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There's lots more on religion and the convention over at Waldman's Beliefnet blog, including a noteworthy exchange with Marvin Olasky about his controversial column about the "once-born Kerry" vs. the "twice-born Bush." Amy Sullivan was an important read during the Democratic convention, but she's abandoned the religion watch this time around.

Preacher and broadcaster Stephen F. Olford dies of massive stroke
Stephen Olford, who pastored New York's influential Calvary Baptist Church from 1959 to 1973 and hosted the Encounter radio and television broadcasts, died Sunday after a massive stroke, Olford Ministries International reports.

"Stephen Olford was indeed a theological giant, a great Christian leader and a preacher without peer," Southern Baptist pastor Adrian Rogers told Baptist Press. "His impact on evangelical preachers is absolutely without dispute. He has left for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ an incalculable treasure of preaching materials."

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More on playing down religious conservatives at the convention:

• Conservatives take back seat at Republican convention | The U.S. Republican Party is presenting a moderate image at its national convention but conservatives who dominate the party say they are happy to stay in the background, confident that President Bush will take care of their interests if he wins the election (Reuters)
  
  
• Make the party all-inclusive again | Instead of catering to the radical right and dividing America, the president and the GOP should pursue a hopeful agenda that unites Republicans around unifying issues like cutting taxes, strengthening homeland security and winning the war on terror (Patrick Guerriero, The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Religious conservatives go mainstream | Today, they're not only in the tent, they occupy a big chunk of the bleachers — and they make up a significant portion of the South Carolina delegation here for this week's convention (The State, Columbia, S.C.)
  
  
• Christian right, sure of payoff should Bush win, is backstage in New York | At conventions past, the religious movement's leaders would have been upset by such a slight, but not this year (Newhouse News Service)
  
  
• Far right not thrilled about being left out | The "people of faith" are here, although you might not know by watching the convention coverage on television (Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post, Fla.)
  
  
• Bauer wishes core values had prime-time pull | Now for some reason, analysts have suddenly determined that philosophical diversity is important. A strategy that earned admiration in Boston is being viewed with skepticism in New York. (John Kass, Chicago Tribune)
  
  

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August (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48