Obama courts new-wave evangelical Christians less concerned with abortion and gay marriage

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By BETH REINHARD, breinhard@MiamiHerald.com

The Rev. Joel Hunter, pastor of a Florida mega-church and a Republican who voted twice for George W. Bush, was among 30 religious leaders invited to a private meeting with the 2008 presidential nominee.

The Democratic nominee, that is.

After decades of the Democratic Party writing off evangelical Christians, Barack Obama is making an unprecedented effort to reach out to people of faith. In contrast, Republican John McCain's outreach has been more subdued.

''It is really remarkable,'' said Hunter, whose Northland Church in Central Florida boasts 12,000 members. ``One of the many firsts of Sen. Obama's campaign is that he is probably the first Democratic candidate in history to reach out to the full spectrum of the religious community, particularly the evangelical community. . . . This is very heartening to us.''

Hunter is part of a new wave of evangelical Christians who would rather battle for peace and justice than fight the culture wars over abortion and gay marriage. His book, A New Kind of Conservative, is billed as ``an alternative to the angry rhetoric associated with the extreme religious right.''

In the meeting last month at a Chicago law firm, Hunter said Obama didn't try to gloss over his support for abortion rights but stressed their shared goals, like helping the poor and preserving the environment.

Hunter also listened closely to Obama this week as he outlined a partnership between the federal government and the religious community. Obama said he would expand the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives launched under President Bush, though he said the government should not give money to institutions that hire on the basis of religion.

''I like the fact that he is engaging citizens to solve the problems of our country, as opposed to just relying on the government,'' Hunter said. ``As a former constitutional law professor, the boundaries that he will draw are wise boundaries.''

Several religious leaders balked at Obama's proposal, arguing that their hiring and proselytizing is a crucial part of their mission. Hunter responded, `It's good to be skeptical of a good plan than to be discouraged because there's no plan.''

Obama's announcement on Tuesday coincided with a gathering of about 100 conservative Christian leaders in Denver who agreed to back McCain. The Arizona senator did not attend the meeting, though he did visit recently with evangelist Billy Graham.

The group in Denver included Steve Strang, founder and publisher of a Florida-based Christian magazine called Charisma, who was also invited to the private meeting with Obama. Strang had supported evangelical preacher Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary.

''It was a first, and I was impressed that Sen. Obama reached out,'' Strang said. ``When I asked him about abortion, he kept direct eye contact with me, so much so that I could barely take notes.''

In the end, Strang said he could not back a candidate who supports abortion rights. He said ''it would be nice'' if McCain did more to court evangelicals but that his endorsement was based on the issues.

But Hunter said, ``If he doesn't include us in a conversation, that signals that he will not include us in his administration. A photo opportunity with Billy Graham is not going to do it.''

Still, Hunter said Obama doesn't have his vote -- yet.

Beth Reinhard is the political writer for The Miami Herald.