The president-elect of the Christian Coalition quit this week after "he realized he would be unable to broaden the organization's agenda beyond opposing abortion and gay marriage."

The Orlando Sentinel reports on the split between Central Florida's Rev. Joel Hunter, of Northland, A Church Distributed, and the prominent Christian political organization:

He hoped to include issues such as easing poverty and saving the environment.

"These are issues that Jesus would want us to care about," Hunter said.

"They pretty much said, 'These issues are fine, but they're not our issues; that's not our base,' " Hunter said of his conversation with the group's leadership.

A statement issued by the coalition said Hunter resigned because of "differences in philosophy and vision." The board accepted his decision "unanimously," it states.

As you could expect, the left is enjoying a little schadenfreude today. From DailyKos:

The continued implosion of the Christian Coalition, which represents the people currently in control of the Repugs, is one more sign of why the Repugs lost this month and why they will continue to lose as long as they hitch their star to Robertson, Dobson, et. al.

...

I'm actually quite happy that the Christian Coalition is continuing down its self-destructive path, because that just means its total irrelevance will come all the more quickly.

And An Angry Dakota Democrat says:

I want to say Thank You to the Christian Coalition, you have shown me that you are not really religious. You are only a right-wing hit squad that uses religion as a cover.

In the Bible Belt, George Sand writes at Arkansas Politics:

This is yet another case of how the powers behind the scenes don't care or are out of touch with the body, in this case, the body of this Christian organization, in our nation's case, the body of the people. The Coalition spoke loudly and clearly, they wanted Hunter and presumably his vision of the mission of that Christian organization. It appears that the big boys did not, and Hunter found that unacceptable. How refreshing and how sad for those Christian soldiers who agreed that hunger, poverty, and the environment were more important than abortion and gay marriage.

But it was the "powers behind the scenes" that wanted Hunter. He was recruited last summer by the Roberta Combs, chairman of the Christian Coalition. And Hunter's views could not have been a surprise to Combs. He's made no secret of his discomfort with the tactics and tone of the Christian conservative political movement. He published a book about it in June: "Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why the Tactics of the Religious Right Won't Fly With Most Conservative Christians."

Since his appointment, Hunter was inspired by a film about global warming to get his congregation to become more ecologically responsible.

Clearly the leaders of the Christian Coalition knew they were getting a different brand of political activism in Hunter. But by the time the appointment was made public in September, the Orlando Sentinel -- which has covered the issue in greater depth than any paper -- showed what now looks like the beginnings of a public split between Hunter and Combs:

"The Christian Coalition is in decline," Hunter acknowledged, citing his discussions with the organization's board during the past year. "I think they were desperate when they asked me. ... I've always been drawn to lost causes."

Roberta Combs, chairman of the Christian Coalition of America, put it differently.

"I recruited him to be the president, and I'm looking forward to working with him," Combs said. "It seemed we needed a pastor that could communicate with other pastors."

There were objections from some corners, including the Traditional Values Coalition. But Hunter was moving ahead with his plans to "rebuild and rebrand" the Christian Coalition. The strategy is clear from looking at Hunter's book, where he writes about his disagreements with how some politically active Christian conservatives read scriptures to justify political activity.

It is not that we think these involved evangelicals are wrong. We agree with so much of what they have to say. Yet hopping on the bandwagon does not fee quite right either. We need to do some thinking first.

The religious right has become allied with the political right to form the right wing -- a more conservative or, as some would say, reactionary -- political force. More subtly, the Christians have theologically unified and confused the biblical forms of government with America's forms.

The religious right has not declined in recent years as some have speculated; it has just become more strident and calcified in its focus. I t has developed a strong following on several key issues including abortion and keeping God references in the public square. (Conversely, it has not developed a broader list of concerns well-documented in the Bible, including poverty, injustice, and the environment which resonate more with younger evangelicals and Catholics.)

Hunter writes that it's an illusion that "governmental power is better because a believer holds it" and says the New Testament "does not recommend such an overwhelming infusion of Christianity into government."

He draws a distinction between "Christian" and "Christlike" approaches to politics:

A Christian approach to politics may show those in opposition just how wrong their opposition is. The Christlike approach to politics respectfully acknowledges the points at which they are right. A Christian approach could tell everyone how to vote; the Christlike approach directs the attention of the voters to underlying values. A Christian approach could give us certainty; the Christlike approach gives us a biblical perspective.

The question I'm left with is why was Hunter recruited in the first place? And why did he accept? Both sides knew where the other stood. Perhaps as Jan. 1 approached -- when Hunter was due to take over -- the practical application of those differences made the relationship unworkable.

Whatever the case, I doubt this is the last we will hear of Joel Hunter. The failed partnership may now give him an even higher profile as Christian conservatives struggle to find their way.

MORE: This is only a little related, and a week late, but here is a great article by The Weekly's Nina Shapiro about World Vision and AIDS.