Republicans Want Evangelical Votes, But Not Evangelical Presidential Nominees

he and Laura belonged to one of the most liberal United Methodist Churches in Dallas and while he had a few common convictions with some Evangelicals, he didn't share core beliefs in common with them, like the exclusivity of Christ or the obligation to evangelize. He did not accept the Evangelical belief in the authority of the Bible or its inerrancy or infallibility. He claimed to be "pro-life" but his judicial appointments didn't require that litmus test. He may be the closest the GOP came to electing an Evangeical, but he's not in the doctrinal ball park with Carter, or even Truman or Clinton.

If the blogger applied his criticisms of W to Carter, the latter would fail "evangelical" criteria on the two points mentioned (Carter is not SBC, and Bush is Southern Methodist, quite different than Northern Methodist even if in the same denomination.

but he was prior to, during and long after leaving office. Bush belonged to the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas and then to the Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin. Both congregations are on the far left side of the theological and doctrinal spectrum of the UMC which is not Evangelical by definition. Some of the more liberal UMC congregations in the country are in the south, btw.

reagan was a farling of that crowd bit i don't think he actually claimed membership.

with Paula White, who is Word of Faith, which is a movement that has largely been rejected by Evangelicals. And he's never actually claimed to be "born again," he's publicly stated that he has never done anything for which he needed to ask forgiveness, which is a key component of Evangelical faith. And he wasn't anything when he sought the nomination. His association with the Evangelical movement came after his campaign people figured out they needed to play nice. His demeanor toward Evangelicals prior to his nomination was critical, caustic, sarcastic and he made fun of preachers and politicians.

Sorry, just had to ask