In Rebuking Minister, McCain May Have Alienated Evangelicals

"It's a comprehensive salvation plan," said Shayne Lee, a sociologist and religion expert at Tulane University in New Orleans. "It teaches that you can pull your own self up by your own bootstraps."

Parsley tells people that he lives his own message. He and his family reside in a 7,462-square-foot house, valued at more than $1 million, on a 24-acre gated property.

At age 51, he is more than two decades younger than Pat Robertson, the 78-year-old chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network, and is considered to be among the next generation of leaders who will be major political players. Last year, the Religion News Service called Parsley one of the nation's top 10 influential "kingmakers."

Using his mega-church, his television and radio shows, and two best-selling books. Parsley elevated his status among the political elite. In 2004, he campaigned for President Bush in Ohio, where he won a narrow victory.

"He started appearing on 'Larry King Live.' He wrote books that many people were reading. He became a force among politicians,'' Lee said. "McCain had to take him seriously."

Parsley's merging of church and politics has triggered charges of illegal electioneering, which prompted him in 2004 to found the Center for Moral Clarity as an outside force to advocate for laws banning abortion and same-sex marriage, and limiting pornography and sexually oriented businesses. It sent voter's guides to thousands of pastors.

"He wants us of one accord, that's for sure. He has regular teleconferences with us to tell us where he stands on things," said Michele Hughes, a Detroit pastor who was ordained by Parsley.

In 2005, Parsley created a voter registration organization called Reformation Ohio, telling Christians that it was time to "lock and load" and to prepare for a "Holy Ghost invasion" of government.

Parsley's effort to create a separate political operation has not silenced his critics. In January 2006, a complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service by 31 Ohio clergy accused Parsley's operations of improper partisan activities. The IRS has declined to comment.

In response to McCain's repudiation, Parsley said in a statement that he still supports the candidate and that he does not plan to disappear from the political scene.

"I will continue that work in the belief that I serve my God and my nation by doing so,'' he said. "Yet I will continue to believe that faith should inform public policy."

Research editor Alice Critics and staff researchers Meg Smith and Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.