Contact: Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741

WASHINGTON, June 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- It has become painfully transparent that Senator Obama left his church only after his membership began to negatively impact his run for President.
 
Before the recent controversies surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Wright and others, Senator Obama spoke in glowing terms about his relationship with Trinity United Church of Christ and his pastor which appeared on the pages of his campaign website.  Those pages have now been removed.
 
The difficult question that must be asked is, "What kind of person uses their church membership for political gain and then abandons it when it becomes a political liability?"
 
Asked another way, "How can Senator Obama be trusted to act with integrity and courage on the critical and pressing issues facing this nation, when he used his own church to advance his political career and left it when it became politically expedient?"
 
The answer to those questions is; a person who uses their faith tradition and church membership for political gain is not fit to serve as President of the United States.
 
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states, "The resignation of Senator Obama from Trinity United Church of Christ raises the troubling questions that Mr. Obama treated his church membership as a 'political commodity' for the advancement of his political career.
 
"Early in the campaign, the Obama for President website was filled with glowing reports about the positive and close relationship that Senator Obama enjoyed with his home church and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  Once, it became clear that Rev. Wright and the church were becoming a liability for Senator Obama he resigned the church out of political expediency. 
 
"Senator Obama openly and publicly discusses a deep personal Christian faith tradition on the campaign.  Yet his actions over the past several days have betrayed and crushed the very Christian ideals and principles that he says guide and navigate his life.
 
"To Senator Obama we say, church should be a place where we come to worship, obey and honor God, build meaningful relationships, grow in the knowledge of our Lord and receive the Sacraments.  The House of God should never be reduced to a stepping stone for career advancement.”
 
For more information or interviews call:
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney at 202.547.1735     Cell:    540.538.4741