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"Bush, in a strikingly religious address even for a president long comfortable with such speech, cast the full range of his agenda—foreign, domestic and economic—in spiritual terms," Milbank writes. "Today's speech brought the most thorough linkage yet between Bush's worldly policies and Christian faith—including a pronouncement that an American attack on Iraq would be 'in the highest moral traditions of our country.'"

The linkage was shared by many listeners, Milbank found. "As Christians, we're commanded to be of strong courage," said Pennsylvania broadcaster J. Mark Horst. "He's taking what he reads in the Word and saying, 'This is what I believe, and I'm going to go for it.'"

"Mr. Bush has publicly made no distinction between his secular and religious sides. If anything, he presents them as one and the same." The Washington Times's Bill Sammon writes. "The growing emphasis on religious discourse has gone largely unchallenged by Democrats and the press. That is a major change from a few years ago, when Mr. Bush was widely criticized for mentioning Jesus Christ as his favorite philosopher in a debate during the presidential campaign." Sammon sees Bush's increasingly religious speech as "aimed in part at countering anti-war messages from groups affiliated with organized religions."

More on National Religious Broadcasters:

• President Bush addressing religious broadcasters | NRB chief calls Islam a 'pagan religion' (Associated Press)
  
  
• A chat with the NRB head | Last month, Glenn Plummer visited Jamaica (Jamaica Gleaner)

War in Iraq:

• Archbishop says war in Iraq unjustifiable | Archbishop Jukka Paarma of the Finnish Evangelical Church says a "pre-emptive" strike on Iraq can in no way be considered as a justified war (YLE, Finland)
  
  
• War, peace collide in sermons | Many churches oppose Iraq action, and ministers say so (The Christian Science Monitor)
  
  
• Iraq's Aziz to pray for peace at St Francis tomb | Aziz is due to meet Pope John Paul at the Vatican on Friday (Reuters)
  
  
• Morality of Iraq war debated | Issue still divides Christian leaders (The Times-Picayune, New Orleans)
  
  
• Religious groups in area mixed on Iraq war | War debate in Gainesville hints at the theological struggle some are going through (Gainesville Sun)
  
  
• Church of the Peaceniks | Religious leaders who oppose the Iraq war (Rod Dreher, National Review Online)

Politics and law:

• A president puts his faith in providence | Over the last two weeks, President George W. Bush has delivered several speeches laced with references to his religious beliefs (The New York Times)
  
  
• Also: Bush turns increasingly to language of religion | While pleasant to right, expression of faith could alienate many, critics say (The Baltimore Sun)
  
  
• In Europe, one continent under God. or not | After a week of deliberations, the jury is still out on whether the European Union will include a reference to God in its constitution (The New York Times)
  
  
• Also: Onward, Christian citizens | Europe's constitution should recognize and embrace the values that underpin a fair society (Will Hutton, The Observer, London)

Faith-based funding:

• A false choice | With his latest faith-based initiative, President Bush has shrewdly fine-tuned his tactics (Editorial, The Washington Post)
  
  
• Faith-based charity plan has doubters | President Bush's announcement of two new initiatives to promote faith-based charities, which he reiterated during his State of the Union address, has some people wondering whether his plan will lead to more government aid for people who need it or will simply bring more groups to an already picked-over table (The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram)
  
  

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February (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47