The presidential race is off to a fast and early start — and religiosity is clearly in the running.

Newt rediscovered God in Washington, D.C. — and got invited to be commencement speaker at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. Hillary rediscovered her Southern accent while speaking in a Selma, Ala., church.

Barack wants voters to know he is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago — but hopes his pastor’s vocal support of Palestinians doesn’t reach too many Jewish ears. And the combined eight marriages of three potential Republican candidates — McCain, Giuliani and Gingrich — have Religious Right leaders fumbling over just how much personal morality is required in the White House this time.

The Barna Group says “born again Christians” represent half of Republican voters, two-fifths of Democrats and one-third of independent voters. Therefore, a Barna researcher concludes, “It will be to the benefits (of both parties) not to alienate the diverse Christian segment.”

So while Easter gave a boost to worship attendance overall, we can look for politicians to steadily show up on church steps in record numbers over the next year and a half seeking the support of so-called “values voters.”

Communicating with — or courting — religiously committed voters is easier for some politicians than others. President Jimmy Carter, for example, spoke easily about his faith experience and brought the term “born again” into the wider American nomenclature. Pundits say President Gerald Ford and, later, presidential candidate Bob Dole considered faith a personal matter and were never comfortable speaking about spiritual matters so openly.

The challenge for most presidential contenders is figuring out how to come across as appropriately religious — but not too religious.

Current Republican candidate Mitt Romney is interesting to watch as the first Mormon to be seriously considered for the high office. He is reminiscent of President John Kennedy who assured suspicious Americans that as a Roman Catholic he would not be looking to the Vatican to establish U.S. policies.

A Salt Lake City news writer said Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, often took positions to the left of traditional Mormon theology and now advocates positions to the right of official church teaching.

“These days, Romney talks like a Southern Baptist,” Peggy Fletcher Stack of The Salt Lake Tribune wrote recently.

The big question for Romney, of course, is whether conservative Christians who consider Mormon theology to be outside of orthodox Christianity will vote for a candidate who otherwise articulates their political ideologies.  The answer is likely that some will and some won’t.

Republican candidate John McCain inspires listeners with a moving testimony of how his faith enabled him to survive as a prisoner of war. But earlier comments labeling Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as “agents of intolerance” have haunted him. And attempts to get on Focus on the Family head James Dobson’s good side have failed so far.

Fellow Republican Mike Huckabee has no problems proving his Christian credentials. He is a former Southern Baptist pastor who served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. His challenge is reaching those who fear his church connections are too tight.

Huckabee’s good-humored appearance with John Stewart on “The Daily Show” helped. He not only came across unlike a stereotypical preacher, but defined a pro-life position that extends beyond conception and birth. It was consistent with a broader pro-life ethic articulated by more moderate Christian leaders like Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis.

Candidates will learn, if they don’t already know, that the large number of Christian voters, as noted by Barna, cannot be seen as a block vote. While some more conservative Christians tie their votes exclusively to anti-abortion and anti-homosexual positions, others evaluate candidates through broader, different lens. In reality, everyone is a “values voter.” It is just the values that differ.

The Democrats are admittedly playing catch-up their efforts to connect with faith-oriented voters. One can expect at least as many missteps as right steps. Perceptive Christians can usually detect religious authenticity.

However, it not surprising that some politicians see evangelical Christians as a gullible bunch. What else explains the continued presence of televangelists Jim Bakker and Robert Tilton on the airwaves?

The adage comes to mind: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

Yet, overall, most voters seem to want political leaders with a measure of genuine personal faith that will guide their decision making and sustain them in times of crisis— but not one with an overt, religiously dominated agenda. The failed primary campaigns of Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore in Alabama and former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed in Georgia proved that point.

A word of caution is always in order when presidential politics come into season. If ever there was a time to heed Jesus’ call to be wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves, it is when the campaign signs go up and the candidates come courting votes. The choices we make in the voting booths should require more than a little religious rhetoric or verbal affirmations of an issue or two that resonates with our personal values.