ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Pete Buttigieg came to a Christian, conservative town in Iowa and talked about his faith and values. Then he got a question on abortion, and he face-planted.

There are, in theory, good answers that pro-choice Democrats can give to pro-life Christian voters. But none of the Democratic presidential candidates seem versed in them. Buttigieg, the former South Bend mayor who regularly trumpets his faith, seems especially incompetent in this regard. In Orange City, he repeatedly invoked biblical passages about feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger as part of his case for more food stamp spending and more refugee admissions.