It might surprise you whom self-identified "born again" voters will vote for in the next election. A recent Barna survey compared born again Republicans, Democrats and Independents. It's no shock that Republicans in this category indicated that President Obama held a distant third place when matched against Governor Perry (first) and Governor Romney (second) on issues of honesty, intelligence, philosophy of government and leadership ability.
The surprise, for some, will be that Democrats who declare themselves born again (another surprise for some: yes, there are born again Democrats) overwhelmingly support Obama in all four categories. Among Independents, Obama was the favorite when it comes to honesty, intelligence and philosophy, but they thought Perry had the best leadership ability.
In a final comparison, Barna found substantial differences between age groups. Born again Christians under 40 strongly favored Obama for his honesty, intelligence and philosophy. Among 40 to 64-year-old voters, Obama has a slight edge. Those born again Christians over 65 signaled Romney has the best philosophy while Perry and Romney tied for having the best leadership abilities.
There is clearly no consensus as to whom born again Christians will vote for.
A favorite lyric of mine from a Mumford and Sons song is "Lend me your eyes I can change what you see / But your soul you must keep, totally free." ("Awake My Soul")
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could stop lampooning one another during this political season long enough to understand each other? Even better, what would it mean for those who declare themselves as born again to take a look at the issues from another's perspective with a new set of eyes. It appears partisanship is strong; no doubt there will be incivility and conflict among Christians. My fear is that our arguing and fighting will continue to keep the focus on politics and off of the work of the gospel. And, sadly, that certainly won't advance the church's witness and testimony as a foretaste of God's kingdom to the world around us.
Full-time professor, part-time pastor, husband, father of two small boys, just trying to find my way in a new world.
Empathy is such an important quality to have for so many different things, and this area of life is no exception. A lack of empathy causes one to treat other people as objects rather than humans made in the image of God, thus, insuring that no real conversation will take place. I know I am guilty of this at times, too.
Posted by: Linda | October 04, 2011 at 05:21 PM
That's great, Linda. Thanks so much!
Tim
Posted by: Tim | October 04, 2011 at 09:36 PM
I've been also thinking who they're going to vote in the upcoming election. I hope they can make a wise decision.
Posted by: Christian Videos | April 23, 2012 at 08:36 AM