Q: What practical advice would you give to the Kerry-Edwards campaign specifically and to Democratic candidates in general?

A: Well, in general, when I've talked to my fellow Democrats on the subject, I say first and foremost, be genuine and be authentic. Don't fake it. Talk about your own experiences growing up, talk about the role religion played in your life. Talk about a favorite Sunday school teacher or someone who made a real impact, or a particular sermon that struck a note, or in your own private moments of devotion a scripture or prayer that's powerful for you, that speaks to you. I don't necessarily say people have to go out and pretend that they're Billy Graham, but I think at the same time they can bring to their discussion of important social issues, political issues, some sense that their faith informs the way they think about things. We get trapped very often saying that there's separation of church and state in America. There is, but there was no separation of faith and politics in the very founders who wrote it in the Constitution. They were deeply religious people, and I think, by and large, many people in the political sphere are more religious than they let the audience know sometimes. So letting your faith shine, and letting that light shine through and not hiding it under a bushel, is a very appropriate thing to do for people who are faithful.

Q: Is that message met with reluctance by some party leadership?

A: I think it's met with discomfort by some party leaders. I think some people are just not comfortable wearing their religion on the sleeve. And particularly, if you are imbued with certain Yankee taciturnity, like a certain candidate we have running for president, it's just not a natural thing to talk about a faith life, even though in the case of Senator Kerry he happens to be a particularly faithful person. But I think that, you know, breaking down that barrier and understanding that's a way in which we communicate some common interest with people that we are trying to reach -- that's a good thing to do, because it binds and heals people and brings people together. It makes those who are faithful and churchgoing people feel like they have something in common with different kinds of folk. And I think that's a good thing we can do in politics.

Q: What are some values, to use a buzzword right now, that Democrats this election season espouse that might have appeal for people of faith?

A: I think there's talk about war and peace issues. First, the way in which we use force and take up arms, which is a very troubling and deeply conflicted thing for those who are in the Christian faith. But talking about wars that are just and how you can appropriately defend yourselves, there's a whole rich vocabulary and moral reasoning that I would think is appropriate and would lend some real substance to the debate about Iraq. So that's one place. Another place is just, if we think prophetically of the Gospels and the Christian tradition and the call of Jesus to minister to those who are poor and dispossessed. If we look at the stories of who Jesus' ministry was aimed at, you know, you can't help but think, "Well, there is really the way in which we Democrats feel like we bring and inform the debate, with our own commitments to the poor and the homeless and the dispossessed." So, you know, those are places where I think we encounter real, live, active faith that would really speak to Americans now, and we ought to talk more about that.

Q: Do you expect religion to play a big role in this election?

A: No, not a big role, but I think that it's very appropriate that the question of faith and how faith informs the actions we take as political leaders -- I think that's a very appropriate subject. I'm glad that it's getting more attention. It's only one dimension of how we examine the personalities and characters of candidates who are running. So I wouldn't want it to supplant other things, but I think it's an important thing. I think we learn something about people as we hear them profess their own faith and talk about what matters to them and talk about their view of how their own spiritual life guides the way in which they think about important, substantive issues. This debate about red state, blue state Americans, the divisions that exist -- I mean, we have too much division in our political life as a country already. And the thing that strikes me about the church and most churches is that they are places where folks of different political viewpoints come together every week. And I think that if we can create a place for dialogue there about important issues, that will be a healing thing in our political system, which is very badly broken right now.