As the fastest growing group of voters in the nation, Hispanic Evangelicals
are now considered by many, the quintessential swing group to watch in
this year's elections. In 2004, 2 out of 3 supported President Bush in the
national elections, affording him a commanding win. But now, they have
taken a wait and see stance, as concerns about the hard line rhetoric on
immigration, the economy, the war in Iraq and other pressing issues could
become deal breakers, according to Rev. Samuel Rodriguez President
and founder of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference –
the nation's largest Hispanic Christian organization, representing about
18,000 or so Evangelical churches.

As a unifying voice, the NHCLC serves a diverse community of Latino
Evangelicals 14 million strong, on issues pertaining to family, immigration,
economic mobility, education, political empowerment and spiritual/moral
enrichment. Historically, the white evangelical church represented the
voice of the Christian church, with a clearly defined focus on righteousness
issues (i.e. the defense of traditional marriage and the sanctity of life), while
the African American church focused on social justice issues, due to the
long history of discriminatory practices targeted at its community. But as
the emerging church by way of sheer numbers, (by the year 2050, every
1 in 4 Americans will be people of color) Latino evangelicals seek to bring
a more reconciliatory and balanced Christian world view that addresses
issues of concern for all evangelicals. Continues page 2