McCain's pastor a sharp contrast to Obama's

[Wretched Excess]

the comparison was inevitable.  you don't see southern baptists getting favorable press very often . . .

McCain's pastor a sharp contrast to Obama's

HOUSTON (Reuters) - John McCain's Phoenix pastor, Dan Yeary, is a folksy patriotic Southern Baptist who opposes abortion and believes homosexuality to be a biblical sin, but says Christians have an obligation to love such sinners.

That puts Yeary, who heads the church attended for the past 15 years by the Republican presidential candidate firmly in the U.S. Southern Baptist mainstream, and in line with the Republican Party.

He offers a sharp contrast to Democratic contender Barack Obama's former preacher Jeremiah Wright, who has stirred controversy with his fiery comments on race and America.

Obama had been seen by some analysts as having an edge over McCain on issues of faith because of his adult conversion experience and his ease in talking about his faith. But his own preacher has proven a political liability.

In a country where religion and politics often mix, 25 percent of American adults count themselves as evangelical Christians, giving them huge influence as the country heads to the November 4 presidential election to succeed President George W. Bush.

McCain draws some support from this group but many conservative Christians are uneasy with him because of his support for stem-cell research and his past criticism of leaders in the movement.

Yeary, pastor for the 7,000-member North Phoenix Baptist Church, professes little interest in politics and prefers to focus on preaching and spiritual guidance. But McCain's affiliation with Yeary will do him no harm in wooing support from the key Republican base of evangelical Christians.

"John and I are friends, he has called on me to minister to the family in times of challenge and difficulty," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

McCain, a former prisoner-of-war in Vietnam, was raised in the Episcopal Church but has been attending Yeary's church for about 15 years. Yeary declined to comment on McCain's reluctance to finally undergo a baptism ceremony, a key ritual of the faith.

"John and I are having continual dialogue about his spiritual pursuits," Yeary said.

In an interview last year with InsideCatholic.com, an on-line Catholic forum devoted to issues of faith, McCain said he liked Yeary's "message of reconciliation and redemption which I'm a great believer in."

"And so I began attending North Phoenix Baptist church and I'm grateful for the spiritual advice and counsel that I continue to get from Pastor Dan Yeary."

McCain, like his pastor, is staunchly opposed to abortion rights but Yeary said the pair had never discussed the issue.

"Have we talked about abortion? No," Yeary said. "I believe that abortion is wrong and I believe that it is a very, very poor choice ... I believe it should be outlawed."

The 69-year-old Yeary adheres to the Southern Baptist belief that gay marriage and homosexual relations go against Biblical scripture, hot-button issues for many in the United States.

"The Bible is pretty clear about it, in my opinion it specifically calls it a sin. I also am a sinner and you are a sinner. ... Did Jesus Christ love homosexuals? I'm sure he did," Yeary said.

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[Lord Undies]

He sounds like every normal preacher I've ever known.  Normality doesn't get press too often.  Doing so would make normality seem normal.

[Wretched Excess]

He sounds like every normal preacher I've ever known.  Normality doesn't get press too often.  Doing so would make normality seem normal.

the MSM doesn't like religion, generally speaking.  obama is getting off easy over the fact
that this whole thing went down in a church.

[Ptarmigan]

He sounds like every normal preacher I've ever known.  Normality doesn't get press too often.  Doing so would make normality seem normal.

Yeah, he does. Never heard of him. Preachers I know are not angry and hateful like Jeremiah Wright and Fred Phelps.