Does it matter what faith a presidential candidate has, or does the outworking of that faith in public policy issues matter more?
I ask this question as some of my evangelical brothers and sisters worry about the Mormonism of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.
But what about the declared Christian faith of Barack Obama? He’s liberal on every issue evangelicals care about as his pastor of many years, Jeremiah Wright, didn’t preach salvation, but anti-Americanism. Jimmy Carter went to a Baptist Church every week and taught Sunday School. I was in his class. But his policies were dreadful on abortion and homosexuality and a lot of other things.
What about Ronald Reagan, who was so beloved by Christians? He rarely went to church, though he was a declared Christian, and he named Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court. Both justices voted to maintain the abortion status quo.
Romney and Huntsman say they are pro-life and for traditional marriage, less government spending and the rest of the conservative agenda. Should it matter, then, where or what they worship?
This article published on July 12, 2011.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
