This weekend, Mitt Romney will be speaking at the Values Voter Summit, to an audience that likely cares deeply about the religious convictions of their future presidential nominee.  Previous research from PRRI has shown that Americans perceive Romney’s religion to be very different from their own, and that many don’t even believe that Mormonism is a Christian religion.  How will Romney fare this weekend?  Well, according to Dr. Robert P. Jones, Pat Robertson’s recent declaration that Romney is an “outstanding Christian” could help Romney a lot:

Robertson’s non-endorsement of Romney, for those who have ears to hear, trumpets two critical things to the Republican evangelical base: affinity and electability. At first glance, Robertson’s comments may seem like faint praise for a candidate who is currently the front-runner for the GOP nomination, and for one who unsuccessfully lobbied Robertson for an endorsement in 2008. But it could make an enormous difference for Romney, not only when he addresses the annual “Values Voter Summit” this weekend, but also on the longer campaign trail.

Most critically, by pronouncing Romney part of the Christian fold, Robertson signals that Romney’s faith is not so different from that of the white evangelical Protestants who form a strong core of the Republican base. The declaration that Romney is an “outstanding Christian” is a dramatic upgrade from Robertson’s more tepid comments in the last presidential campaign. In 2007, Robertson dubbed Romney an “outstanding American,” while his Christian Broadcasting Network Web site also declared-under the heading “How Do I Recognize a Cult?”-that “when it comes to spiritual matters, the Mormons are far from the truth.”

To read the rest of the column (it’s really outstanding this week), check it out at Dr. Jones’ blog, “Figuring Faith,” at the Washington Post‘s “On Faith” section.