Jump directly to the content

The Megachurch Primaries

How the leading Democratic candidates are trying to win evangelical votes.

South Carolina pastor Ron Carpenter was a popular guy as the 2008 presidential candidates geared up for the primaries. After he gave seven minutes of pulpit time in October to Sen. Barack Obama to talk about his faith, other campaigns began calling the megachurch pastor, asking for equal time.

For Carpenter, it wasn't easy to determine where to draw the line for his Greenville, South Carolina, congregation, which sits in key territory for the early primaries. He decided elected officials could speak about their faith in the pulpit, but not candidates who are not in office.

"I'm not willing to open up the floodgates and let somebody different in here every Sunday," said Carpenter. "I'm not foolish, I know why they're here. I'm not going to subject the church just to political pandering."

Carpenter had been surprised when Obama's campaign notified him that the Democratic candidate would worship in his church. Candidates, especially Democratic ones, had long appeared in African American churches, but Redemption World Outreach Center is a multiracial Pentecostal church with mostly white leadership.

Whether or not candidates worship in his 8,000-member church, Carpenter is pleased that political candidates want to talk about their Christian faith.

"The problem is, who can say that it's genuine or whether it's just a ploy to get votes?" Carpenter said. "I think the jury is out on that."

Wooing Evangelicals

Many political scientists attributed President Bush's successful reelection to the 78 percent of white evangelicals who voted for him, compared to the 21 percent who voted for Sen. John Kerry. "There was kind of a wake-up call that we don't talk about those things," said Mike McCurry, former press secretary for Bill Clinton. "In the course of the last two and a half decades with the Democrats, we lost our vocabulary."

Now many of the campaigns have someone on staff who directs religious outreach. But they have a tough job ahead; like the rest of the electorate, evangelical voting patterns may be difficult to predict.

Some voters will look for an electable candidate who will provide evangelicals with the greatest access, argues Corwin Smidt, executive director of the Paul Henry Institute at Calvin College. Others will only want a candidate who will pass policies that are consistent with their views.

"If you're wanting access, there's no guarantee that your voice will be heeded," Smidt said. "If you are voting for someone who has no chance of being elected, you've lost the chance of being heard. There's a risk in both directions."

The staff in charge of religious outreach will have to figure out the best sell: highlight the values religious voters feel most strongly about, make connections to the candidate's faith, or foster relationships with religious leaders.

Michael Cromartie, vice president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, thinks that although certain candidates have tried to talk about faith and have met with religious leaders, evangelicals will eventually vote for the candidate who most reflects their views.

"At the end of the day, voters are going to be asking not, Who have I seen you in pictures with? but, Where do you stand on the issues?" Cromartie said. "They've gone and hired these spiritual gurus to play to a constituency that they've never made inroads with. You won't get those inroads unless you change those policies."

Sidling Up and Saddling Up

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have both appeared at megachurch pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in California for separate AIDS conferences, in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Both senators spoke about the connection between Christian faith and the fight against AIDS.


More from Christianity Today

La complejidad hispana: Todo cambió en el 2012

¿Hacia dónde vamos?—Una palabra para los creyentes hispanos sobre forjar un futuro.
Jesus' Elevator Speech

Jesus' Elevator Speech

Or was it his inaugural address? There's a difference.

The Latest in Movie News, May 20, 2013

Box office news, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cannes, and AFI honors Mel Brooks.
Divine Rehab

Divine Rehab

Whatever your addiction, God's grace is the only hope for a way out.
Get Instant Access
Christianity Today Magazine
Subscribe now for a year (10 issues) at $24.95 for print, iPad, and instant web access.

International Orders

Comments

Displaying 1–3 of 30 comments

Franco

January 22, 2008  12:13pm

It does not surprise me that Rick Warren aka (Multimillion seller PDF) (Never misses the opportunity to tell all he reverse tithes) (Fox - "Can Rick Warren Ave the World"), does not miss an opportunity to be in the Lime Light. Shame on him and churches that give candidates a forum under the guise of "Aids". Bottom line - They support "Killing Babies", "Pro Gay & Lesbian" and they do not give a hoot about the Sovereignty of the United States, "open the Borders and Let Anyone In." It when the Mega Churches teach "Christianity Light", the Willow model of lets's entertain the folks in the pews, this is what you get. Christ told the apostles to "Feed my sheep." Two thousand years have passed and the pew sitters are as iqnorent as day one. If not dumber. They do not know the difference between grass and astro turf. How the Great Deceiver has woven his way into our churches and or prideful spirit let pastors keep feeding them satans deceit. The word of God & the Holy Spirit!!!

Strauch Family

January 17, 2008  8:28am

We voted for Bush, ironically in Ohio, last election. We were excited that our vote made a difference at the finish line. We balked at Kerry because of the gay marriage issue and abortion. What we got from Bush is a devasting war with the wrong enemy of Twin Tower Tragedy and a National Debt and State of Economy that is breaching debauchery. Did we save our babies by killing our older children and the poor? Is it a party issue or was the individual (Bush) the wrong choice? Faith-wise, what are we not gonna get with Hillary Clinton, that we got with George Bush?

Rrahman

January 15, 2008  6:09am

hi you are so good god bles you all en jesus your brodhe gretengs you.

See All 30 Comments
You must be a Christianity Today subscriber to post comments
(on articles open to the public, you must at least register for a free account).
Login
or
Subscribe
or
Register

Don't Miss

Forgiving Iran

Forgiving Iran

Long before I knew the true God, he helped me release my hatred.
Guilt Gone Wild

Guilt Gone Wild

The right kind of guilt can be healthy. But false guilt depletes your soul and ministry.

Training for "One Pitch" Preachers

Training for "One Pitch" Preachers

If you're stuck in a rut, this is how to mix things up.

more | current issue

Facebook

CT eBooks & Bible Studies


Shopping