The Romney Religious Threat

To evangelicals, that is. Here's how R. Philip Roberts, president of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Kansas City, explained it to Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times:

I don't have any concerns about Mitt Romney using his position as either a candidate or as president of the United States to push Mormonism. The concern among evangelicals is that the Mormon Church will use his position around the world as a calling card for legitimizing their church and proselytizing people.

That would be kind of like Focus on the Family using Tim Tebow's position as the anointed quarterback of the Denver Broncos to run its cute John 3:16 commercial during Saturday's Broncos-Patriots blowout.

Personally, I'd be surprised if the LDS Church decided to feature President Romney (much less Candidate Romney) in one of its "I'm a Mormon" ads. But Roberts' admission does tell us something about why evangelical leaders really like the idea of having one of their own in the White House: It's as much about the religious as the political agenda.