The Democratic convention in August offered another example of the ways religious belief confounds political loyalty oaths. At a \u201cfaith caucus\u201d\u009d organized by the Obama campaign, the speakers included the Rev. Charles Blake, presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ, a black Pentecostal denomination.<\/p>\n
Within the same sermon, Mr. Blake denounced the Democrats for supporting abortion rights, calling for outright resistance, and then turned his wrath against Republicans for being \u201csilent if not indifferent\u201d\u009d to social injustice. And both parts of the preaching were avidly received by the audience.<\/p>\n
Had commentators been paying attention, Mr. Blake\u2019s exhortation could have practically served as a prelude to the way many of his followers in California, where the Church of God in Christ is especially strong, split their tickets on Election Day between Mr. Obama and \u201cYes\u201d\u009d on Proposition 8. But if the standard view of the black church is that it is always liberal, based on its civil rights activism and Democratic voting habits, then this wellspring of social conservatism seemed to be some kind of shock.<\/p>\n