Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land Praises Obama Family Values

By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country

I spoke today with Richard Land, public policy chief of the Southern Baptist Convention—the nation's largest evangelical denomination—and was struck by his praise of President Obama for living out "family values":

Not enough religious conservatives are saying this: It's terribly important that [Obama] gives every indication of being a moral man who is demonstrably fond of his wife and children. I think that's important in a president, be it a Democrat or a Republican. That's why I said I couldn't vote for Giuliani or Gingrich. I think [Obama's] making a real difference in this country in his example as a model father and husband.

So much of George W. Bush's bond with evangelicals was about a personal, faith-based connection that transcended politics. Could the same thing happen with Obama and family-values voters?

On a related note: This doesn't auger well for Newt's new effort to organize religious conservatives.

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