Joe the plumber has faith
T
he man known to most Americans as “Joe The Plumber” recently talked to an Ohio radio station about his future plans.
Joe, whose last name is Wurzelbacher, made national news during the presidential election campaign when he met then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama who was out campaigning and took issue with Obama’s proposed tax plan. Eventually he became a household name after then-Republican presidential candidate John McCain brought him up during one of the presidential debates.
Wurzelbacher is back in the new. His recent comments were featured as the Religion News Services’s “Quote of the Day” on Thursday.
“Being a Christian, I’m pretty well protected by God. That’s not saying he’s going to stop a mortar for me, but you gotta take the chance,” he told WNWO-TV in Toledo, Ohio, about his plans to report from the Middle East for a conservative Christian Web site, www.pjtv.com. The RNS reports that he was quoted by The Washington Post.
Guess the plumber’s 15 minutes of fame just keep getting longer and longer.
(AP PHOTO ABOVE)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faith at the polls
I read the other day about people who became addicted to the presidential election.
Now that it is over they are fighting withdrawal.
If there are any folks like that reading this blog, here is something for your election taste buds to savor: Beliefnet has released the results of its exit poll.
It is an interesting look at the beliefs of the people who voted for Obama/Biden ticket or McCain/Palin ticket. Read it by clicking here: Beliefnet’s exit poll.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Quiz: Candidates’ faith beliefs
Folks who have already voted can go to Beliefnet.com and take the Web site’s exit poll.
Also, the Web site features an interesting quiz that allows you to test your knowledge of the presidential (and vice presidential) candidates’ faith beliefs and some of the news surrounding their religious views.
Take the quiz by clicking here: Quiz
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Faith and the election
If you aren’t overwhelmed by all the election commentary, campaigning, rumors and more rumors, here are some interesting insights from Steven Waldman, editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com and author of the book “Founding Faith: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America.
Here are Waldman’s Top Ten Faith Factors to be watching for on Tuesday.
For those of you who may be interested in what else he has to say, he will be blogging the election live at www.Beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman.
Ten Faith Factors for Election Night1.How Many Obamagelicals Are There? – It might seem farfetched that a socialist-terror-lovin’-pro-abortion candidate like Obama could win any evangelical Christians but he’s been courting them fervently since he began his presidential run. The key the 40% of evangelicals who call themselves “moderate” or “liberal.” Point of reference: John Kerry won 21% of white evangelicals, Gore 18%. Bill Clinton in 1996 won 26%.
2. Will Palin Turn Out the “Religious Right”? — By picking Sarah Palin, John McCain gambled that she’d be able to rev up the evangelical “base.” Even as her popularity has fallen generally, evangelicals still love her (some even believing she was sent to battle the anti-Christ.) Assuming most conservative evangelicals vote for McCain, the second question is: how many will show up? Point of reference: white evangelicals accounted for 23% of the electorate in 2004.
3. Do Midwestern Evangelicals Split With Their Brethren? — Recent polls have showed Obama trailing badly among evangelicals in
5. Can Obama Finally Bowl a Strike With Skeptical White Catholics? – During the primaries, Obama did poorly with white Catholics, often working class ethnics or their offspring. Remember his feeble attempt to curry favor through bowling? They tend to be culturally conservative and haven’t voted for a Democrat since 1996. On the other hand, they’re especially concerned about the economy this year, and Joe Biden has been trying to bond with them as a fellow “cultural Catholics.” Point of reference: In 2004, Bush won 56% of white Catholics, Kerry 43%.
6. Will Whitebread Protestants Back the Black Guy? – Recent polls show Democrats gaining with a group that had leaned Republican for most of the past few decades – Mainline Protestants. It appears that while Sarah Palin energized evangelicals, she may have alienated some Mainliners. In 2004, they went for President George W. Bush 54%-46%.
7. Will Latino Protestants Vote Their Values or the Pocketbook? – One positive trend for Obama will likely be the shift of Latinos from the Republican side, where they resided in 2004, to the Democrats. The hidden religious story: most of the shift is driven by Latino Protestants. Many are evangelical and liked Bush’s Christian faith and his conservative positions on social issues (gay marriage, abortion) but have shifted to Obama because of the economy and concerns about immigration.
8. How Will the Kinda-Sorta Religious Vote? – In recent elections, the most religious you were, the more likely you were to vote Republican. This is known as the God Gap, which will still certainly exist. But watch for two things: among weekly churchoers how big is McCain’s margin? Bush won that group 61%-39% Second, Kerry last time beat Bush among more occasional churchgoers 53%-47%. Will Obama increase that margin?
9. Will Jews Schlep to Republican Side? – This only really matters in
Will that go up or down? If it becomes an even more dominant force within the party, how will that shape either the way McCain governs if he wins or, if he loses, how the Republicans re-invent themselves.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
On TV: What the candidates believe
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, the PBS news magazine, will feature a report called “2008 Campaign: Privacy and Media Ethics” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on OETA Channel 13 (Cox Channel 14).
Bob Abernethy will moderate a discussion on the ethics of covering a candidate’s personal and religious life featuring PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler, Kelly McBride with the Poynter Institute and Tom Rosenstiel from the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
On the same program, Kim Lawton will take a look at the religious beliefs of John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
‘Faith moms’ for Palin
The Christian Defense Coalition is reminding folks to remember that key demographic groups in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were “soccer and security moms.”
Today the coalition, in a Christian Newswire statement, says that “faith moms” will play a key role in deciding who goes to the White House.
“Faith moms,” the coalition said, represent ”millions of women who attend weekly Bible studies; volunteer for and coordinate church activates and are the foundation of thousands of churches across America.”
These faith moms have been energized by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain’s running mate, ”like no other national candidate in history.”
The Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, the coalition’s director said Palin has energized faith moms just like Democrat Barack Obama has galvanized American blacks.
“Governor Palin has motivated these ‘Faith Moms’ in a way that no politician has ever done before,” Mahoney said in his statement.
“In fact, many of the women that I have talked with over the past week have been disillusioned with the political process because they felt that their political leaders in Washington have been out of touch with their concerns and values. That has all changed now that ‘one of them’ has been nominated for Vice- President of the United States.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Palin packs positive punch for McCain, evangelical says
With all the stories and comments about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin these days, I wondered what Southern Baptist Convention leader Richard Land had to say about the vice presidential nominee.
Turns out Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, shared his views of Palin’s impact on Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid on CNN’s The Situation Room just a few hours ago.
According to the transcript of the show, available on CNN.com, Land said he thinks the addition of Palin is a positive for McCain as he seek’s the nation’s highest office with her as his running mate.
“It looks like, when they picked her, that they put the whole base on Red Bull. Yes, it is amazing how it has energized the base,” Land is reportedly said on the cable TV news show.
Land visited Oklahoma City on Aug. 19 at the request of the Capital Baptist Association of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. During my interview with him, he predicted that McCain has particularly gained support from evangelicals because of his pro-life stance.
Land has never been one to mince words so I could easily see him likening Palin’s impact on McCain’s evangelical support base to a surge of a high profile energy drink.
That’s got to be good news to McCain’s camp.
(Photo above, David McDaniel/The Oklahoman: Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, talk about religion and politics during an August interview in Oklahoma City.
Religion Editor
Carla Hinton
Teen mom and family gain Christian support
You’d have to be hiding under a rock somewhere not to know by now that the 17-year-old unmarried daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is pregnant.
And unless you have not seen a television or newspaper in the last couple of days, you already know that Palin is the running mate of Republican presumptive presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. As such her life, for better or worse, is an open book, she and her family are finding out today.
Several leaders of national Christian groups have come out in support of Palin’s daughter, Bristol, and Palin’s family for the way they have dealt with this situation thus far. According to news reports the family is supportive of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and they have announced that she is to marry the child’s father.
Read on for excerpts of statements from some Christian leaders:
Melinda Delahoyde, Care Net president: “Every day, a parent learns the shocking news of a child’s unplanned pregnancy. Some, while disappointed, respond with unconditional love and offer their support and care. Others, for numerous reasons, often pressured by what others may think, encourage their child to choose abortion. Children, out of deference to a parent’s career and reputation – whether it’s as a pastor or as an elected official – may choose abortion. This decision brings grief to the entire family.
“The Palin family, however, has chosen a path not without difficulty, but one without the grief of abortion. They have showed to their daughter what so many children go without – unconditional love. Their example will pave the way for other parents, especially those in high profile careers, who are faced with the same circumstances.
“With the love and support of her family, Bristol has made a brave and difficult decision. She and her future husband will be in our prayers. Instead of choosing a quick escape, they have embraced the circumstances and chosen to have hope in what the unknown future may bring.”
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee: “The surprise announcement that Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter is pregnant provided another opportunity for the vice-presidential candidate to make a politically convenient choice or the right one. The family could have treated the innocent baby as a ‘punishment’ and secretly snuffed out the child’s life to avoid a high-profile embarrassment. Instead, they are embracing this unexpected baby as a child worthy of love, a human being who deserves respect, a weak member of their family who needs their care. The Palins have opened their family’s challenge for all the world to see, providing a beautiful example for other families, many who have faced the same predicament.”
Rev. Bob Schneck, National Clergy Council president: “This is a private family matter. The Palins, especially their teenage daughter, are entitled to privacy on this matter. Anyone who cares about young people will back off and give this young woman the space she needs. Anyone who exploits her for political or commercial gain is disgraceful.”
(AP Photo above right: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin comes off the stage to greet the crowd after appearing with Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., not in photo, during the “Road to the Convention Rally,” in Dayton, Ohio on Aug. 29. With her are her children Bristol, left, holding Trig, and Willow, center.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Did you watch Rick Warren’s civil forum?
Did you get to tune in to pastor and author Rick Warren’s civil forum featuring presumptive presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain?
Are you interested in hearing more about the forum and Warren’s 
thoughts about leadership? Go to Beliefnet.com for Warren’s post-forum interview.
Here’s a wrap-up (from an official news release sent out by Warren) of Warren’s related sermon that he delivered on Sunday:
“I am not an expert on politics, but I know a lot about leadership,” Warren said. “The guidelines for choosing a leader our nation needs and that God blesses are based on biblical qualities found in Proverbs.”
Warren dug deep into the Book of Wisdom, providing numerous Scripture references describing how God blesses leaders who “live with integrity, serve with humility and share with generosity,” pulling from his experience in training more than 500,000 pastoral leaders around the world.
“Today, most leaders are interested in image – what people think they are; but true leadership involves integrity, based on character and confidence, which is the number one need for leaders in America,” Warren said. “Integrity doesn’t mean perfection – no one is perfect – but it does mean being honest, which leads to credibility and trust.”
According to Warren, the second biblical quality for leadership is humility, which is marked by service to others. “True leaders are known by how they serve, not how many serve them,” he said. “Too many leaders start out in service that quickly evolves into ‘serve us.’ Humility doesn’t mean denying one’s strengths, but rather being honest about one’s weaknesses. Humility is not thinking less of oneself, it is thinking less about oneself, and the way to do that is to think of other people.
“The worst sin one can have is pride, which makes us enemies of God,” Warren added. “Humility is a declaration of dependence. Our president needs to be humble, and we should look for leaders who admit their dependence on God.”
With music intermixed between Warren’s points, multi-Grammy and Dove Award winning singer Michael W. Smith gave a warm praise anthem, “I’m Deep in Love With You Lord,” further centering the congregation’s focus on how to apply this morning’s sermon in their lives.
According to Warren, the third characteristic for a leader of influence is generosity. “Generosity is love in action,” he said. “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving; it is important that a leader give both his time and his money for others.”
Warren also noted that generosity involves compassion, and urged his audience to look at a leader’s compassion for others. “America is one of the most blessed nations in the world, and we need to be a blessing to others,” he said. “In a leader you are looking for someone who will speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”
The purpose of Warren’s sermon wasn’t to tell his congregants how to vote, but to provide them guidance from a biblical foundation in considering candidates for office – not just the presidency, but also senators, congressman, governors on down to electing local officials.
Warren then challenged congregants on things they can do between now and the election in November. “First pray – for the candidates, for yourself and for wisdom,” he said. “Second, check the candidates out – not just their position on issues, but also their character and competence. Third, register to vote. Fourth, and above all, vote.
“If you are saying, ‘I don’t like either candidate, maybe I won’t vote,’ then I say you need to move to another country,” Warren concluded. “Because if you don’t, you are giving up a privilege which people died to make possible.”
Rick Warren’s much-anticipated civil forum
Earlier I shared information about the Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion being hosted on Saturday by Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in California.
The forum is to feature presumptive presidential nominees Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama and Warren, Saddleback’s pastor and best-selling author of “The Purpose-Driven Life” will be moderator for the event.
I learned that Saddleback will show the forum live via its Web site at www.saddleback.com.
Since that first posting, I’ve received numerous e-mails from various religious groups and organizations featuring commentary about the upcoming forum and more information.
Today the Oklahoma City-based International Pentecostal Holiness Church Ministries sent me a news release that says that the forum will also be broadcast live on CNN and Fox News.
According to the IPHC news release, Warren has said the two-hour event will be held in a non-debate format and will be open to all media.
Both candidates have requested that questions be posed exclusively by Warren, instead of a panel or members of the audience. Each will converse separately with Warren for about one hour.
Warren is to deliver a special sermon on Sunday entitled “Making Up Your Mind: Questions to Consider before the Election,” which will be streamed live on the church Web site and made available for use in small group discussions within churches across the country.
Incidentally, the IHPC reports that about 6,500 tickets to the forum will be allotted for seating in six different venues throughout the Saddleback campus.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
