National view: Religious right not fading, just hibernating

For conservatives, 2008 is shaping up to be a year as baffling as it is dreadful. For Americans younger than 40, it seems incredible that the Republican platform should not be rooted in the moral assumptions of traditionally minded Christian groups allied with conservative economic stances and an aggressive foreign policy. And yet that familiar model fits none of the party’s likely presidential candidates — not evangelical Mike Huckabee, with his economic populism, or pro-abortion rights and pro-gay rights Rudy Giuliani. Neither John McCain nor Mitt Romney convinces many people their conversion to moralist positions is anything other than a matter of convenience.

By: Philip Jenkins, Duluth News Tribune