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Morality Isn’t Guaranteed By Politics in Jesus’ Name
As the emotions from the 2004 election recede, it is time to contemplate its meaning. There is a multitude of exit poll data to examine, but here is a set of numbers that caught my eye.

--Persons who say they attend church more than weekly: Bush 64 percent, Kerry 35 percent.

--Persons whose annual income is greater than $200,000: Bush 64 percent, Kerry 35 percent.

--Persons whose annual income is less than $15,000: Bush 36 percent, Kerry 63 percent.

These numbers are so stunning that it takes a moment to recognize what they are saying. It is apparent that there has been a major shift in the identity of the church, and it is difficult to imagine a more searing indictment of Christianity in America.

If those who attend church more than weekly represent its most committed members, those whose identity is most closely connected to the church, then what do the numbers tell us?

They tell us that the church votes just like rich people and just the opposite of poor people....

...Instead of values like peace and justice, which I understand to be at the core of the genuine gospel, this false gospel places at its center a collection of political positions on issues like gay marriage and stem-cell research.

Notice that this political ideology has used these new issues to move its former marquee issue, abortion, away from the center.

After eight years of steady decline under the presidency of Bill Clinton, the number of abortions began to rise again under the leadership of George W. Bush. Despite attempts to cover up these embarrassing facts, this issue has lost value for the Christian right-wing, political ideology and is being replaced by others...