rvineis
rvineis is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by rvineis
“Our Values”
By rvineis — January 2, 2008
Huckabee has a new ad out for Iowa. The message is on Huck’s pro-life background and reminds Iowans that Mike is no Mitt. Like the “floating cross” ad, this video has a Christian symbol in the background: an ichthys. Will this ad create the same media buzz like the Christmas commercial? We shall see…
Huck Shakes Up GOP
By rvineis — December 30, 2007
This weekend’s NYT has worthwhile piece by David Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick explains how the rise of Huckabee might be signaling a change in the traditional anatomy of the GOP. “Now his success is setting off a debate in his party over whether his success marks the fading of the old Reaganite conservative coalition — social conservatives, […]
Huck Angers Catholics
By rvineis — December 23, 2007
Reuters’ Jim Forsyth has this story on how Mike Huckabee’s appearance at a controversial church might anger some Catholic voters. The anger surrounds the church’s pastor John Hagee. “Hagee has a history of denigrating the Catholic religion,” said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, the largest Catholic civil rights group in the United States. […]
Obama: I’m not a Muslim
By rvineis — December 23, 2007
Barack Obama clarified his faith Sunday telling voters in Iowa that although his father lived in a “Muslim dominated village in Kenya” he “didn’t practice Islam.”
Blair Converts to Catholicism
By rvineis — December 22, 2007
Across the pond, former PM Tony Blair officially converted to Catholicism on Friday. Blair had been a member of the Church of England during his years on Downing Street. He “told the BBC this year that he had avoided talking about his religious views while in office for about 10 years for fear of being […]
Video: Christmas Campaign Ads
By rvineis — December 22, 2007
As both Christmas and the primaries near, the candidates are each crafting their own holiday messages to the voters. Mike Huckabee caused quite a stir with his “What Really Matters”, floating cross video. However, the other campaigns’ ads are not to be ignored for the way they choose to integrate Christmas with politics. Here are […]
Faith In America’s Voters
By rvineis — December 22, 2007
The Weekly Standard‘s Christopher Caldwell tells the readers of the Financial Times here why he believes religion appears to matter more in this race than before.
Gospel’s Own Party
By rvineis — December 19, 2007
Harold Meyerson’s piece today echoes earlier sentiments from Charles Krauthammer. Both men are concerned about the role religion is playing in today’s Republican party. Meyerson: “We’ve seen this kind of Christianity before in America. It’s more tribal than religious, and it surges at those times when our country is growing more diverse and economic opportunity […]
Mormon Problem Persists
By rvineis — December 18, 2007
Stuart Rothenberg agrees with the notion that Romney’s speech did little to sway evangelicals. He feels that the speech did not bridge the fundamental gap that causes evangelical objections of Mormonism. “Given that evangelicals see Mormonism as deceptive and an attempt to pass itself off as a form of Christianity, one speech about tolerance and […]
What Really Matters
By rvineis — December 18, 2007
This new Huckabee commercial is a must watch. It is an advertisement where Huck denounces traditional political ads and reminds us that the importance of this season is “the celebration of the birth of Christ.”
McCain on Faith
By rvineis — December 17, 2007
Sunday, John McCain was asked whether he had “accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior” on a campaign stop in South Carolina. McCain answered he is “a man of faith.” Read the full story from CNN here.
Video: Fred Thompson speaks to Miami Church
By rvineis — December 14, 2007
While Fred Thompson hasnt been feeling much love from Iowa evangelicals, check out this video of a warm reception from a Miami area church.
The God Strategy
By rvineis — December 14, 2007
David Domke and Kevin Coe have teamed up to publish a new book, The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. The book highlights the increase of religious rhetoric in recent years. “On average, presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter mentioned God in less than half of their major addresses. Put […]
Piety taken to excess
By rvineis — December 13, 2007
Tomorrow’s Washington Post will feature a piece by Charles Krauthammer who is a bit perturbed about the current religious debate. Check out this change of pace in our national dialogue.
Obama’s Faith in America
By rvineis — December 12, 2007
In an effort to break the monopoly Republicans are holding on Spiritual Politics, I went searching to see if any Democrats have extended a hand to religious voters. Obama did, and he too, had his own “Faith in America” speech in June ’06. It had some remarkable similarities to Mitt’s including; “I informed Mr. [Alan] […]
