Christian Coalition Runs Up The Middle

WASHINGTON: The Christian Coalition is trying to broaden its appeal beyond its Republican Party base, and is testing a shift from the right to the center with today's announcement of a more "moderate" moral platform. But TIME's Richard Ostling is cautious about reading too much into the agenda which focuses on tax cuts, economic "empowerment zones" and religious freedom for all because the Coalition's new leadership is still trying to figure out whether moving to the center will harmonize a polarized electorate. "There is a very serious social divide between people who are religiously engaged and people who don't care about religion at all," says Ostling.