Some Christian Students and Alumni Afraid of Romney Speech

As presidential candidates make the rounds of potential constituencies, they're bound to make appearances in some locations where the natives are not necessarily friendly. Such is the case with Mitt Romney's scheduled commencement address at Regent University, the school run by televangelist Pat Robertson. Not everybody is happy with Robertson's choice:

NORFOLK, Va. -- Some students and alumni at an evangelical Christian university founded by Pat Robertson are upset with the commencement choice of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon.

"My initial reaction was, how could they do this?" said Lynne Gilham, a Columbus, Ohio, minister and former reporter who had posted a comment denouncing the choice on a ministry blog. She said she earned a master's degree in journalism from the school, Regent University, in 1992.

Gilham said Friday that she understands "evangelicals in an academic context need to be exposed to other viewpoints." But she fears inviting a speaker of the Mormon faith "would confuse young Christians who are not so firmly grounded in Christian doctrine."

That has to be one of the dumbest comments I've ever read. I'm no big fan of Romney, but I doubt his presence on campus will cause young Christians to renounce their faith, take up their Mormon underwear, and follow Mitt. That's just silly. He's not going there to proselytise for Mormanism, but to give a political speech. How shaky must their faith be if just being within earshot of a Morman is such a threat?

I think this guy has it right:

"The alumni need to take a deep breath. Regent will survive a speech by a Mormon," said Rob Boston, a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which monitors Robertson's CBN news-and-talk show, "The 700 Club."

This may be the only time in my life I've ever agreed with someone from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.