Barack Obama actually makes an interesting point, to which James Dobson accuses the presidential candidate of “deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview.” Oh, like conservatives have never done that.

Religious conservatives, including Dobson, are the ones who have turned religion into a political winner-take-all game. It seems to me that Dobson, Pat Roberts, and other white evangelical leaders are the ones who have deliberately distorted Scripture to serve their own political and economic purposes. Obama may not have his religion 100% right, but conservative religious leaders like Dobson have no room to talk when it comes to distorting the Bible. Even worse than Dobson is Pat Robertson, who has made some outrageous comments in the name of Scripture.

When it comes to politics, Christians should not engage in partisanship. I’m not sure that this is what Obama is doing. He borders on it, but I think his real purpose is to reach out to conservative evangelical Christian leaders to engage in discussion about the role of government in religion and politics. That’s what political leaders should be doing. It’s something that George W. Bush hasn’t done at all.

Whether Barack Obama has the right Biblical understanding or not is a question for somebody else to answer. But I think he right political motivation in discussing it. Dobson does not. Even if his view of the Bible is the correct one. But I’m not sure any of us can say that either.