The American Spectator

Political Hay

This summer, as has been its custom in recent years, the megachurch (Southern Baptist, not Willow Creek) I attend brought in a series of guest speakers while the pastor caught a break.

One of the most compelling was James Walker, president of the Watchman Fellowship, which fancies itself a Christian discerner of new religious movements, cults, the occult, and New Age-ism. On the Sunday he visited my church, Walker preached about the folly of Oprah Winfrey-ism, exposing her New Age beliefs and showing a clip from her program in which a Christian confronted her (and her panelists) with Bible truths.

While Oprah wields enviable influence throughout the country, Walker has also seen a noticeable uptick in inquiries to Watchman about a certain presidential candidate's faith. The curiosity is over the Mormonism of Republican Mitt Romney, and let's just say Walker -- himself a former Latter-Day Saint church member -- is concerned.

So what's the worry -- that his religion taints his stance on political issues?

"There are a lot of things I find in common with him," Walker said with sincerity.

Is it that their beliefs are a little, uh, wacky?

"An atheist could make the same case about a Christian," Walker responded, obviously thinking about seas parting and Lazarus rising.

So what's the problem, then?

"My main concern with a Romney presidency is the hundreds of thousands of new converts that would be brought into the Mormon church," he said.

While Walker gives pause, others in the conservative movement -- even Christians like talk show host Hugh Hewitt, who wrote a whole book backing Romney, and Bob Jones III -- have supported him. They argue for his morally upstanding lifestyle and principled stances that place him in the social conservative fold, despite his theological aberrations.

p>The former Massachusetts governor himself was dismissive of the potential influence he would have upon the growth of Mormonism should he be elected. From Hewitt's book, A Mormon in the White House : br> /p>

topics:
Harry Reid, Religion