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With fiery speeches on faith and politics, the United Church of Christ’s biennial General Synod seemed at times as much a revival or political rally as a mainline church meeting.

The nearly 10,000 church members gathered in Hartford, Connecticut, last month heard speeches from journalist Bill Moyers and presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D., Ill.). The Democrat exhorted his 1.2-million-member denomination to continue its support for progressive causes.