Minnesota Independent

Obama appoints Pawlenty’s pastor to faith council

By Andy Birkey | 02.07.11 | 8:17 am

President Obama named a dozen faith leaders to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on Friday, and two of them hail from Minnesota. Leith Anderson of the National Association of Evangelicals, who is also Tim Pawlenty’s pastor, was appointed by Obama, as was fellow Minnesota Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The council, formerly known under President Bush as the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, has had a healthy number of Minnesotans under Obama.

Pawlenty’s presidential ambitions get the Pat Robertson treatment

By Andy Birkey | 12.13.10 | 10:00 am

As part of it’s “Elephant in the Room” series, Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network did a half-hour long segment on Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his presidential aspirations. CBN’s David Brody sat down with Pawlenty and wife Mary as well the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Politico’s Jonathan Martin. Among the topics were Pawlenty’s connection to the evangelical community and his lack of name recognition.

Pawlenty’s Christian conservative ties should play well in Iowa

By Paul Demko | 10.20.09 | 5:21 pm

Should Gov. Tim Pawlenty skip the Iowa caucuses? Yes, it’s ridiculously early to be contemplating such questions about the 2012 presidential campaign. But The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder raises that question in a post today. He notes that only candidates…

Evangelical lobbyist asked to resign after supporting Obama, civil unions

By Andy Birkey | 12.12.08 | 10:23 am

When a top lobbyist for the country’s largest organization of evangelical Christians publicly acknowledges he supports civil unions and voted for Barack Obama, it’s practically a sin. And it’s something that’s sent Rev. Richard Cizik, a 28-year lobbyist for the National Association of Evangelicals looking for a new job. After sharing his views on National Public Radio last week, he was asked by NAE president Leith Anderson, a pastor at Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Eden Prairie church, to resign as the NAE’s chief lobbyist.