Locals weigh in on religion, Bush's victory

Local religious leaders and lay people disagree that conservative evangelical Christians are demanding "payback" of a conservative moral agenda from President Bush now that he has won a second term.

Bill Cummins

"Basically, I do not believe that the president owes anybody anything for delivering the election to him," said Bill Cummins, pastor of Lodi's Bear Creek Community Church. "The president is the president of all the people, not just one particular group of evangelicals or born-again believers.

"As Christians, our primary role is to pray for him, not make demands on what he should and should not do," Cummins said.

National evangelical leaders like D. James Kennedy, a Florida broadcast evangelist, and James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, have stated they expect Bush to "payback" the religious right for evangelical Christians deciding the election in his favor.

"Now that values voters have delivered for George Bush, he must deliver for their values," Kennedy told the Sacramento Bee.

"The defense of innocent unborn human life, the protection of marriage and the nomination and confirmation of federal judges who will interpret the Constitution, not make law from the bench, must be first priorities come January," Kennedy said.

Dobson told U.S. News & World Report, "The GOP has been given four years to deliver on marriage and life and family, and if they fumble it ... (we'll) stay home next time."

In a dozen swing states that decided the presidential election, moral values tied with the economy and jobs, according to Associated Press exit polls.

Bush won among those in swing states who picked moral values by 84-15, and he won among those who picked terrorism by 85-15.

Steve Newman

Steve Newman, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lodi, says that by driving a conservative social agenda, Bush is merely reflecting the values he already has.

"I would be hesitant to speak of paying back anyone," Newman said. "I do think it was clear that moral issues such as abortion, stem cell research and defense of marriage were important to many who voted for Bush."

Jan Ellis, a 17-year Galt resident, said there should be a sharp distinction between church and state.

"He is the president of all the people, not just Christians," Ellis said. "I think the Christian Coalition is trying to make it difficult for him to do it."

While maintaining a neutral stance personally, Mary Sanders, pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Galt, says that Bush will act on his own conservative issues rather than buckle to pressure from conservative Christians.

"I don't think that Bush is going to let anybody push him into anything he doesn't agree with," Sanders said. "I think he is a man who makes his own decisions."

Ken Owen

Ken Owen, founder of the conservative Lodi organization, Christian Community Concerns, denies that evangelicals are pressuring Bush to "deliver" a more conservative agenda than the president desires.

"It's the liberal media saying that," Owen said.

Bush definitely succeeded this year on moral issues, but the war on terror was instrumental in his re-election as well, Owen said.

"My take on it is you had the perfect storm here," Owen said.

During the past year, America debated whether "Under God" should be included in the Pledge of Allegiance, The Ten Commandments controversy in Alabama, the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome allowing the marriage of gay couples and 11 states voting on marriage being defined as being between a man and a woman, Owen said.

"You had all these things coming together," he said.

Father Rick Matters, of St. John's Episcopal Church in Lodi, said his congregation represent a broad political spectrum on national and international issues.

"They understand love of Christ and the power of his spirit to transcend our political solutions and bind us together as a body of Christ," Matters said.

"We are a church where people agree to disagree on current issues," Matters said. "As their spiritual leader, I encourage them to pray and permit their faith to inform how they vote."

Cummins said that being a good Christian does not necessarily make a good president.

"We all learned this years ago when Jimmy Carter was the president," Cummins said. "President Carter is a very solid evangelical Southern Baptist who teaches Sunday school classes and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, but he was a terrible president."

Stockton resident Paul House, who works in Lodi, believes that Bush probably owes conservative Christians special favors, but he takes the idea a step further.

"Actually, I wish (candidates) wouldn't campaign," House said. "Why can't they put up just one commercial and say, 'This is who I am?'

"With the millions of dollars spent on the campaign and commercials, they could have paid off the national debt and fed the hungry," House said.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.