THE CATHOLIC CHURCH may be putting the heat on John Kerry, but media coverage of President Bush’s religious beliefs has also intensified in the last week. Last Thursday, PBS aired its Frontline documentary “The Jesus Factor,” a revealing examination of the roots of George W. Bush’s religious beliefs and how they have shaped his presidency. And this past Monday, a panel of writers and think-tank fellows gathered at the National Press Club to discuss the impact of a presidential candidate’s faith and the media’s treatment of the subject. “I think it’s interesting that [Bush] regards his overt faith as both a potential advantage and a potential minefield as he seeks reelection,” said panel member David Aikman, a senior fellow at the nonprofit Trinity Forum and former foreign correspondent for Time magazine. Aikman is also the author of the recently published book A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush.

In the midst of an election-year battle between Bush, who has been called our most openly religious president, and Kerry, the first Roman Catholic presidential nominee since John F. Kennedy, the discussion at the Press Club was a timely one. And while the panelists disagreed on just how much a candidate’s faith matters to voters, they all agreed that it does indeed matter–and will affect how Americans across the political spectrum vote in November.