Will Evangelicals Choose Giuliani Over God?

"I will never vote for anyone for the president of the United States who supports abortion or gay marriage."

Those were the words spoken to me three years ago by a prominent pastor in Dallas who has led a number of rallies on those two issues.

But the endorsement yesterday by the Rev. Pat Robertson — founder of the Christian Coalition, a tour de force during the 1990s, and a former Republican presidential candidate — of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who continues to lead national polls regarding the GOP race, puts front and center the day conservative evangelicals have long said we would never see: a pro-choice, pro-gay candidate as the Republican nominee for president.

On CNN's "AC 360," conservative commentator and CNN contributor Bill Bennett and CNN's senior political analyst Gloria Borger said they didn't anticipate Robertson making such an audacious move.

But I wasn't surprised. Why? Because the late Rev. Jerry Falwell signaled such a move was possible during the CNN special I hosted in April, "What Would Jesus Really Do?"

When I asked him whether there is a litmus test on abortion and homosexuality for the Republican nominee, Falwell said the most important issue of the day for the nation is national security, and he would prefer someone who has experience in that area rather than a Sunday school teacher.

Had Falwell not died, it would not have shocked me to see him standing next to Giualini and speaking of absolving people of sin, encouraging them to admit their mistakes and put the greater good of the nation before their principles.

This is definitely the blessing Giuliani needed. Evangelicals cursed, screamed and called President Bill Clinton everything but a child of God when he had his affair in the White House, but it's clear they are willing to overlook the past marital failures of Giuliani, his fractured relationship with his children and his support for abortion and gay rights when he was mayor of New York. Those are not the family values they have beaten into the nation's consciousness for nearly the past 30 years.

This isn't the rapture, when Christians say Jesus will return to earth, but it is the day of reckoning for conservative evangelicals.

Will they abide by their faith and absolute opposition to abortion and homosexuality being first and foremost, or will they bend to the will of the party?

For years, I have maintained that the focus of evangelicals was never really principles of the faith; it was the Republican Party. By aligning themselves with the party, they've put themselves in the position for this day. And with 25 percent of the GOP base being evangelicals, this is going to cause some serious problems.

As for a possible third-party candidate, as suggested by Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, that's not going to happen. Remember 1992? The barrage of attacks from Ross Perot against President George H.W. Bush allowed Bill Clinton to stay above the fray and focus on his agenda. Clinton garnered 43 percent of the vote, compared to Bush's 37.4 percent and Perot's 18.9 percent. Even the movement of 10 percent could spell doom for Giuliani if he becomes the nominee. Democrats are still angry at Ralph Nader, suggesting that his 2.74 percent of the popular vote in 2000 pulled away critical votes in some states and led to a George W. Bush victory.

Sure, there will be some evangelicals who will be so adamant that they will not support Giuliani, but the vast majority will fall in line because of what Robertson said: Giuliani "has assured the American people that his choices for judicial appointments will be men and women who share the judicial philosophy of John Roberts and Antonin Scalia."

That's code to the base that he won't be a Hillary Clinton. The idea of the New York senator, if she is able to win the nomination, appointing federal judges is too much for them to bear. And with conservatives on the cusp of having a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court and the next president likely appointing three justices, evangelicals will hold their noses and eat their words.

So I guess in the end, instead of allowing God to lead them in their choice for the nominee, they'll just pray to the Lord that Giuliani keeps his word.

Talk about a test of faith!

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN contributor and the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." Please visit his Web site at www.rolandsmartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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