Obama Not Bridging the Gap on Culture Wars

Centrist evangelicals like me embraced Barack Obama’s campaign pledge to help bridge the gaps of the culture wars. Instead, the president’s short record on abortion-related issues is familiar— and disappointing — rather than revolutionary.
By David P. Gushee
March 16, 2009

It's no secret that a group of self-identified centrist or moderate evangelicals built a friendly relationship with Barack Obama and rejected the Christian right's vilification of him. I am in this group, which has also included megachurch pastor Joel Hunter, evangelical lobbyist Rich Cizik, academic-activist Ron Sider and others.

(Change of course: President Obama has lifted a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, and he has appointed Kathleen Sebelius as chief of Health and Human Services. For many people who believe life begins with conception, this is a bad start to his administration./ Larry Downing, Reuters)

This positive relationship has flowed from three factors. the rest