It’s an inclusive brand, as this clip demonstrates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-u7GWyIs-4

Thompson’s faith reminds me of Reagan’s. Both are able to evoke things spiritual without sending the message that individuals who disagree with their specific sect are second-class citizens. The manner in which Thompson discusses faith is not only one that would appeal to conservative Protestants, but also to mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and even unaffiliated individuals open to the idea of a higher power. As a consequence, Thompson is able to utilize faith to unite and not divide. You know, like Reagan did.

As for the specifics of Thompson’s own religious affiliation, it turns out that he was raised in the Church of Christ, an offshoot of the same brand of Protestantism as the Disciples of Christ, Reagan’s denomination. His current marriage took place in the United Church of Christ, which is a more mainline Protestant denomination affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.

And in a bit of camp, Mark Elrod has come up with a humorous contest:

But I’m not ready to give into Dr. James Dobson’s assertion that Fred Thompson is not a real Christian just because he doesn’t talk about Christian issues enough.

So here’s the deal: the first person to provide ME with a somewhat believable Fred Thompson sighting at an assembly of a Church of Christ (Stone-Campbell) in the last twenty years will get to live in immortality by having his\her name written on the Lame-o Weblog forever.

You can either post your sighting here or e-mail it to ME.

Anecdotal stories that involve any of the following would be appreciated:

Fred Thompson teaching a Bible class
Fred Thompson presiding at the Lord’s Table
Fred Thompson leading singing (if it was 728b and you can prove it, I’ll give you $100)
Fred Thompson driving the JOY bus
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Thompson (above) serving as greeters
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Thompson preparing a nice chicken casserole for a Sunday pot-luck

Mark’s just having a little fun with all of this, but I just can’t help but note the irony in the fact that some religious conservatives, after finally being presented with a candidate who is solid on all of their issues AND excites economic and national security conservatives, seem determined to torpedo their only chance at avoiding (from their point of view) a heterodox Republican nominee. The whole thing is approaching self-parody. And it will afford Thompson plenty of opportunities for Sister Souljah moments, which will only help him with swing voters in the midwest, where faith is culturally a more private matter.

Posted on March 31st, 2007 by David
Filed under: Ron Paul 2008