After yesterday’s post about the NFL season, I thought the subject of religion and football had been exhausted.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Yesterday, the Republicans wrapped up their convention with speeches from governors, senators, congressman, and…Joe Gibbs?  Said the Hall of Fame coach: “It’s a little awkward for me to put on a partisan hat.”

As a lifelong Redskins fan, I must respectfully disagree with you.  Awkward was when you called two consecutive timeouts to ice the Buffalo Bills kicker last season, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and costing the Skins the game, just one week after Sean Taylor’s tragic murder.  Awkward was when you steadfastly refused to draw up a passing play that would gain more than seven yards of offense.  Awkward was when you extended big bucks to Mark Brunell despite the fact that everyone in the NFL knew he was over the hill!

But I will move on before I get too wound up…

Gibbs ended his brief speech with  this whopper: “I believe that electing John McCain and Sarah Palin will spark a return to God’s Word and a spiritual revival that will bring our nation together. God bless you, and God bless America!”

Talk about an election for Pastor-in-Chief!  Elections are about civic revivals, not spiritual ones.  God doesn’t choose which football team will win the Super Bowl.  And God certainly doesn’t endorse candidates in a presidential election.

TGIF everyone.  Here’s your news:

• After being slammed in Gov. Palin’s speech, community organizers strike back. [Street Prophets]
• Speaking of Gov. Palin, she is apparently pro-Israel.  Not because of her vast foreign policy experience, but because of her faith. [Washington Times]
• Following up on yesterday’s news post, more evidence of Catholic voters being the new pink. [Associated Press]
• BeliefNet’s Steven Waldman says Obama is losing ground with moderate evangelicals. [Wall Street Journal]

Religion and politics news, now with a new and improved conditioner, brought to you by the Interfaith Alliance.

Cross posted over at Progressive Revival and The Hill Blog.

In her speech last night, Governor Palin missed a golden opportunity to explain how her religious beliefs would influence her policy priorities in the White House. This is a conversation that all of our political candidates should have with the American people, but it is particularly important one for Governor Palin given her alarming theocratic rhetoric that has been revealed this week.

According to a September 3 Associated Press story, Governor Palin addressed ministry students at her former church, Wasilla Assembly of God, this June. In her remarks she made some astounding claims: our troops in Iraq are on a “task that is from God” and it is “God’s will” to build a natural gas pipeline across Alaska. She even claimed that her work in the governor’s office is irrelevant without religion. “I can do my job…but really all of that stuff doesn’t do any good if the people of Alaska’s heart [sic] isn’t right with God.”

This fusion of religion and politics serves only to further divide our country, and it has no place in our civic discourse. For years, politicians have trumpeted their positions on moral or social issues as being divinely inspired. But this is the first time I have ever heard a politician claim God’s will on a purely secular issue such as energy policy. Good and faithful people hold differing points of view in this the most religiously diverse nation in the world.

Claims such as these undermine the integrity of democracy by telling your opponents that if you have a policy disagreement, you risk incurring God’s wrath. More dangerous, claims like these undermine the sanctity of religion. God does not make partisan endorsements nor does God choose our leaders - the American people do. That is why we are a democracy, not a theocracy.

As a Baptist minister, I would never dream of telling my congregation, “You are not good Baptists unless you support…” one party or candidate over the others. I would hope our politicians would have a similar respect for our nation’s diversity.