THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO RALPH REED

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Maintaining that momentum will take patience, and, Reed admitted, "some degree of retraining of me." Though he says he dislikes the word control, dominance of the Republican Party remains the movement's ultimate objective. But by grabbing for too much of it too soon, he could squander the incredible gains he has made.

He must also fend off insinuations from liberal adversaries that his movement's antigovernment stands contributed to the poisonous rhetoric spewed by violent extremists like those responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. "We must forsake violence of the fist, the tongue and the heart," he said last week, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. "The Christian Coalition provides an avenue to bring alienated citizens into mainstream political action. Were we not here, the ranks of the disaffected would be much larger." He adds correctly that the Coalition, despite its conservative agenda, does not coordinate with the National Rifle Association, nor does it lobby on gun issues. Nevertheless, at the grass-roots level, there is a large overlap among Coalition supporters and anti-gun-control activists.

Reed tries to keep his eye on the long term. "I'm asking myself where do I want this movement located in the political system in the year 2025," he told Time. "If I fall for the temptation of acting as a power broker within a given political party, then 25 or 30 years from now I will be where the labor unions are today."

But to this point, Reed has steered the Coalition solely into the arms of the Republicans. It is supposed to be nonpartisan, but it clearly plays favorites. Former Coalition staff members hold key positions in the campaigns of Dole,

Alexander, Gramm and Pat Buchanan. None work for Bill Clinton. Democrats are concerned the Coalition may be eating into their dwindling base. Voters are looking for more morality in their politics, and the Coalition is providing it. "Thanks in great part to people like Ralph Reed, they have become a mainstream constituency," said Democratic consultant Mark McKinnon, who is based in Austin, Texas. "I have been advising my clients that we get ourselves in a lot of trouble by attacking the religious right. Instead of inciting them, we ought to try to co-opt them. We need to show we have a backbone of morality in this party."

Still, acclaim for Reed and his Coalition is far from universal, even within the Republican Party. Senator Arlen Specter launched his campaign for President with a broadside against Reed and his alleged "intolerance." Congresswoman Marge Roukema, a moderate Republican from New Jersey, said flatly, "Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition will create a lot of trouble for the Republican Party." And, in fact, if Reed succeeds too well at moving the party in his direction, he stands to alienate the middle-of-the-roaders, whose votes, while notably absent in Republican primaries, tend to decide general elections.