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 Rob Seyler in the classrom where he teaches the Bible to high school students.
October 29th, 2012
04:52 PM ET
The Undecided: Radical for Jesus, dubious of RomneyBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - With Bible verses painted on the walls of his living room and with an unshakable belief that hell is for real, there's no question that Rob Seyler is a devout evangelical Christian. He is also a renegade. Tucked into his well-thumbed Bible, the spine held together with silver duct tape, is a picture of Marilyn Manson in full goth makeup. Seyler, a high school Bible teacher, says the metal singer's writings shed light into the secret world of suffering teens. Musically, Seyler gravitates more to Johnny Cash, partly because of the musician's intense religiosity. But Seyler will be the first to tell you that Cash's memoir of life as a sinner, "Man in Black," is much better than Cash's Christian novel, "Man in White." His renegade streak extends to Seyler's classroom at the Grandview Park Baptist School in gritty East Des Moines, where he has painted so many brightly colored quotes and pictures onto the walls that it looks like a pop artist's studio. There are Bible verses and a black and white silhouette of Johnny Cash and an image that Seyler says has "created a little bit of a ruckus." Read the fully story about undecided Iowa evangelical voter Rob Seyler.
January 4th, 2012
12:10 AM ET
My Take: Iowa caucus results puncture myth of 'evangelical vote'
By Ralph Reed, Special to CNN (CNN)–One of the most important sub-plots in the Iowa caucuses was which candidate would win the support of Iowa’s evangelical voters, who comprised 60 percent of the vote in 2008, and according to the CNN entrance poll, comprised 58% of the vote Tuesday night. In the media’s instant analysis, a “splintering” of Iowa's evangelical vote among numerous candidates made it difficult for them to influence the selection of the Republican presidential nominee. But this narrative is based on a caricature of evangelicals and other voters of faith. Consider this: 61% of self-identified evangelicals who attended a caucus Tuesday night in Iowa voted for a candidate who is either Roman Catholic (Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum) or Mormon (Mitt Romney, who won the caucuses, besting Santorum by eight votes ). Here's how the evangelical vote broke down: 32% for Santorum, 18% for Ron Paul, 13% each for Romney, Gingrich and Rick Perry, 6% for Michele Bachmann and 1% for Jon Huntsman.  Rick Santorum speaking in Iowa this week.
January 3rd, 2012
10:23 AM ET
My Take: Santorum’s evangelical surge is about more than Christian Right
By Chris LaTondresse, Special to CNN Rick Santorum’s surge in the polls in the days before the Iowa caucuses has been interpreted by some as evidence of continued relevance and staying power of the Religious Right. I disagree. I believe it signals the end of the Religious Right as we know it. As a younger generation evangelical who voted for George W. Bush twice but who supported Barack Obama in 2008, the story of my political evolution offers clues for understanding the current presidential race and the changing face of the evangelical movement in America.
December 31st, 2011
10:00 PM ET
Why do Iowa’s evangelicals wield so much political clout?By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) – At first blush, it’s just another standard-issue political rally. Inside Mitt Romney’s Iowa headquarters – a former Blockbuster store on a commercial strip outside downtown – Romney and his wife, Ann, are introduced by former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty and his wife, Mary. “It is an honor to be supporting Gov. Romney and Ann,” Mary Pawlenty tells the crowd of a couple hundred, a silver cross dangling from her neck. “They are good people, they share our values – these are people that we are delighted to call friends.” How Mitt Romney's faith shaped him A few moments later, Mitt Romney mentions his five sons and hands his microphone to 36-year-old Josh, who calls his dad “my hero.” “He taught me my great love for this country,” Josh says, “and my great love for my family.” Sounds like typical political posturing, right? Many Americans wouldn’t give such gestures a second thought. But experts on religion and politics say the message to one particular subculture – evangelical Iowans – is clear: Mitt Romney may be Mormon, but he shares evangelical Christian values, including a rock-solid commitment to family, and counts high-profile evangelicals like the Pawlentys as friends and supporters.
August 9th, 2011
04:44 PM ET
Evangelical leaders debate values voters tourFamily Research Council president Tony Perkins and rising evangelical influencer Jonathan Merritt debate the propriety of a new conservative Christian bus tour of Iowa that will feature a handful of Republican presidential candidates. Perkins says that deeply held values should help shape politics and policy. Merritt says Christians are being co-opted by politicians. Where do you stand?  J. Wilson (right) drank only beer for Lent. Brewmaster Eric Sorensen (left) helped make the beer.
April 27th, 2011
04:20 PM ET
Beer-only fast ends with bacon smoothieBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - J. Wilson has survived his 46-day beer-only fast and found some unexpected spiritual insights. Wilson, who lives outside Des Moines, Iowa, was emulating a Lenten tradition carried out by German monks hundreds of years ago. In keeping with tradition he ate his last solid food on Ash Wednesday and broke his fast on Easter Sunday. “I made a bacon smoothie and that’s what I broke the fast with,” Wilson said. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Ralph Reed is founder and chairman of the 
Editor's Note: Chris LaTondresse is the Founder & CEO of 