Blog from the Capital

The news today is buzzing over a new Pew Forum poll about pentecostal and charismatic Christians, that primarily tells us of the enormous growth--not just here in the US but around the world--taking place in that segment of Christianity. And they also ask a version of the question I'm interested in: do you think religion has a place in politics? The Washington Times has more:

In nine of the 10 countries surveyed, a majority of Pentecostals and charismatics, together called renewalists, said religious groups should not stay out of political matters, according to the poll by Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. In the United States, 79 percent of Pentecostals supported religious expression about social and political issues, compared with 61 percent of all Americans.

"Historically, at least in the United States, Pentecostals were always seen as being apolitical," said John Green, Pew Forum's senior fellow in religion and American politics. "Whether or not that was once true in the United States, it is no longer, and it is certainly not true in the countries that we surveyed around the world. That gives them the opportunity to influence the social and political life of their country."

So far, so good. Religious expression about social and political issues is a good and, I think, necessary thing for the faithful. I don't know of any serious church-state separationists who believe religious people must be unconnected to the world or not point our faith towards the pressing issues of the day.

The important question though is not if but *how* religion should be relating to political life. And there's where they lose me.

52 percent of American Pentecostals said the government should work toward making the United States a Christian country.

Wow - over 50%. That's kind of shocking isn't it? You can read the report or executive summary here.