Quick - - where were you on May 15th of this year?

I might just as easily ask “where were you when you learned that Jerry Falwell had died?”

In the days immediately after his death, I know where I was - - on radio talk shows throughout the United States and Canada as a “guest expert” from Townhall.com. My role in those venues was to explain in two to three minutes the impact that Falwell had on American public life (American politics in particular), and why it mattered.

This was an especially interesting task when I appeared on FM Rock radio shows with 20 and 30-something hosts, many of whom had very little knowledge of, or interest in, Fallwell. They just knew that his death was a “big news story,” and that they needed to talk about it on their shows, at least a little bit, and I was the guy available to provide the content they needed - - which was fine with me.

But whether I was being interviewed by “FM rockers,” or News Talk radio hosts, or somebody at XM or Sirius Satellite Radio, one question in particular came up on nearly every show that I did: now that Falwell is gone, who in the future is going to provide leadership on cultural and political issues for the conservative Christians in America?

It was a good question then, and still is today. And it’s a subject I’ve been thinking about for years - - since long before Mr. Falwell’s death.

At some point, I might attempt to answer this “who“ question. But today, I’m beginning a dialog about the “what” question - - that is, I am going to point out what it is that leaders among the socially conservative right need to be talking about.

This is only “part one” of my list. I will have much more to say on this subject beyond today‘s column. But if you fancy yourself a leader in this arena, either on a national, state-wide, or local level, consider what I have to say.

Starting NOW, social conservatives must “thinking economically.” I’ve talked with social conservatives who, when I ask them about economic policies, will say “I’m focused on the moral issues, not economics.”

O-Kay. Continued...