ALLAS - Al Gore turned from politician to preacher yesterday, condemning ''cultural pollution'' in the entertainment industry and urging respect for the environment during a spirited church dedication ceremony in his rival's home state.
Under the gaze of both Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson and Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the vice president recited Scripture from memory and grew increasingly animated as he addressed an estimated 7,000 parishioners at the Potter's House church.
''The time has come for us as a people to reach out for one another,'' Gore said from the pulpit of the cavernous home of evangelist T.D. Jakes. As much studio as sanctuary, cameras floated around on booms while the vice president's image appeared on big-screen televisions.
''The time has come for us to say no, we will not turn our back on those who are suffering, whether they be in the Balkans or whether they be in south Dallas. We will stand up for what is right,'' he said.
Gore's mention of the Balkans was in reference to a statement made last week by an adviser to Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush. The aide said that if Bush is elected, he would seek to shift responsibility for Balkan peacekeeping from the United States to NATO. Gore condemned the idea.
In an earlier conference call with reporters, Gore pollster Stan Greenberg conceded the vice president is running 31/2 percent behind the Texas governor nationally. He said the lead was built largely after their first debate and was ''suggestive of stylistic [problems] and not issues.'' Women in particular are said to have frowned upon Gore's heavy sighs and frequent interruptions of Bush.
Seeking to allay speculation that Bush was building momentum, Greenberg said: ''This is not spin. With absolute clarity, there has been no movement in the race since the first debate.''
The pollster said he has seen movement toward Gore among elderly voters, a likely response to his criticism of Bush's Social Security plans. Greenberg said Gore could pull even by winning back some women and converting backers of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. He said when Gore and Bush run even in national surveys, the vice president typically leads in battleground states.
The Dallas speech was during a day of coast-to-coast campaigning for Gore. He awoke in Philadelphia and stopped in Texas before flying on to Albuquerque to speak at a Hispanic cultural center. He then jetted off to Portland, Ore., for a late-night rally.
At Potter's House, Gore told his largely black audience that the nation's families and value system are being challenged by violence and explicit sex in entertainment. ''There is a cultural pollution in our country that crowds family life with lessons presented more vividly, that are overpowering many of those in the home and in the classroom,'' he said in comments that echoed his remarks after a recent Federal Trade Commission report on the subject.
Once again condemning a top source of his financial support, Gore added: ''I believe that it is time for the entertainment industry to stop selling violence and indecency to young people in this country. We will not have censorship, but we do need parenting.''
Turning to the environment, Gore said the country must clean its air, land, and water for children to enjoy.
''I believe in a set of values that the Earth is the Lord's and in the fullness thereof. And I believe that the purpose of life is to glorify God, and we cannot fulfill that purpose if we are heaping contempt upon God's creation,'' the vice president said.
The 16-hour campaign day - and the hopscotch flights - was the first of an invigorated schedule Gore will maintain through Election Day. Beginning early each morning and ending late each night, he will try to visit at least four media markets in battleground states. That is roughly double his previous schedule.
The goal is to connect with undecided voters through a heavy dose of local media coverage, which tends to focus on the substance of Gore's remarks rather than the horse race quality of much national media reporting.
Toward that end, the vice president will start each day with a discussion of ''kitchen-table'' issues such as health insurance or retirement savings in a local home or workplace. Today it is with Heather Howitt of Portland, a new mother and the owner of a small business. Tomorrow he will visit the Little Rock, Ark., home of Bobbie and Mollie Goza as they get their children ready for school.
''We think it's families like these that understand the stakes in this election,'' said Gore spokesman Douglas Hattaway. ''They know about big choices because they make them every day.''
After such morning meetings, Gore's strategy calls for him to speak at a larger rally, usually in the same community, before flying on to another location for an airport rally timed to coincide with the evening news. Then, Gore will fly to yet another destination, aiming for fresh coverage on the late-night news and in the morning newspapers.
''What you're trying to do is get to as many media markets as possible to get people to listen,'' said Chris Lehane, the vice president's spokesman. ''That means you have to intensify the travel. I'm surprised the governor is down this weekend.''
Unlike Gore, Bush spent the weekend at home in Texas, first for a day at his ranch in Crawford and then, yesterday, at the Governor's Mansion in Austin. It was there that he met with 28 fellow Republican governors who plan to barnstorm across the country this week on his behalf.
While Bush will assuredly win his home state and its bounty of 32 electoral votes on Nov. 7, Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk lauded Gore as he introduced him to the Potter's House crowd.
''He is someone who is serious because he understands the business of leading the most powerful nation in the world is serious business. You must have compassion, you must have energy, you can't show up and learn on the job,'' Kirk said to applause.
Today Gore is visiting Everett and Spokane, Wash., before flying on to Little Rock. Tomorrow he holds a rally in Shreveport, La., before greeting his campaign workers and attending a fund-raiser in Nashville, Tenn.
Hattaway, the Gore spokesman, said upcoming speeches will focus on the government's role in extending national prosperity; education; the new economy, including the Internet and privacy; the environment and energy policy; family-oriented tax cuts; and health care.
