Their moral duty

CitizenLink, part of the Springs-based Focus on the Family, is telling churches exactly how involved they can -- and cannot -- get in the coming political elections.

In a story titled "Churches Can Do Plenty in Advance of Election Day," CitizenLink Associate Editor Steve Winn reports that churches are prohibited from endorsing (or opposing) a particular candidate. Talking about issues like gay marriage and abortion are fair game -- as is telling congregants how candidates stand on these issues.

And, of course, churches can encourage their congregants to vote.

Regular church-goers are more apt to vote Republican than non-church-goers, and evangelicals -- Focus' primary audience -- typically vote overwhelmingly for GOP candidates.