For all the Democrat presidential candidates' claims of the importance of Christianity in their lives, not a single one could accurately come up with one Bible verse that was their favorite.
Have you heard the good news? The Democratic Party won't concede "values voters" to the Republicans. The kind of church you attend, if you attend at all, and your frequency of attendance is perhaps the greatest (though certainly not the only) predictor of whether you are a Democrat or Republican.
Hunting for votes in your opponent's base is nothing new. What is unique about this strategy is its heavy emphasis on talk, unaccompanied by any major changes in policy. Saying "look at how religious we are" isn't going to work, and it's not even necessary.
At the end of their most recent debate, moderator Tim Russert asked the Democratic presidential candidates to name their favorite Bible verse. Should this be a difficult task for a Christian?
Barack Obama, whose Christian faith plays "every role," in his life, was unable to do so. He named "The Sermon on the Mount." The Sermon, found in Matthew Chapters 5-7, contains over 100 verses. Additionally, I'm not sure he believes it. Senator Obama, do you believe that people should divorce only in the case of adultery (Matthew 5:32)? Do you believe that the path to life is narrow, and that only a few will ever find it (Matthew 7:13-14)? To sum it up, your favorite Bible verse is actually 100 verses, and you don't agree with some of them? Incidentally, why do you prefer the Sermon on the Mount to the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49), which is so similar that many consider them the same event?
Hillary Clinton answered, "The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It's not a direct quotation (Matthew 7:12), but she did get the gist right. This is also a highly popular secular expression, and an analog can be found in nearly every world religion. If this is your favorite, why be religious or even Christian? At least it's actually a verse.
Dennis Kucinich cited a prayer from a Catholic Saint. Over 30,000 verses in the Bible, and you couldn't even think of one?
John Edwards offered, "What you do unto the least of those, you do unto me." That's very close to a verse (Matthew 25:40), but the actual quote is the "least of my brothers" (NIV) or "least of my bretheren" (KJV). It sounds like nitpicking, but the meaning of the word "brothers" here is the subject of a serious theological debate. If the concerns of the least of your brothers, whoever you believe those people to be, are your concerns, where does a 28,000 square foot $6,000,000 home fit into those? Where does a $400 haircut fit into those? Voluntarily living with less than that could change the lives of a number of needy people, and cheerfully giving some of that away would certainly be more Biblical than some government scheme of redistribution.
Bill Richardson also cited the Sermon on the Mount, though presumably it had nothing to do with Jesus' strongly worded command against adultery (Matthew 5:27-30).
Chris Dodd cited the story of the Good Samaritan, which is actually 12 verses.
Joe Biden cited warnings against Pharisees as his favorite verse. Pharisees were religious leaders and antagonists of Jesus, though the term has been hijacked and applied in the modern era to include anyone who takes their religion seriously. These numerous passages, scattered throughout the New Testament are what appeals most to you about Christianity, Senator Biden? Are we crazy to expect more from a party whose Chairman listed "Job" as his favorite New Testament book (at least it's really a book)?
The internet has made searching the Bible for verses and subjects easier than ever, and decreased the need to memorize where to find something (Rabbis at the time of Christ, before widespread literacy and the printing press, could recite the entire Old Testament by memory; crowds who listened to them would correct them if they altered a single syllable). I became a Christian later in life, and only in the internet age, so I understand this. If the Democrats are as religious as they would like the world to believe, what is their excuse for not knowing one chapter and verse that they treasure above all others?
What also struck me was the popularity of the scripture cited. A group of Beatles fans might list "Yesterday" or "Hey Jude" as their favorite songs, but you'd probably also hear more obscure choices, like "In My Life," or "For No One." People who hate the Beatles can still name two or three of their greatest hits.
What would be more honest, if not as popular, would be to say something like this:
"I don't know any Bible verses. Today, like yesterday and tomorrow, I will spend more time checking my email than reading the Bible. It's just not that important to me. You should still vote for me because I agree with you on the following issues," and then name them.
As with most "values voters," I don't need to share your religious practices to vote for you. Nobody would confuse Evangelical theology with that of the Latter Day Saints, or with traditional Catholics, but ultimately, these divergent beliefs lead their adherents to similar positions on abortion, marriage, school choice, and religious liberty. As long as this continues, candidates will receive support from members of these communities, these so called "values voters."
Nothing in this post should be taken as my approval of the Republican field on religion. Chances are, the candidate who most reflects my religious beliefs will not be getting my vote (Mike Huckabee). Ol' Fred Thompson doesn't go to church while in Virginia (you know, the state he lives in), and brags about his earlier life as a ladies man. Rudy Giuliani's favorite Bible verse is "judge not lest ye be judged," (the most often quoted and misunderstood verse in the Bible). Any guesses why he loves this one? None of the leading Republican candidates were willing to challenge the theory that macro evolution creates new species.
So it's not all about a candidate's heart. Whether abortion is a Constitutional right or school vouchers a Constitutional wrong will be decided by one vote on the Supreme Court. To some degree, the Republican party is a party that is pro life, in favor of religious freedom, and supportive of traditional marriage, and one that believes that the Supreme Court should not decide these questions. Until that changes, expect voters motivated by their religious beliefs to keep voting the same.