The Democratic leadership has made overtures to leading evangelical churches—much to the dismay of many on the Left. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), a minister's son who chairs the House Democrats' Faith Working Group, worshiped with Bishop T.D. Jakes, an African-American Pentecostal minister who has been called "the next Billy Graham." And Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean attended the opening of Joel Osteen's megachurch in Houston and recently went on Pat Robertson's 700 Club TV show. But Republicans have the edge. In 2000, 79 percent of evangelicals who voted for Bush had been contacted at least once by a politically active religious group or individual, as compared with 36 percent of Gore voters.

GOD ON THE QUAD—For those hoping the "evangelical movement" will just go away, it may be time to get real. Evangelical churches are the fastest-growing group of churches in the United States. A look at some of the trends of today's college students suggests that these churches, which attract a disproportionate number of young people with their contemporary and welcoming style, may well have a captive audience. According to a 2005 study by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, which has been surveying college students for 38 years, today's students rank spirituality and religion as high as getting a job or doing well economically. The study found that three-fourths of college students say they are "searching for meaning or purpose in life," more than three-quarters believe in God, and three-quarters say they pray. Bull sessions on the meaning of life are nothing new, but the existence of a charismatic and organized religious movement dedicated to changing American culture is.

This is happening despite the decampment of many evangelicals to Christian schools. According to the Department of Education, total fall enrollment at member campuses of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) grew more than 70 percent from 1990 to 2004. In the same time frame, all public four-year campuses grew only 12.8 percent; all independent four-year campuses grew 28 percent and all independent religious four-year campuses grew 27.5 percent.

Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of God on the Quad: How Religious Colleges and the Missionary Generation Are Changing America, says students graduating from religious colleges are determined to influence American culture from the inside. Rather than retreating to red-state safety, they want to be around people who don't share their beliefs. Riley describes this "Missionary Generation" as a savvy group who are seeking the same kinds of careers as those who attend secular schools. A contributor to the Wall Street Journal and National Review, Riley says that the students at religious colleges are "red through and through." Since she surveyed only 20 schools, it's hard to know if this assertion is fact or wishful thinking.

Consider the response President Bush received at Calvin College, the 4,300-student Christian liberal-arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he gave the commencement address last year. In straw polls during the 2004 election, more than two-thirds of Calvin students supported President Bush. Yet, upon learning that the president was to speak at the school, more than 800 students, alumni, faculty and friends signed a letter that ran in the Grand Rapids Press calling on Bush to "repudiate the false claims of supporters who say that those who oppose your policies are the enemies of religion." In another letter, more than 100 Calvin professors faulted Bush for the Iraq War, for burdening the poor, and for fostering intolerance.

Bush fatigue has also shown up in recent polls surveying the views of white evangelical voters. A Pew Research Center poll in May found that since Bush began his second term in office, his approval rating has declined as much among white evangelicals as among the public as a whole. However, the survey also found that despite their lackluster support for the president they helped elect, there is little indication that evangelicals will simply abandon the Republican Party in the 2006 elections. It's possible they will stay home, but it's unlikely they will vote Democratic.

So, can the Democrats get comfortable with evangelical voters?

It wasn't so long ago that liberals enthusiastically embraced a kind of religious movement, though few remember it that way. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke unapologetically of the moral imperative of ending segregation, an imperative that, he made clear, came from God. The civil rights movement was inspired by and grounded in King's deep religiosity. A listen to some of his most famous sermons reveals a theme that is heard nearly every Sunday in many evangelical churches across this country: that Jesus is God, and the Bible is divine. America is special. The nation's laws should be moral and rooted in the Bible.

This isn't about giving up separation of church and state, or becoming more centrist, or selling the soul of the Democratic Party. It's really about tolerance and understanding for people of faith who take that faith so seriously that they can't compartmentalize it when choosing their leaders. It's about letting go of stereotypes and misinformed assumptions about people you've never met and places you've probably never been. It can be a tall order for some, but if there is any group who can welcome other people who are passionate about social justice, preserving the environment, opposing torture, and ending AIDS and the genocide in Darfur, it has to be the Democrats.