In a year in which one state or another could tip the election, every demographic can play the spoiler, and the religious center is no exception.<\/p>\n
Candidates have already seen the danger of being associated with the religious fringe. Obama has famously rejected his far-left former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and he’s veering right while courting evangelicals, the first Democrat since Jimmy Carter to dare go there. Meanwhile, McCain has distanced himself from far-right televangelist John Hagee, who had endorsed him. He’s also moving ahead without the blessing of James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family and an influential leader of the religious right.<\/p>\n
So why the shift away from the poles? I raised this issue with my parishioner George Barker, a Virginia state senator and Presbyterian elder. He told me that “while many voters want a candidate with religious convictions and core values, most Americans do not want leaders whose absolutist beliefs diminish openness to others’ views.”<\/p>\n
He’s right. Indeed, Americans want to hear religious talk from their candidates, because faith provides a window on personal values and integrity. But voters don’t want someone with an extreme religious position. After all, the American president has to represent people of all faiths \u201d\u201d or of no faith.<\/p>\n