IHT: Evangelical Christians feared, but multifaceted

Letter from Washington: Evangelical Christians feared, but multifaceted - International Herald Tribune: "The evangelical Christian movement conjures up a very negative picture to many Europeans and to more than a few Americans. A Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll last year found that more than one-fifth of Americans would not vote for an evangelical Christian for president, far more than those who ruled out a Jew or a Catholic.

This picture is of a narrow, bigoted collection of pious people who wish to impose their politics and religion on the United States. It is reinforced by the likes of James Dobson, an influential religious leader who recently pronounced a Republican presidential hopeful, Fred Thompson, as insufficiently Christian. There is another portrait. It is contained in an interesting book, 'Applebee's America,' written by Ron Fournier, a journalist; Doug Sosnik, formerly a political strategist for President Bill Clinton; and Matthew Dowd, who helped run President George W. Bush's 2004 campaign. It focuses on the megachurches, home to much of the evangelical Christian movement."