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Why not then seek a state ban in South Dakota first before going after the Federal Marriage Amendment?

That's something I would not be surprised to see surface in the state legislature this year in South Dakota. But I think we have discovered that individual states can take those steps, but if those state laws are challenged in federal courts and the courts say they're unconstitutional, the only way to really fix it permanently is to mend the federal Constitution.

The President's second-term agenda seems largely focused on economic issues and foreign policy. What about the so-called values issues?

Social Security, tax-reform, and the war on terror are very important to me. But we cannot overlook the voice of the people in this last election when it comes to issues like the sanctity of life and defending traditional marriage. Those issues need to be a part of this agenda. It was certainly clear from last fall's election that those issues were important to the people in this country.

Skipping back to foreign policy, why might Christians have a special interest in seeing democracy spread in the Middle East?

Christians obviously want to see people come to the Christian faith, but they want to see people have the choice to be able to choose. Religious freedom, political freedom, political liberty, and economic freedom all tend to go hand in hand. Liberating Iraq from decades of tyranny and dictatorship, bringing about political freedom, will create an atmosphere of where religious freedom will come to Iraq. And that opens the door, obviously, for the Christian faith there as well.

Christians look around the world and want to see people who are in a position to be able to make decisions, to have the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. That is, like the President says, our birthright. Our Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers said, "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." And those rights are endowed by our Creator, they're not bestowed by any government.

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More about John Thune's history is available from his Senate page.

Earlier, we covered John Thune's campaign against Tom Daschle.

Biola University is proud of its graduate, and is highlighting Thune in advertisements.

Other recent Christianity Today political coverage includes:

More Culture of Life, Please | We like what we heard, we just didn't hear enough of it. (Feb. 03, 2005)

Iraq's Christians Disenfranchised at Home and in U.S. | Assyrians are fighting for survival in a region that has long sought their ouster. (Jan. 31, 2005)

No Compromise? | Calls for restraint and civility work both ways. (Jan. 28, 2005)

Opportunity of a Generation | Five issues will test the strength and unity of Christian conservatives in the new term. (Jan. 20, 2005)

Faith-based, Results-focused | Jim Towey says Bush will push hard for compassion initiative in second term (Jan. 20, 2005)

Same Song, Second Term | It is a unique political moment for Christian conservatives—or is it?—A Christianity Today editorial (Jan. 10, 2005)

The New Civil War | Christians must be driven by the common good, not by any ideology. (Jan. 19, 2005)

Full Court Pressure | The battle for marriage shifts from voters to lawyers and lobbyists. (Dec. 30, 2004)

Dobson on the Gay Marriage Battle | The Nov. 2 election was the first step in a long fight for traditional marriage. (Dec. 30, 2004)

'Moral Values' Tops Voters' Concerns—But What Does It Mean? | Sexual morality probably trumped social justice concerns, say observers. (Nov. 04, 2004)

Evangelicals' Political Power: From Question Mark to Exclamation Mark | Activists say same-sex marriage ban, abortion limits, and judicial appointments top agenda. (Nov. 04, 2004)

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February (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49