The real problem that I think those of us who are evangelicals and Democrats have to face up to is that the political right controls the religious media.

Religion, for better or for worse, has been politicized in blatant ways that have seldom been equaled in American elections.

The two hot issues are the gay issue and the abortion issue. These are the two defining issues in the evangelical community these days. I'm sure that these hot buttons will be pushed, time and time again.

What we need to affirm is that Jesus is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. Whenever we marry Jesus to a political party, we are committing the sin of idolatry. We are making Jesus into the image of our political party.

Rituals keep us from forgetting what must not be forgotten and keep us rooted in a past from which we must not be disconnected.

Often, we ignore the fact that our spiritual condition and psychological state of mind are highly affected by what is happening to us physically. Sometimes depression is simply the result of exhaustion.

But I contend that if we're providing total medical coverage for every man, woman, and child in Iraq, shouldn't we at least be doing the same thing for every man, woman, and child in the United States?