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Expanding moral values
Kelly Jane Torrance
Many observers are finding good news in election exit polls that found many voters cast their ballots according to their consciences. A recent New York Times piece by John Leland, "One More 'Moral Value': Fighting Poverty," quoted many religious people who want to broaden the scope of moral values as applied to politics:
But many religious leaders, including some evangelicals, think the current focus on moral values has created a platform to talk about other issues, especially poverty, as both political and moral concerns...
In postelection analyses, "values voters" were often equated with evangelical Christians, just as "values" were equated with opposition to abortion and gay marriage. But evangelical churches and seminaries have become increasingly mobilized around poverty both in the United States and abroad.