Obama's 10 Most Important Faith Leaders
The Rev. Joel Hunter's resignation as president-elect of the Christian Coalition in 2006 over disagreements about the organization's strictly hot-button agenda turned him into an emblem of a new generation of evangelicals, one that toes the conservative line on abortion but embraces progressive causes like environmentalism. A megachurch pastor based near Orlando, Hunter was among the evangelical leaders whom Obama courted on the campaign trail last year. Hunter delivered the benediction at the Democratic National Convention and has since emerged as a top faith-based surrogate for the president, defending him on matters as diverse as embryonic stem cell research and his selection of Kathleen Sebelius as health and human services secretary. The White House consulted him in drafting Obama's recent address to the Muslim world.
In an administration that keeps in touch with hundreds of faith leaders, who do you think are the most important?