David P. Gushee It’s the political silly season, when the daily campaign news concerns mainly swing-state strategizing and gotcha gaffes. But soon the debates will begin. The quality of these four encounters between the contenders for president and vice-president depends heavily on…
God is not a political football
In football, you want to move the ball forward towards the end zone. You want to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent. If they carry the ball too high on their pads it is an easy target to strip the…
A Mormon, 2 Catholics and a Protestant go into a homeless shelter
By Bill Leonard Religiously speaking, this presidential election is a fascinating moment in our national life, and for multiple reasons. First, one party nominated a Mormon and a Roman Catholic as president and vice president respectively, the first time in…
Profs probe ‘Mormon moment’
By Bob Allen Evangelicals going to the polls this November aren’t voting on whether Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is a Christian, but if he would make a better president than Barack Obama, a panel of Baptist seminary professors said…
First take on Obama’s DNC speech
By David P. Gushee Following up on last week’s column analyzing Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, here’s a parallel analysis of last night’s speech by President Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C….
Romney’s faith takes center stage
If you’ve followed the election coverage much over the past year you may have realized how absent Mitt Romney’s faith was from the national conversation. This marked a big shift from his 2008 bid when his Republican opponents attacked him…
The Mormon moment
By Bob Allen Nearly 200 years after religious zeal prompted a young convert named Joseph Smith to found a movement called the Latter-day Saints, the once-despised minority “cult” increasingly is going mainstream. With a Mormon running for president, a hit…
First take on Romney’s convention speech
By David Gushee What follows is an interpretation of Mitt Romney’s Republican National Convention speech on Thursday night, penned just after the event, without benefit (or harm) from listening to any pundit or reading any news stories. I will do…
Saddleback civil forum called off
By Bob Allen Saddleback Church pastor and Purpose-Driven Life author Rick Warren announced Aug. 22 that a civil forum planned with President Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been canceled. Warren, who held a similar event in…
Do you want a pastor-in-chief?
With the selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate, religious history was made. Some historians believe this is the first presidential, major party ticket that does not feature a Protestant running for president or vice-president. Romney is Mormon…
Faith leader criticizes Romney ad
By Bob Allen An interfaith leader and Baptist minister sent a letter Aug. 16 to presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticizing him for a campaign ad accusing President Obama of declaring “war on religion” by “forcing religious institutions to go against…
Faith leader criticizes Romney ad
By Bob Allen An interfaith leader and Baptist minister sent a letter Aug. 16 criticizing presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a campaign ad accusing President Obama of declaring “war on religion” by “forcing religious institutions to go against their faith.”…