"We have got to elect a president who, whether he or she goes to church, or which church, or whatever, understands the issues. And the top issue today in our culture is survival. Right now, the war against terror and Islamic terrorism, it is the most dangerous time I have known in my 73 years. I have lived through Hitler, Nazism, Communism. This is the most dangerous time America has faced.

"And the next president has got to have a grip on this gravity of terrorism and the survival of the people, and has got to be willing to take the battle, whether it's to Iraq or Afghanistan, or wherever, to defend our children and children's children."

Martin introduced Rick Warren by saying that he has been quoted as saying "I'm so tired of Christians being known for what they are against."

"You focus on poverty, AIDS, global warming. Why the difference between what you focus on and the religious right?" Martin asked.

Warren said he thinks there's bigger agenda than just what Evangelicals have been known for in the past, which is primarily morality issues.

"But I think that there are social morality issues too that are important that Jesus cared for the sick, he assisted the poor, educated the next generation," he said. "Those are issues that we care about too, and historically Christians cared about education and cared about poverty and cared about justice, and I just think we need to get back to the 19th century evangelicalism or first century Christianity," he told Martin.

"So are you bothered when people say, Rick Warren, part of the religious right?" Martin asked.

"I don't consider myself a part of the religious right. People ask me, I've said many times I'm not right wing and I'm not left wing, I'm for the whole bird," said Warren.

"I'm an American, and you can't have one wing to fly, a one wing bird is just going to fly around in a circle. I think you need both wings. The fact is nobody is right all the time. I am a conservative without a doubt. I am pro-life without a doubt. I am opposed to gay marriage, but those are not just the only things I care about.

"I also care about helping people find jobs. I care about helping people get out of poverty. I care about dealing with diseases like AIDS and malaria and a lot of these other problems that are important too."

"Let's talk about AIDS," said Martin. "You invited Senator Barack Obama to your church to discuss that particular issue, also Senator Sam Brownbeck and Brownback said 'Senator Obama, welcome to my house,' and Obama said,'No this is God's house.'

"So you've got a lot of criticism for inviting Obama. How did you deal with that, and how frankly did you put Evangelicals in check to say, look, he's a Christian but this is an AIDS issue, this is not abortion, this is not gay marriage," said Martin.

Warren said the conference was on AIDS, not on abortion, and so organizers were looking for people who had spoken out publicly about AIDS.

"Barack Obama had taken an AIDS test in Kenya and so I just called him up and I said would you come and be a part of this," Warren said.

Warren continued: "I don't have to agree with everything they believe in order to work with them in a particular area. I don't agree with everything that some of my gay friends agree with and they don't agree with everything I do but we're working together on AIDS.

"I don't agree with everything that the women's feminist movement believes but when they want to fight pornography I'm on their side on that issue. And so I don't have to agree with every personal belief of a person in order to find common ground."