It’s one thing for a Republican presidential candidate to get the tacit blessing of an evangelical leader, the kind John McCain got from Jerry Falwell by speaking at Liberty University last year. But God-o-Meter feels that it’s quite another to have a powerful evangelical figure actively evangelizing on your behalf. That’s what Mark DeMoss–a former chief of staff to Falwell and a force in the evangelical PR world whose clients include Focus on the Family and The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association–is doing for Mitt Romney. The New York Times caucus blog reports on a 5-page recommendation letter that DeMoss recently penned for Romney and sent to 150 conservative Christian leaders.
The letter, obtained by The Times, argues that unless conservative Christians galvanize around Romney, their diluted influence will boost socially liberal Rudy Giuliani’s fortunes. In that case, DeMoss goes on, the Christian Right’s threat to back a third party candidate over Giuliani could install Hillary Clinton in the White House.
Chagrined by talk in conservative Christian organizational circles that a Hillary presidency would fuel the kind of conservative outrage that helps fundraising, DeMoss writes: “I am not willing to risk negatively changing the Supreme Court, and our entire judicial system, for the next 30 years in exchange for building our conservative mailing lists and operating budgets for the next four or eight years.”
While it’s all well and good for Romney to have DeMoss on board, the real question is how successful DeMoss’s letter is stirring up additional support. After all, DeMoss himself is a behind-the-scenes player unknown even to many evangelicals. If he could get a few of his super high-profile clients to jump aboard the Romney wagon, God-o-Meter will be much more impressed.
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posted October 11, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Don’t sell Mark Demoss short. His scope of influence is larger than you make it out to be. If this doesn’t get the major players on board there isn’t anything else short of Romney converting to Christianity that can be done.
posted October 14, 2007 at 8:57 pm
KRM–So you think DeMoss’s influence alone can help sway rank-and-file evangelicals to overcome their reservations about backing a Mormon? God-o-Meter thinks DeMoss’s influence among average evangelicals is much more limited that it is among the evangelical elite. Which is not to say that DeMoss isn’t powerful–only that he is most powerful among the most powerful evangelical leaders.
posted October 17, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Mormons are Christian…hence the official name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is about time evangilicals stop imagining differently. All I hear as a member is when are we going to be Christian. That makes about as much sense as someone asking a Jew when he is going to become Jewish.
posted October 18, 2007 at 1:33 am
Christ does indeed live, and as real and as alive as he is today I write to all my friends who do not yet know that Mormons are indeed Christians.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have always been LDS(Mormon) and since my early childhood I have been taught to believe in Jesus Christ, I will teach my future family to believe in Christ as well.
We believe that Christ and our Father in Heaven have now made brought back the original Church of Christ and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is in very fact that same Church with Christ being the foundation and even has a living prophet and 12 living apostles who serve just as the ancient apostles.
We are indeed true Christians and with all humility I would invite all to people consider this in with a sincere prayer.
If you have ever questioned the Mormons you are not alone. Yet we are as normal and sincere as any friend in the world. Did you know that God loves you, one of his real Children enough to answer you personally? He wants you to obey him and be happy, so he loves us enough to answer us if we truly want to know and believe that he can answer us. Ask and ye shall recieve, knock and it shall be opened unto you. I don’t think the Bible teaches anything more than that. God answers prayers. If any of ye lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth unto all men liberally…that means you!
To you the honest in heart who love Christ and all that he lived for, died for, and yet lives for I would invite you as a fellow Christian to see for yourselves mormon.org or lds.org which are OFFICIAL websites owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The official name has stood for more than over a century. Yes, Mormons are Christians and always have been. Let us always remember Jesus Christ in all that we do and say.
The world needs this so.
This is an invitation from me, Sage Boman, a member of LDS Church and should not be considered as an official statement by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This is intended to be helpful to those who have questions. I hope that I have helped. If you check out the website really wanting to know and with a sincere love for God I promise you WILL like something you find.
posted October 18, 2007 at 1:48 am
I wanted to make that clear since I didn’t proof-read what I wrote.
The Bible teaches us perhaps more often than any other singular principle that if we pray to God nothing doubting he will answer if we listen. That was my point.