Candidates Bound for Spiritual Showdown

Even in a non-debate, pundits still find a way to label somebody a winner

(NEWSER) - Pastor Rick stressed that last night's Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency wasn't a debate, but that won't stop the pundits from deciding who came out ahead:

• Byron York, of the National Review, sees the night as a big win for McCain, who's had a "much bigger life."

Obama 'has given faith more thought and reflection,' Cizik writes

(NEWSER) - The presidential race is a contest between different sets of philosophy, writes Richard Cizik, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. In an NAE newsletter, Cizik says Barack Obama is “a thinker who sees the grays in ethical choices” while McCain opts for the “clarity of moral opposites”—and that Obama “has given faith more thought and reflection” than McCain. More»

Warrren's examination of candidates' faith was absolutely un-American

(NEWSER) - Discussion of whether John McCain or Barack Obama "won" Saturday’s Saddleback inquisition misses the point, Kathleen Parker writes in the Washington Post. When the presidential candidates are publicly interrogated on their beliefs by a minister, even one as exemplary as Rick Warren, the only winner is the minister—and the biggest loser is America. More»

(AP) - Presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain differed on abortion tonight, with McCain saying a baby's human rights begin "at conception," while Obama restated his support for legalized abortion. Their comments came during a two-hour forum on faith and moral issues hosted by the minister Rick Warren at his megachurch in Orange County, Calif. The candidates were interviewed separately. More»

They no longer automatically claim Republican mantle

(NEWSER) - When Barack Obama and John McCain meet with pastor Rick Warren tomorrow, they’ll be fighting for the future of an increasingly split evangelical voting block, the Washington Post reports. Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, is at the forefront of a movement rippling through young evangelicals and prompting them to focus on issues outside the normal Republican purview, like AIDS, poverty, and climate change. More»