-related concerns and how our state might best address these issues.

In the statement the bishops recall the Gospel story in which a lawyer asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” In response Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, who recognized the neighbor in distress while others ignored him. Even those lacking legal status in our country merit our compassionate response, according to the bishops.

While respecting national sovereignty, the bishops stated “that each person has a basic human right to migrate when faced with circumstances such as persecution, drought, famine or pervasive poverty.” Poverty in Mexico and Central America is so severe, the bishops note, that many people live on one dollar a day or less. Immigrants who cannot support themselves or their families in their home countries often come to find work and to send money back home to their families. The bishops asked “Would we, in their shoes, not do the same?”

Good question.  Read the whole thing.

Text of Bush's Remarks Today on Faith-based Initiative

As previously noted, President Bush gave a speech in Baltimore today on his faith-based initiative.   He made the speech at the offices of the Jericho Program, a program administered by Episcopal Community Services of Maryland.  The program helps former prisoners to re-enter their communities.  The text of Bush's remarks is here.  I'll comment on the speech later.

UPDATE:  As noted by the Baltimore Sun, "[t]he president's visit to Jericho, located in a rowhouse in the middle of an East Baltimore block, was timed to coincide with the seventh anniversary of an executive order creating the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives."  The Associated Press also covered the visit. 

More Choices than Charitable Choice

From President Bush's State of the Union address:

In communities across our land, we must trust in the good heart of the American people and empower them to serve their neighbors in need. Over the past seven years, more of our fellow citizens have discovered that the pursuit of happiness leads to the path of service. Americans have volunteered in record numbers. Charitable donations are higher than ever. Faith-based groups are bringing hope to pockets of despair with newfound support from the federal government. And to help guarantee equal treatment for faith-based organizations when they compete for federal funds, I ask you to permanently extend Charitable Choice.

This makes it sound as if the only way to welcome and include the participation of religious as well as non-religious organizations in delivering government-funded social services is to extend "Charitable Choice."  It is not.  Further, Charitable Choice is far from the best way for the government to interact with religious social service providers, in my view.  While I don't have time to discuss all aspects of Charitable Choice, let me mention three of its major flaws.

First, Charitable Choice attempts to allow religious providers to place religious tests on government-funded jobs.  Let me be clear: Religious organizations should be free to discriminate on the basis of religion vis-a-vis all of the jobs they fund with their own money.  But the government should not allow religious groups to turn away certain people from government-funded jobs simply because they are not religious or don't practice the "right" kind of faith. 

Bush Makes Final Push on His Faith-Based Initiative

From AP:

President Bush is visiting a Baltimore faith-based program that helps former inmates return to their communities on Tuesday.

Jean Cushman, executive director of Episcopal Community Services of Maryland, which runs the Jericho program, says they want Bush to see that it's an effective program that responds to the needs of former inmates and helps them think about their futures.

She hopes that the attention the president's visit is generating will attract more volunteers and even reach some former inmates who may not know about their services.

After his visit to the Jericho, the president is expected to make a statement on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

President Bush also spoke about his faith-based initiative in the State of the Union address last night, calling on Congress to permanently extend "Charitable Choice."  Meanwhile, David Kuo and John DiIulio have an op-ed in today's New York Times on this subject.  More on these things later.

New Baptist Covenant Celebration

Bruce Prescott collects the weekend press on the celebration of the New Baptist Covenant, which will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, later this week (January 30-February 1).  Big Daddy Weave (aka Aaron Weaver) gives the run-down of who will be blogging from the event.   I'll be there.  I'm not sure how much time I'll have for blogging, but I'll try to do some.  As Aaron says, Baptists Today is going to be a hub of information about the meeting, and it will feature blogging by Aaron, John Pierce, Tony Cartledge, and Bruce Gourley.   Other bloggers will include my friends Bruce Prescott (who also blogs at the unofficial New Baptist Covenant blog), Don Byrd, and Laura Seay (who will be blogging/writing at Ethics Daily). 

President of Mormon Church Dies

"Gordon B. Hinckley, the president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who led Mormonism through a period of global expansion, died Sunday at his apartment in Salt Lake City. He was 97. "  Here's more from the New York Times:

The church, which announced his death on its Web site, said a successor to Mr. Hinckley was not expected to be formally chosen until after his funeral.

Mr. Hinckley spent 46 years in the church’s top leadership ranks, nearly 13 of those as its 15th president, and became the its oldest president.

With his buoyant personality and affinity for public relations, Mr. Hinckley made Mormonism more familiar to the public and more accepted in the Christian fold. He gave news conferences and was the first church president to sit for interviews on “60 Minutes” and “Larry King Live.” When the Winter Olympics went to Salt Lake City in 2002, the church’s home base, he guided the church outreach campaign.

To emphasize its commonality with other churches, he changed the church’s logo, making the words “Jesus Christ” in the church’s name much larger than “Latter-day Saints.” He arranged to make the church’s huge library of genealogical records publicly available on the Internet.

“He’s been the face of the church, not only for church members, but more than any other president, to the world at large,” said Richard Lyman Bushman, professor of history emeritus at Columbia University, a member and scholar of the church. “He exposed himself to all these interviews and seemed to enjoy it. That has won the admiration of church members. We have been a little bit isolated and clannish, and it’s wonderful to see our church presented to the world.”

Mitt Romney said Monday that "he would miss the humility and wisdom of church President Gordon B. Hinckley and plans to attend his funeral in Salt Lake City."  According to this report, "at a church president’s death, the church’s most senior apostle is ordained within days on a unanimous vote of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. The most long-serving apostle now is Thomas S. Monson, 80."  The Salt Lake Tribune has more on the process of naming the next LDS president.

Baptists Dialogue with Representative of the Islamic Society of North America

Via the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog:

Leaders from the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), and the Alliance of Baptists met Jan 4-5 in Hartford, Conn. with Dr. Sayyid Syeed of the Islamic Society of North America, to begin discussions on ways Baptist and Muslims can speak, share and learn from each other as we seek to fulfill Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

South Carolina Democratic Exit Polls (Updated)

The MSNBC South Carolina Democratic exit polls are here.  More on this later.

UPDATE:   It appears that only one religion-related question was asked in the exit polls -- how often voters attend religious services (if at all).  I've copied the results in the space below. 

One of the interesting things is that Obama came out on top both with the group of people who attend religious services more than once a week (65% of them voted for Obama) and with the group of people who never attend religious services (38% of them voted for Obama).  This demonstrates a certain breadth of appeal.   It's worth noting that Obama often couples his discussion of religion with his discussion of church-state separation, and that he speaks about both in a very positive way.  These things might play some role in this broad appeal.  In any case, this dynamic is worth watching as we move forward.

Some Good Words from Huckabee

Huckabee, in last night's debate:

I don't try to impose [my faith] on other people. And I certainly would never use the auspices of government to try to push my faith.

But for me to run from it, impossible. It's who I am. . . .

The fact is, this country has always been a country where people were able to respect people who had faith. And frankly, we ought to be able to respect people who don't have any.

I mean, I don't feel like a person has to share my faith to share my love of this country.

Good for him.  Look below the fold for the full text of this Q and A and a question to and answer from Romney about his faith, the campaign, and the presidency.

Oregon Supreme Court Rules in Child Circumcision Case (Updated)

"The Oregon Supreme Court on Friday blocked a divorced former Southern Oregon man from circumcising his 12-year-old son against the wishes of the boy's mother."  Here's more from The Oregonian (via How Appealing):

The court ruled that the trial judge failed to determine whether the boy wanted to have the procedure. The child's mother, Lia Boldt, claims that circumcision is dangerous and that her son is afraid to say he doesn't want the procedure. Go here for the court's decision.

The court ordered the case back to the trial judge to determine the boy's wishes.

James Boldt, who converted to Judaism several years ago, wants to circumcise his son. As the custodial parent, he argued that he has wide latitude to make decisions for the boy.

The lower courts sided with the father.

The case attracted national attention. An anti-circumcision group based in Seattle said the practice was dangerous. Jewish groups joined the fray out of the concern that the Oregon court would restrict circumcision.

The amicus brief filed by the Jewish groups is here (thanks to Howard Friedman).  An excerpt from the Oregon Supreme Court's ruling is pasted in below.

UPDATE (1/26):  Reaction from interested groups in today's Oregonian:

In the end, both Jewish groups and circumcision opponents were satisfied with the ruling.

"We were concerned about there being a wholesale attack on the practice of male circumcision and were pleased to see that the Supreme Court did not accept a challenge to that practice," said Michael Simon, a Portland attorney who filed a brief on behalf of four national Jewish groups.

John D. Geisheker, executive director and general counsel of the Seattle-based Doctors Opposing Circumcision, said he was simply pleased to get the case back to the trial court to argue the merits of the practice.

"For a child to undergo a surgery he doesn't need is a human rights issue," Geisheker said.

Lee Rosen, a North Carolina divorce lawyer and family law expert who has been following the case, said it made sense to try to settle the dispute over what the boy really wants.

But Rosen also questioned the wisdom of giving the boy the final word and -- in effect -- forcing him to choose between his parents.

Senior Counsel to Grassley on Senate Finance Committee to Leave Post

" A top Senate aide responsible for much of the hard-nosed scrutiny of colleges and other nonprofit organizations in recent years has resigned."  Grassley's activities in this area have included his investigation of six "mega-ministries."  Here's more from The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Dean A. Zerbe, the senior counsel for Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, announced [yesterday] morning that he would leave his post at the end of February to become national managing director of Alliantgroup, a Houston-based tax-consulting company.

Since 2001, Mr. Zerbe has been the engine driving the ambitious agenda on nonprofit issues pursued by Mr. Grassley. . . .

Mr. Grassley plans to replace his top investigator with someone who will continue the committee’s scrutiny of colleges and other nonprofit groups, said a lobbyist familiar with the senator’s plans.

But they will be big shoes to fill. “They’ll never have Dean’s energy,” said the lobbyist. “Once you were in his sights, you know, he was ruthless.”

"The Fine Art of Sleeping in Church"

Did you catch the video of Bill Clinton dozing during the service celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday at Ebenezer Baptist Church?  I'm sure many of us could say, "been there, done that."  I would imagine that most of us, however, were lucky enough not to have dozed off while sitting right next to the pulpit at a service that was being nationally broadcast. 

Anyway, the episode inspired John Pierce to write the definitive post on "the fine art of sleeping in church."  Here are the first two steps of his advice:

Step one: Place your hands together with fingertips to your nose. This provides both support of the head and the appearance of praying.
Step two: Upon closing your eyes, move your lips a little so people will think you are praying and therefore more spiritual than sleepy.

Too bad President Clinton did not have the benefit of John's excellent advice.  Read the whole thing.

Eugene Scalia and Some Former "Lawyers for Fred" Declare Support for Romney

Marc Ambinder reports:

Eugene Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia and a former chief lawyer for the labor department, has been neutral in the presidential race until today. He's now aboard Lawyers for Romney, and joining him are about a dozen prominent Republican lawyers who, until Monday, had been supporters of Fred Thompson.

Regarding that last point, James Oliphant puts it this way: "A[s] far as legal-brained firepower goes, the chief beneficiary of Fred Thompson’s decision to pull out of the presidential race is Mitt Romney."  Ambinder provides the list of the new members of Romney's "Advisory Committee on the Constitution and the Courts."

"[T]he pulpit stands six feet above contradiction."

From the Long Beach Press Telegram (via Don Byrd):

Religious faith does say things about how people are supposed to live their life, and that does reach into politics, [the Rev. Jonathon Chute, pastor of Rolling Hills United Methodist Church] said. The danger is when there's only one voice being heard.

"We often say that the pulpit stands six feet above contradiction," he said. "We have to be careful about that."

Those sound like good words of caution to me.

Romney, Religion, and Government-Funded Social Services

From The Washington Independent:

During Mitt Romney’s time as governor of Massachusetts, he took only a few steps to help faith-based groups increase their access to public contracts to provide social services.

But the governor made one high-profile move that showed his commitment to the issue: Romney appointed his wife, Ann, in 2005 as an unpaid liaison to religious and community groups in the state. Her job was to help them compete for federal funding.

"I work with inner city at-risk youth," she told ABC News last year, "and we find that a lot of the black churches in the inner city have been very, very helpful in being there on the ground, helping these kids, really making a difference in their lives. I’m very supportive of that, of trying to find anyone that’s helping, give them a hand, as well."

Romney, a Mormon, has faced difficult questions about the role his religion might play in his public life. While he said some faith-based groups do a better job at helping poor families than some government social service agencies, he made clear that his support for such groups is limited to their secular work. "Helping them in a religious role… would be unacceptable," he said in the same ABC interview, appearing with his wife in the early stages of his presidential campaign.

A few quick comments.  First, Romney should be commended -- not criticized -- if he did not use his power as governor to single out religious groups and give them a leg up in the process of applying for government grants and contracts.  Religiously affiliated groups that offer non-religious social services have the same ability as other nongovernmental groups to seek government funding for those services, but the government should not give them any preference in that process.  Instead, when the government awards grants in this area, the process should be transparent and it should focus on effectiveness in serving the common good and compliance with constitutional principles.  Second, Romney also should be commended for recognizing that government grants should never  be used to subsidize or support a religious message.  When the government subsidizes or supports religion, it hurts not only the consciences of taxpayers and the workings of government but also the integrity and vitality of religion.  Finally, there was at least one interesting wrinkle on this topic that this story missed.  As the story at the link indicates, back in August 2006 the Boston Herald reported that Governor Mitt Romney had "quietly . . . withdrawn a $350,000 award earmarked for two organizations affiliated with the Rev. Eugene Rivers just weeks after he vowed to support the Dorchester minister’s plan to pay ex-cons and gang bangers in a bid to battle what the governor called a crime 'epidemic.' "  I'd like to know more about that case. 

Speaking of religious organizations and earmarks, I'd be interested in hearing from all of the presidential candidates about their positions on this issue.  Just yesterday, for example, Faith in Public Life highlighted a story from the Kansas City Star that began in the following way:  "Sens. Sam Brownback and Kit Bond used earmarks last year to direct about $1 million to an area group 'empowering the un-churched urban poor for the kingdom of Christ.' ”  The organization that received the government funds is World Impact, Inc..   Here's more from that story:

Bill to Add Sexual Orientation to Idaho Human Rights Act Progresses

"An Idaho Senate committee voted 6-2 [yesterday] to introduce legislation to extend Idaho's anti-discrimination laws to cover sexual orientation."  Here's more from the Spokesman Review:

If enacted, the bill would make Idaho the 21st state to make that change.

Legislative sponsors, who include both Republicans and Democrats, say the issue is not homosexuality – it’s discrimination. . . .

Today, 20 states have added sexual orientation to their non-discrimination laws, and 11 others have executive orders protecting public employees from such discrimination, [Leslie Goddard, director of the Idaho Human Rights Commission] said. . . .

The bill exempts religious organizations from the new non-discrimination provision. The Idaho Human Rights Act applies only to businesses with five or more employees.

The bill is here.

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Our household has been struck by the flu bug, so we haven't been able to participate in public celebrations of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King today.  But I have enjoyed singing the wonderful hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing."  If you'd like to sing along with all three verses, you can do so here  (the lyrics are pasted in below), or you can listen to this terrific choir sing the first verse of the hymn (see below YouTube video).   Thanks be to God for the life of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Early Report on New Grassley Letters? (Updated)

Is this coverage of the new round of letters Senator Grassley has said he would send to some of the "mega-ministries" he is investigating? 

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has urged six televangelists whose non-profit ministries are under investigation by the Senate Finance Committee to register with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

The ministries are run by Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar and Paula White.

Grassley also commended the financially ailing Oral Roberts University for accreditation from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

“Oral Roberts University is taking a huge step in the right direction by seeking membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability," Grassley said. "The mission of this council, to earn the public trust in certain tax-exempt organizations, contributes to public confidence in our nation’s tax policies. Likewise, regular review of the tax laws by policy makers, including the laws governing the tax-exempt sector, is important to sustaining public support for tax-exempt status.”

If memory (and a quick check) serves, this encouragement to join the ECFA was not part of the original round of letters send to the six "mega-ministries."  And it appears that Oral Roberts University (ORU) has only recently requested accreditation from the ECFA because accreditation from that group "is one of the stipulations by Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green before he would donate 62 million dollars to ORU."   But Senator Grassley has not yet posted any new letters or a press release, and I can't find any other coverage of this matter right now.   Perhaps the new letters are going out tomorrow and this reporter got a bit of a head start.  Or maybe these are just some comments from Grassley to the press, but it sounds like more than that.  I'll keep checking.  More on this later. 

UPDATE (1/23):  It appears that this was not early coverage of the new Grassley letters but rather just some comments from Senator Grassley related to ORU's recent request for accreditation from ECFA.  I'll keep my eyes peeled for the new letters.

South Carolina Republican Exit Polls

According to this exit poll of South Carolina Republicans, Huckabee won Protestants at 32% while McCain got 31% of their vote.  Huckabee also won 40% of evangelicals with McCain winning 27% and Thompson winning 15% in this category.   Romney got 12% of the evangelical vote.  McCain won Catholics at 43% with Romney "winning the silver" in this category with 26%.  Guiliani only won 4% of his fellow Catholics' votes.  McCain also decisively won the votes of people with no religious affiliation (35%); the second-place finisher in this category was Romney at 19%. 

Of those who attend church more than once a week, Huckabee won 47% of their vote and McCain won 24%.    Thompson was at 12% in this category.  Huckabee also won among those say that it "matters a great deal" that a candidate shares their religious beliefs (46%), and McCain came in second in this category (29%).  Among those who said it is "not at all" important that a candidate shares their religious beliefs, McCain came in first (39%) and Romney finished second (25%). 

Another interesting data point: Among non-evangelical Christians, McCain won 40%, Romney got 21%, Thompson 15%, and Huckabee 12%.

There's some more details on these findings below the fold.

Early Report on South Carolina Republican Exit Polls

Mark Halperin provides these numbers:

Evangelicals: Huckabee 41, McCain 27, Thompson 14, Romney 11

Nevada Democratic Exit Polls

There is some data on religion this time, although the Democratic exit poll I'm looking at apparently did not ask people whether they were evangelical or born-again Christians while the Republican exit poll I looked at earlier did.  Anyway, assuming I'm reading this poll correctly, it currently reports (and it has updated a bit while I've been looking at) that Clinton won 54% Protestants while Obama got 37%.   58% of Catholics caucused for Clinton while only 31% of them caucused for Obama.  Clinton won 67% of Jewish voters while 25% of them caucused for Obama.  Among those claiming no religious belief, Obama won 44%, while Clinton got 41%.  Obama also won among those who are religious but not Protestant, Catholic, "Other Christian," Jewish, Mormon, or Muslim -- 48% of them went for Obama, while only 27% went for Clinton.  There's more detail on these stats below the fold.   I'll keep watching to see if these stats change.

Seven Jewish Senators Release Letter Condemning Religious Smears Against Obama

TPM Election Cafe notes that seven Jewish members of the U.S. Senate have released an open letter condemning "hateful" emails that have been sent to "many in the Jewish community" that "use falsehood and innuendo about Senator Barack Obama's religion and attack him personally."   The signers are Senators Carl Levin, Barbara Boxer, Ben Cardin, Russ Feingold, Frank Lautenberg, Bernie Sanders, and Ron Wyden.  According to TPM Cafe, none of them has endorsed a candidate in the presidential race.  The full text of the letter is pasted in below the fold.  As noted earlier, a group of Jewish leaders sent a similar letter earlier this week.   

The letter from the Senators said, in part, "Jews, who have historically been the target of such attacks, should be the first to reject these tactics."  Congratulations to all these leaders for taking this approach. 

Nevada Caucus Republican Exit Polls (Updated)

"Mormons almost unanimously supported Mitt Romney in his easy victory Saturday in Nevada's Republican presidential caucuses, a preliminary survey found."  Here's more from the AP story:

Mormons comprised a quarter of those attending Nevada's GOP caucuses, and more than nine in 10 were voting for Romney, according to early results from the survey conducted for The Associated Press and television networks. Romney is a Mormon, and his religion has been cited as a problem by some Republican voters.

A narrow majority of those identifying themselves as Republicans — the bulk of the voters — backed Romney. Two-thirds of independents favored Ron Paul but they made up only about 10 percent of GOP caucusgoers. Romney and Paul were the only Republican candidates to campaign much in Nevada.

Given four choices, more Nevada Republicans called the economy and illegal immigration the top problems facing the country. The war in Iraq and terrorism lagged in importance. Romney led among voters in all four groups; John McCain came closest among those who said terrorism was most important.

NBC adds these details:  "Mormons make up about 7.5% of Nevada's population. But according to the entrance polls so far, a whopping 25% of those who participated in the state's GOP caucuses are Mormons.  And 94% of those people went with Romney. "

If I'm reading this exit poll correctly, Romney also won among evangelicals and Catholics.  Romney won 38% of evangelicals while Huckabee won 22%.  Romney won 38% of Catholics while McCain won 21%.  I've reproduced some of the relevant stats below the fold.

UPDATE:  Some of the numbers have changed so I've updated the post accordingly.

Campaign Round-up

1.  "Group of Black Ministers, Leaders Unite for Obama" (Newsday)

A group of black ministers and political leaders - a few of whom supported Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate bids - announced yesterday they have formed a united front to work on behalf of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in New York as well as in the upcoming nominating states of South Carolina and Nevada.

After a morning meeting with local campaign staff, Assemb. Karim Camara and other clergy and state and local leaders emerged from the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights to announce the grassroots effort.

"We are going to be active and do everything in our power to see that he wins South Carolina and that he wins Nevada," said Camara, who is pastor of First Baptist.

In addition to getting out the vote in New York, he said, the ministers will either visit South Carolina and Nevada or lobby pastors there.

About 40 ministers attended yesterday's meeting and "all but a handful" have signed on to help the campaign, said local Obama spokesman Richard Fife. He said the campaign has the names of 100 ministers who have expressed interest and was trying to confirm their support.

Traditionally influential in African-American communities, black clergy are coveted by campaigns, and the Clinton camp has its own star list of pastors, including the Rev. Floyd Flake, of the Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens; the Rev. James Forbes, of Riverside Church in Manhattan; and the Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, of the Bronx Christian Fellowship Church.

2.  "Romney Leaves South Carolina to Focus on Nevada Caucus" (NYT)

For Mr. Romney, Nevada presents a particular opportunity. His faith — he is a Mormon — proved a hindrance in Iowa and promises to be one in this state, which also has a significant number of evangelical voters who have a history of antipathy to Mormonism.

Yet his Mormonism is arguably an asset in Nevada, a state Mormons founded, which has a significant population of Mormons and whose voters, of whatever faith, have always seemed comfortable electing Mormons. Its senior senator, Harry Reid, a Democrat, is one of a number of Mormons in public office.

“Here you know Mormons,” said Ryan Erwin, who directs Mr. Romney’s effort in Nevada. “Mormons are your friends.”

As of 2000, the most recent year with reliable numbers, Mormons made up 6 percent of the Nevada population. They are prominent in all walks of life, including politics. “They are very powerful here,” said David F. Damore, a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “Normally you see this antagonism between the Christian right and Mormons. You don’t see that here.”

3.  Thompson talks about God and government, criticizes Huckabee as liberal in South Carolina (Boston Globe)

[Fred]Thompson, an actor and former Tennessee senator, has aggressively portrayed Huckabee as a liberal in Christian clothing.

Thompson is seeking to win South Carolina - and keep his struggling presidential bid alive - by wooing enough Christian conservative voters who might ordinarily choose Huckabee. And the plan could have a big payoff: a McClatchy/MSNBC poll released yesterday suggested that nearly 1 in 10 likely voters are undecided, the biggest bloc of them evangelical Christians.

At a campaign stop in Orangeburg, S.C., on Wednesday night, Thompson continued his efforts to attract Christians, saying America was founded on the belief that "basic rights come from God and not from any government," with laws based "on the wisdom of the ages and the Scriptures." That brought loud applause from the crowd of about 200 supporters packed in a small atrium on the campus of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.

"There are some in the Republican Party that think these are not as relevant as they used to be," he continued. "Some people think we need to go in a more moderate direction" to beat the Democrats and hold on to the White House in November. "I think that's the opposite of what we need to do," Thompson said, drawing more applause.

4.  Coverage of Thompson on the stump in South Carolina (Dan Gilgoff)

The questioner, hungry for more red meat on hot-button social issues, threw Thompson a softball: “And what about keeping 'In God We Trust' on our money and keeping references to God…”

. . . .“Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely,” he interrupted. “Our country was founded on those things and those beliefs. It’s on our monuments and on our currency. That says it all.”

. . . . Many national Christian Right figures have long expressed skepticism about Thompson after being initially bullish about him, with the drain in support due as much to his apparent lack of passion for social issues as to his actual positions. In an email briefing last night, Family Research Council Action president Tony Perkins wrote that Thompson is “struggling to interest [religious conservative] voters… when his manner suggests his own lack of passion for them.”

If Thompson was hoping to skirt the influence of evangelical power players like Perkins by taking his case directly to religious conservatives, he might run up against the same problems he encountered with their leadership. “I was hoping to get something more personal, more of a testimony,” said Amanda Capps, managing editor of the Laurens County Advertiser, after interviewing Thompson on his campaign bus following his appearance at Whiteford’s Giant Burger. “We want the right person to be in charge, and that starts with Jesus Christ.” . . . .

“We don’t want someone in office who goes to church once a year just to get credit,” said Austin New, a 27-year old forester who attended a Thompson Q&A in Abbeville this week. “We don’t want separation of church and state.”

5.  Huckabee says state should decide about Confederate flag (CNN) and pro-Confederate flag group runs ads supporting his position (TPM Election Central)

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told South Carolina voters Thursday that the government had no business making decisions over the Confederate flag.

"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," Huckabee said at a Myrtle Beach campaign event. "In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."

6.  "New Hampshire Grand Jury Investigating Push Polling on Romney's Religion" (Religion Clause)

A New Hampshire grand jury is investigating charges that a political polling firm, Moore Information, engaged in illegal "push polling" in a November telephone poll it conducted, according to reports by the AP and AHN. New Hampshire Statutes Sec. 664:2 defines "push--polling" as a telephone poll asking questions that imply information about an opposing candidate's character, status, stance or record, where those called are likely to think the call is from a source independent of a candidate. Sec. 664:16-a requires anyone engaged in push-polling to identify the candidate on whose behalf the call is being made.

7.  Split among conservative evangelicals in South Carolina benefits McCain (Los Angeles Times)

With populist rhetoric and a preacher's delivery, Huckabee campaigned in Greenville this week, supporting constitutional amendments on abortion and marriage.

"I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God," he said. His audiences often yelled "yes" and "amen."

Later, at a rally in Lexington, S.C., children gave him their Bibles to autograph.

"He's got the rhetorical skills of [Barack] Obama. He connects with people; he's glib and relaxed," said David Woodard, a professor of political science at Clemson University in South Carolina. "But that doesn't necessarily translate into votes."

Observers say the evangelical split is likely to profit one candidate in particular: McCain. He has proven his ability to attract independent voters in New Hampshire and could benefit from South Carolina's open primary, as well as from its large population of veterans.

8.  "Back Off Criticism of Obama's Church" (Commentary by Deborah Douglas in Chicago Sun-Times)

[W]hen people stoop so low as to criticize and deconstruct Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama's South Side church, all that's left in their tired analysis on the cultural relevance and style of worship is a bunch of nothing.

This Trinity-bashing has to stop.

Last year, right-wing bloggers and pundits proclaimed Trinity's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a racist and separatist because the church calls itself "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian." They saw something suspect in choir members who don colorful African-inspired clothing and sway back and forth to the rhythms of spirit-filled gospel music.

The mean-spirited rhetoric is flaring up again as we approach the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primary. The latest offender is polemicist Christopher Hitchens, whose recent descriptions of Trinity at Slate.com -- and reprinted in these pages Saturday -- make him seem less like the leading intellectual I know him to be than an anthropologist from outer space. He called Wright, a former soldier who holds a doctorate, a "character" and Trinity a "substandard, shade-oriented place."

To Hitchens and others who would misinterpret the basic and authentic Christian message of Trinity, I say back off. You don't know who you're messing with. You're denigrating the best of black America. You're criticizing God-fearing folk who value education and put their money and time where their mouths are in ministering to the community. These so-called critics are the same types who castigate black people for failing to address problems that plague the community, including education, HIV/AIDS and financial responsibility.

9.  Huckabee runs "Christian Leader" ad in South Carolina (The Plank)

Eve Fairbanks says: "A Mason-Dixon poll finds the biggest group of undecided voters going into Saturday's GOP primary are evangelicals. Probably not coincidentally, I saw the ["Christian Leader"] ad, which rocketed Huckabee to stardom in Iowa but hasn't been seen much down here [in South Carolina], twice on TV tonight."    The ad is here.

Grassley Prepares Another Round of Letters

"Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is preparing another round of letters to Christian television ministries, prodding them to answer questions about their spending and the way they are governed, a spokeswoman said Thursday."  Here's more from the latest AP piece regarding the  Grassley investigation:

The senator's latest attempt to get answers from the holdouts comes as criticism of his probe is mounting within the evangelical establishment. The flagship magazine of the movement, Christianity Today, editorialized this month that the Grassley probe amounted to "oversight overstep" that risked delving improperly into theology.

Others _ including the head of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and the editor of Charisma, another evangelical magazine _ still support Grassley but say they've been pressured to change their positions.

The piece, written by Eric Gorski, also gets some information about the way Grassley plans to proceed and a quote from a member of the staff of Senator Max Baucus, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Oral Argument in Maryland Sex Ed Case

The Washington Post covers oral argument in a case challenging the content of a new sex education curriculum in Montgomery County, Maryland schools.  The Post says the debate "came down to two questions posed yesterday in a Rockville courtroom: Can the school board legally teach students that homosexuality is innate? And can the lessons discuss sex acts other than copulation?"  Here's more from the story:

Montgomery educators are defending the new curriculum, approved by the school board last summer, which addresses sexual orientation as a classroom topic for the first time. The lessons place the county at the fore of a trend among some of the nation's public schools toward more candor in discussing homosexuality. But they have prompted a strenuous challenge from religious conservatives who see the curriculum as a one-sided endorsement of homosexuality.

Until now, opposition has focused on the constitutional rights of Montgomery families whose religious beliefs do not abide homosexuality. But with yesterday's hearing before Circuit Court Judge William Rowan III, an attorney for the plaintiffs narrowed his focus to a few words in the disputed lessons.

Brandon Bolling, a lawyer from the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., challenged a passage in the 90-minute lessons that describes homosexuality as innate. That assertion, he said, violates a provision of a state law that says school curricula must be factual.

That sexual orientation is innate is a theory that has been rejected by courts in several states, Bolling said. "The Maryland law says you have to teach something that is factually accurate," he said. "They are not doing that. That is illegal."

School officials say the legal challenge intrudes on their right to do their job: writing curricula and teaching children. The new lessons survived an appeal last year to the Maryland State Board of Education, which determined it had no place to "second-guess the appropriateness" of the lessons.

"The purpose of the law in Maryland is to leave educational decisions to educators," said Judith Bresler, attorney for the county school board. She said critics were effectively asking the court to edit the curriculum "word by word."

The whole story is worth reading.

Note to the IRS: Come and get me

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal ran a full page ad that was an open letter from Pastor Kenneth D. Taylor of Calvary Assembly of God in Algoma, Wisconsin, to the IRS regarding its enforcement of the ban on electioneering activities by tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations as that ban applies to churches.  The letter was sponsored by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.  Here's how the letter begins:

I am the pastor of a small church in northeastern Wisconsin that is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.  We're writing today to call your bluff.

The IRS has said for years -- based on what we believe is a mistaken interpretation of the tax code -- that preachers can't support particular political figures or political positions in their sermons. 

I'm not going to comment on the theatrics, but I will comment on some of the legal issues the letter discusses.  It is true enough that the IRS has said that leaders of any tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (including, but certainly not limited to, churches) cannot endorse or oppose candidates for elective public office at official organizational events and in official organizational publications.  The reason is that the IRS attributes these activities to the organization, rather than the individual, and thus views them as violations of the ban on electioneering that applies to tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entities.  But the IRS has not said that preachers cannot support particular political positions in their sermons.  Here's some of what the IRS has said on this issue:

Campaign Round-up

1.   Jewish Voters, Clinton, and Obama  (Politico)

“Like so many other once skeptical constituencies, Hillary Rodham Clinton has won over Jewish voters,” said New York Democratic Rep. Anthony D. Weiner, who has endorsed her. “She is the favorite of the community now.”

Both her campaign and Obama’s have focused on Jewish community leaders with a steady stream of e-mails and conference calls that has accelerated recently. . . .

Obama has, in some ways, started down the same course that Clinton did. In the Senate, he proved his pro-Israel bona fides by, among other moves, backing Israel’s side of the 2006 war with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

He has the support of prominent Jewish members of Congress, including Reps. Robert Wexler of Florida, Adam B. Schiff of California and Steve Rothman of New Jersey.

Clinton’s larger number of Jewish congressional supporters includes Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada and nearly a dozen members from California and New York.

“Like many other segments of the American community, Jewish Americans see him as a unifying figure with the intellect and skill to make change,” said Rothman.

2.  Lieberman Campaigns for McCain in Florida (Miami Herald)

Joe Lieberman, the one-time Democrat who narrowly lost the vice presidency, stumped in South Florida for a Republican presidential candidate Wednesday evening, putting his former party on alert: The GOP is after the Jewish vote.

Lieberman told about 200 Republican Jewish activists that he's backing John McCain because his fellow senator and Iraq War hawk best understands the nature of the radical Islamic threat faced by ''our ally Israel'' -- while much of the Democratic Party has forsaken Israel.

''The Democratic Party, I believe, respectfully, has left the strongest roots of its foreign policy and national security,'' Lieberman said, adding that McCain ``has always believed that Israel is our natural ally, from the beginning of its modern existence to this day in the war against Islamic extremists and terrorists.''

The high-profile endorsement and comments -- mirroring Republican attacks on Democrats since 9/11 -- are a public-relations coup for McCain, as well as for the longstanding Republican campaign for the Jewish vote. Historically, when 20 percent of the Jewish vote has gone to a Republican, it has helped seal a GOP White House win.

3.    Obama's "Visionary Minimalism"  (Cass Sunstein in TNR via Peter Nixon)

"Visionary minimalist" may sound like an oxymoron, but in fact--and this is the key point--Obama's promise of change is credible in part because of his brand of minimalism. He is unifying, and therefore able to think ambitiously, because he insists that Americans are not different "types" who should see each other as adversaries engaged in some kind of culture war. Above all, Obama rejects identity politics. He participates in, and helps create, anti-identity politics. He does so by emphasizing that most people have diverse roles, loyalties, positions, and concerns, and that the familiar divisions are hopelessly inadequate ways of capturing people's self-understandings, or their hopes for their nation. Insisting that ordinary Americans "don't always understand the arguments between right and left, conservative and liberal," Obama asks politicians "to catch up with them." Many independents and Republicans have shown a keen interest in him precisely because he always sees, almost always respects, and not infrequently accepts their deepest commitments. . . .

Obama's minimalism thus has a clear pragmatic purpose. The challenges of health care reform, Iraq, economic growth, climate change, and energy independence cannot possibly be met well, and perhaps cannot be met at all, without cross-cutting coalitions. Real transformations require a degree of consensus. Obama's point also has intrinsic and not merely instrumental importance, and for one simple reason: It says something deeply true, and long neglected, about how Americans actually understand themselves. If Obama's visionary minimalism turns out to have enduring power, it will be for that reason.

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