The big issue is pro-life. I'm Catholic. If the party goes pro-choice, the Catholics(outside the Northeast) bolt - gaurantee it. That is the number one reason why the Catholics who are Republican are in the party.
As for racial equality and gender equality, most of the "Religious Right" I know don't care that much one way or the other on racial issues. The biggest problem I see with our party on racial issues are in the mushy moderate crowd out in Central Oakland County with their anti-Detroit(black) policies. The Evangelicals are the ones I see more than any others trying to get the black vote, and are those most open to blacks in our party - and the significant black vote here is why Michigan went democrat at the top of the ticket in the last three elections - 00, 02, and 04.
On gender issues, I rarely hear anything one way or another about them anymore outside of the life issue. Just isn't an issue.
The party will not go pro-choice, I'm not even pro-choice. I merely listed the agenda of the religious right I agree on that one point but not out of religious reasons.
The rest is a matter of preception as much as a matter of reality as I said in my post.