Santorum: Obama 'a Christian,' but theology not 'based on the Bible'

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Sunday denied that he was not questioning President Barack Obama's faith in Christianity when he said the president's theology was not "based on the Bible."

At a tea party rally in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, the candidate had said Obama's agenda was "about some phony ideal, some phony theology."

"Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology," he added.

On Sunday, CBS host Bob Schieffer asked Santorum "what in the world" he was talking about.

"I was talking about the radical environmentalists," the former Pennsylvania senator explained. "This idea that man is here to serve the Earth as opposed to husband its resources and be good stewards of the Earth. I think that is a phony ideal."

"We're not here to serve the earth, the earth is not the objective, man is the objective. I think a lot of radical environmentalists have it upside down," he said.

"How does that translate into some sort of theology, that the president's theology is not based on the Bible?" Schieffer wondered. "I mean, that suggests he's not a Christian."

"I wasn't suggesting the president's not a Christian," Santorum laughed. "I accept the fact that the president's a Christian. I just said when you have world view that elevates the Earth above man and says that we can't take those resources because we're going to harm the Earth like things that are not scientifically proven like the politicization of the whole global warming debate."

"Do you wonder that might lead some people to suggest that you were questioning the president's faith?" Schieffer pressed.

"No, because I've repeatedly said I don't question the president's faith," Santorum insisted. "He says he's a Christian. But I am talking about his world view."

Watch this video from CBS's Face the Nation, broadcast Feb. 19, 2012.