• Christianity,  Politics

    Does Romney’s Mormonism Matter?

    Does Mitt Romney’s Mormonism matter in his quest for the GOP nomination? Michael Gerson says no: Romney’s faith should not matter. Presidents are elected for their policy views, leadership skills and character, not their soteriology. Such theological convictions about salvation may be infinitely important, but they are politically irrelevant. The whole “no religious test for office” idea remains a good one. I think there is a little bit of overstatement here. It is not difficult to imagine a scenario in which theological convictions might impact our evaluation of a person’s fitness for office. If a candidate’s religion teaches that killing infidels is a sure path to eternal life, then I…

  • Politics

    Are Republicans Committing ‘Huckacide’?

    I might have titled this post “The Most Viable Candidate for President, Part 2” because it continues the theme of my earlier post about Mitt Romney. Pro-lifers must take very seriously the question of a candidate’s viability in a general election. It’s not enough to win the popularity contest among primary voters. The best candidate will be able to win the general election.

  • Politics

    Wayne Grudem Supports Mitt Romney for President

    People don’t usually turn to Wayne Grudem for advice about politics. He’s an evangelical theologian and scholar who has written what is perhaps the most widely used textbook on Systematic Theology among evangelicals. If you’ve got a question about any point of doctrine, Grudem is your go-to guy. Nevertheless, Grudem has just written a compelling article in support of Mitt Romney’s candidacy for president. It’s posted at Townhall.com, and it’s titled “Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney.” His bottom line is this:

  • Politics

    Romney Reaches to the Christian Right

    There are probably many Americans who do not understand why Mitt Romney has to “reach out” to the “Christian right” in his bid to become President of the United States. I’m sure there are many who would think Romney the Mormon would go with the Christian right like peas and carrots. After all, Mormons and Evangelicals both have conservative stances on social issues, in particular issues affecting the family. But matters are just not that simple. Evangelical Christians who know what Mormonism is do not consider Mormonism to be a Christian denomination, but a cult. On top of that, just a few short years ago this particular Mormon ran for…

  • Politics

    Conversion to the Pro-life Cause?

    I have already written about my doubts about Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani’s conversions to the pro-life cause. Despite what they say, I’m just not buying it. I think Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo sums up my sentiments better than I could myself: “Excuse me for being cynical but usually conversions occur on the road to Damascus – not on the road to Des Moines.” True that.

  • Politics

    Doonesbury Lampoons Romney

    Does Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney have the courage of his convictions? The comic strip Doonesbury doesn’t think so. As I have written before on this blog, he has a long way to go before he convinces pro-life voters that he is really pro-life. Right now, he appears to both liberals and conservatives as a rank opportunist whose “convictions” are shaped by whatever will get him the most votes in his next election. Thus far, his is hardly an inspiring candidacy.

  • Politics

    A Pro-lifer Hazards the GOP Field

    Have you noticed that there is a lot of buzz surrounding Democrats who are running for President in 2008, but not much for the Republicans? One of the reasons for this uneven coverage is certainly that the Democrats are coming out early. But another reason is that conservatives are frankly not going ga-ga over any of the Republican contenders.

  • Politics

    Which candidate holds extreme views on abortion?

    Going into the Democratic National Convention next week, the scuttlebutt is that the President will emphasize the abortion issue and will try to paint his opponent as extreme on abortion rights. I’m wondering if this is really the conversation that President Obama wants to have. I’m no shill for Governor Romney. As I’ve said many times before, Romney’s record on this issue is not inspiring in my view. His conversion to the pro-life cause has appeared to many as a political expedient. Even now, Romney holds a less than pure pro-life position—one that is to the left of his own party’s platform. He’s hardly an extremist.