Socialist Jesus doesn't actually have a congregation or religious authority, but a number of groups have ostentatious names combining the worlds 'social justice' with 'Evangelical', 'Jewish' or 'Catholic'.

Nat'l Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice Nat'l Farmworkers Ministry Jewish Fund for Justice Interfaith Coalition on Immigrant Rights Protestants for the Common Good Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Religion-Labor Coalition Catholic Labor Network Network: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby Progressive Jewish Alliance Jews United for Justice Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Faith Communities working for Health Care Justice Anglo-Catholic Socialism Faith and Socialism Commission of the Socialist Party Int'l League of Religious Socialists Christian Socialist Movement

Politically though, this isn't a significant constituency, if it exists and at, and apparently John Edwards is unaware of this.

The biblical Jesus was plainly unconcerned with worldly poverty, pointing out that the poor are always with us (John 12:8). His ministry was concerned with the spiritual welfare of all people, whether rich or poor....store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt 6:20).

Among the Jews, the concern was less for the existence of poverty than to prevent the exploitation of the poor by the rich.

The reality, perhaps even the cynical reality of much of Christian outreach to the poor, is identical to the Democrats motives--dependency creates a captive constituency. Ministries are businesses and businesses need customers.

Edwards apparently doesn't realize that Christian institutions see government welfare programs as competition. The Bush campaign of 2000 obviously understood this point very well, hence the faith-based programs funnel federal money through participating church groups.

Setting aside the risible nature of a guy living in a 20 million dollar home complaining that we don't do enough for the poor, the fact is that Edwards is completely clueless about the state of Christianity in this country. Those people who respond to his message were already Democrat voters, and his pandering is unlikely to move them over into his camp from say, Barack Obama's or Hillary Clinton's.

Democrat candidates consistently get modern American Christianity wrong. Oh they might be right somewhere, with some minor congregation, but politically, with the great bulk of voters motivated by religious values, they are simply out to lunch.

Its all about values--personal values, because Jesus is a personal God, not a government program.