America's holiest congressmen

HOUSE OF THE HOLY The Capitol Building

What would Jesus do if elected to Congress? Would He suggest bombing Mecca in response to another terrorist attack on American soil? Would He be active in efforts to "rehabilitate" people who "suffer from 'same-sex attractions'"? Build a "prayer wall" around the United States? Propose solving the Iraq problem by exporting Christianity? Would He decry Newt Gingrich for being too liberal?

Radar ranks the 10 craziest Christians on the HillAccording to disciples who have been elected to Congress, the answer is "Amen, Jesus would do all these things."

While there are hints that Christianity is becoming less of an imperative for obtaining public office these days—last November's election brought two Buddhists, a Muslim, and more Jews to Congress than ever before—Jesus still has a considerable posse on the Hill.

Radar ranks the most devout among them.

BELIEVES JESUS CAN WIN THE WAR IN IRAQ Hayes

10. Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC)
The affable representative from North Carolina doesn't have a problem with using some firepower when the need arises. Hayes won the "Congressional Top Gun" honor last year for his ability to shoot clay pigeons. And when his campaign volunteers had to go into some sketchy neighborhoods during the 2002 election, he offered them escorts from the National Rifle Association to better ensure their safety.

But when it comes to the massive violence and death in Iraq, Hayes pulled out the biggest gun of all—Jesus. At a town-hall meeting last year, Hayes advised attendants that "Stability in Iraq ultimately depends on spreading the message of Jesus Christ, the message of peace on earth, good will towards men. Everything depends on everyone learning about the birth of the Savior."

Hayes did not suggest that this message be spread through Iraq by loudspeakers affixed to the roofs of stock cars driven by the Dukes of Hazzard, but such an add-on probably wouldn't have made his proposal any less practical than it already was. During the frenzy of press coverage that followed these comments, Hayes explained that he was talking more in terms of spreading the principles of Christianity than the faith itself.

PROTECTING CHRISTMAS FROM THE GRINCH MOB Davis

Joining a handful of Grinches, along with several Jewish members from New York, in vocally opposing the measure was the longest-serving member of the House, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI). Dingell read a poem taking off on "The Night Before Christmas":

...Wait, we need a distraction, something divisive and wily, a fabrication straight from the mouth of O'Reilly. We will pretend Christmas is under attack, hold a vote to save it, then pat ourselves on the back.

A Davis ally, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), managed to keep the Christmas spirit alive by reasonably noting that "if our Founding Fathers could be resurrected and be with us this evening, they would unanimously support this commonsense resolution."

WILL PROTECT OUR BORDERS WITH PRAYER McIntyre

Arriving home from an Easter vacation during which he had been deliberating a bid for Congress with his family, McIntyre received a package that contained a video from Dr. James Kennedy, the founder of a very large Florida-based ministry and a man acting on his belief that it's time to "reclaim America for Christ." According to the video, Kennedy was starting a new ministry in Washington, D.C., in furtherance of this effort. The McIntyres heard the message loud and clear: "When we got this package and opened it, we thought this, indeed, is a confirmation of our decision to run for Congress."

In the House, McIntyre's been one of the few Democrats to regularly ally with conservative Republicans on issues of religion. He's a leader in promoting legislation that aims to protect the phrase "under God" from being excised from the Pledge of Allegiance, and was one of the few Democrats to decry new Pentagon regulations addressing concerns about overzealous proselytizing at the Air Force Academy. And just this past March, McIntyre helped announce the creation of a new Prayer Caucus in Congress, asking all Americans to pray for five minutes a week so that a 24-7 "prayer wall" could be built around the United States.

McIntyre was named the 2006 Distinguished Christian Statesman of the Year, an award given by the very organization heralded in the video he received over a decade ago. He is the only Democrat to ever receive the award.

DECRIER OF "RAMPANT LESBIANISM" Coburn

Forcefully advocating abstinence is just one part of Coburn's mission to strengthen Christian values in the government. Other controversial aspects include: supporting the death penalty for abortionists, decrying "rampant lesbianism," blasting NBC for airing an unedited version of Schindler's List, plotting a coup against former House Speaker Gingrich for being too liberal, and declaring that the nation "must stand for or against Christ" because "the Bible clearly tells us that it is impossible to stand in the middle."

Like others on this list, Coburn is a close ally of noted Evangelical leader Dr. James Dobson, who advised Oklahomans to fast in the days leading up to his Senate election. Characteristically viewing policy through a Biblical lens, Coburn illustrated the magnitude of a billion dollars in a debate about excessive spending by pointing out, "A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive."

MECCA BE DAMNED Tancredo

The former Catholic turned Evangelical believes America is a fortress for Anglo-Protestant values that is under attack by "multiculturalism" and radical Islam, which is "the most serious foe of Christendom." Tancredo has clarified that the Islamic threat is "not just a small group of people who have hijacked a religion" but rather an entire "civilization that is bent on destroying ours."

This helps explain why Tancredo suggested bombing Islamic holy sites such as Mecca as a reasonable response to another terrorist attack on the U.S. Tancredo also helped defend the faith by ensuring that a 9/11 memorial to those who died on Flight 93 did not include a crescent-shaped formation of trees. Tancredo fought the original memorial design "because of the crescent's prominent use as a symbol in Islam."

SHINED A LIGHT ON TOM DELAY Wolf

Wolf attributes his own religious views to Dobson as well, claiming that his life changed so dramatically after tuning in to the Evangelical leader's message that his kids "joke about B.D. and A.D.—before Dobson and after Dobson."

BURNING FOR BUSH Musgrave

To underscore the critical nature of her efforts, Musgrave has reminded people that the "future is grim unless we do what we need to do to win this battle," and that "if we have gay marriage, our religious liberties are gone."

But those poised to answer Musgrave's clarion call are going to have to cool their heels—she announced in January that she would not be introducing her gay marriage legislation this session. While she has attributed this pulling back to her desire to see how things play out at the state level, it's not unreasonable to suspect that her newfound reticence may have more to do with concerns stemming from her narrow election victory last November.

WHAT WOULD SENATOR JESUS DO? Byrd

C-Span junkies know that the longest-serving and oldest current senator has a habit of peppering his meandering speeches with biblical references, noting once that the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan amounted to "$400 for every minute since Jesus Christ was born." When the late news anchor Peter Jennings put together a program called The Search for Jesus, Byrd took to the Senate floor and scolded the newsman and his staff for failing to provide a "serious look at important issues." And just this year, Byrd made a widely reported spectacle of himself at his ninth swearing-in ceremony by repeatedly calling out "Yes, Lord" and "Praise Jesus!" during the opening prayer.

Unless he implodes in a Don Imus-like fiasco (which frankly should have happened when he referred twice to "white niggers" in an interview with Tony Snow in 2001), Byrd could be a mainstay on this list. Says the 89-year-old senator: "I will run in 2012, the Lord willing."

ON A WEST WING AND A PRAYER Brownback

Labeled "God's Senator" by Rolling Stone, the Kansas senator admits to being a fundamentally changed man since surviving a cancer diagnosis in 1995. He has been something of a curiosity on Capitol Hill due to his changing religious affiliation (he's switched twice since being elected and is currently a Roman Catholic) and his seemingly genuine—but decidedly goofy—behavior. At an office farewell party, he washed the feet of the departing staffer, later describing it as the "biblical model of what servant leadership is." And he once pondered aloud in a speech about ways to make the world a better place: "When we walk up to the McDonald's counter, what if we looked at that person in the eye ... and we said, 'God bless you for that Big Mac?'"

Brownback has long involved himself in trying to help people in Sudan, and persuaded the TV show Touched by an Angel to do an episode about a senator who becomes deeply affected by his suffering. When asked his views on Angel, he admitted, "When I see the show, I regularly cry."

"HOT FOR JESUS" Bachmann

Prior to this higher calling, Bachmann earned a law degree from Coburn, an affiliate of Oral Roberts University, and helped found a charter school where she reportedly worked to prevent the Disney movie Aladdin from being shown, because it supposedly promoted paganism. Then, as a Minnesota state senator, Bachmann launched a crusade to outlaw gay marriage that turned into a highly publicized spectacle replete with restroom run-ins with angry lesbians and grainy photos suggesting that Bachmann was "spying" on a gay rights rally while crouching behind a bush.

Tireless in her pursuit, Bachmann has even gone so far as to be active in efforts to "rehabilitate" people who "suffer from 'same-sex attractions,' and once articulated the merits of being "hot for Jesus Christ."

SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER Kucinich, with wife, Elizabeth

When Kucinich was the "boy mayor" of Cleveland and faced substantial pressure to sell the city's electric utility, he responded by saying: "I will not be blackmailed. When Jesus Christ went to the mountaintop and was tempted by Satan, he said, 'Begone Satan.' I say the same thing to CEI [Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.]." Cleveland went bankrupt shortly thereafter, but Kucinich still carries an admiration for Jesus into his work: On the presidential campaign trail, he's well-versed in the Catholic faith and sprinkles Christian references liberally into his political message, which generally revolves around lambasting the Bush administration and promoting New Age hippie initiatives like veganism and his desire to establish a "Department of Peace."

In 2002, Kucinich gave a speech entitled "A Prayer for America," which outlined many of his liberal progressive views. (To see this speech, prefaced by Kucinich bizarrely singing a medley of patriotic anthems prior to his remarks, click here.)

Some Kucinich followers are synching up with his unique spiritual vibe. A recent report notes that Kucinich was interrupted at a campaign event in Iowa by a supporter who wanted to let everyone know that voting for John Edwards instead of Dennis Kucinich was like voting for Pontius Pilate rather than Jesus Christ.