At the same time, a public official is sworn to uphold the Constitution. If there's a conflict, he has to make a choice, as did Sir Thomas More, who considered himself the king's good servant but God's first. It cost him his life. This is why in the Catholic tradition Sir Thomas More is considered the patron saint of politicians.

Today a person would have the choice of obeying God and the church teachings or, if he couldn't, resigning. I counseled one former senator who believed that his faith made it impossible for him to engage in negative campaigning. He eventually decided not to run for reelection rather than compromise his belief. This gentleman remains one of the public figures I have most respected.

It should not be necessary for a sincere Christian to ever have his faith compromised in the public square. Christians are taught to be respectful of public authorities, indeed to pray for them. One can fully discharge his duties without compromising his faith. But if he does compromise his faith, then at least the public should be aware of that. In my mind it says something about the individual’s integrity.

I cannot judge Barack Obama's faith except by looking at his public positions. His stands on the poor and caring for the environment are clearly consistent with biblical commands. His public pronouncements about the sanctity of life are something else. He finds himself in the position that a lot of politicians are in; following a consistent biblical position may not be the best politics. And when a politician veers from biblical commandments, he has to deal with his own conscience and the teachings of his church.

As for campaign tactics, so far, this long and tedious election process has been relatively free of personal attacks. I think that reflects well on all the candidates, including Barack Obama.

Simply because of my own personal convictions, I will measure a candidate by the way in which his professed faith is evident in his policies and demeanor.