Most people in America, whether they are religious or not, prefer consistency in the faith community to hypocrisy, says Jim Wallis. One of the reasons the fastest growing demographic in religious affiliation surveys is now “none of the above” is that too many people see more religious hypocrisy than consistency. In this reflection, the CEO of of Sojourners in the USA argues that evangelicals, in particular, are apt to get their values in a muddle in the political arena, not least by ignoring or sidelining the huge biblical emphasis on concern for the poor and vulnerable as a criterion for looking at the impact of human endeavour.

Barack Obama, says it's not his job to defend his Christian faith against doubters who suspect he's Muslim. Mitt Romney says his Mormonism is "integral".

The world's largest debtor nation, the United States, is set for a deficit ceiling deal which will result in cuts hitting some of the most vulnerable.