All Comments for: Americans (and More Evangelicals) Want Churches out of Politics | Christianity Today

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2008 > August (Web-Only)

Christianity Today, August (Web-Only), 2008 |

Americans (and More Evangelicals) Want Churches out of Politics

Pew survey also raises questions about whether Democratic faith outreach is working.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 8/22/2008 09:58AM

A majority of Americans want religious institutions to keep out of political matters, a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows.

For a full decade, majorities of Americans voiced support ...

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Rate and Comment on this article

Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 comments.

Page: 1

Show All

Wayne

Posted: August 26, 2008 12:33 PM


Obama will support pro choice; McCain will support the rights of the unborn. Any Christian who supports Obama is not necessarily a fraud--only sadly misled. End of discussion.

EricR11

Posted: August 25, 2008 3:42 PM

"[We] need to understand the critical role that separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice...the evangelicals were the most adamant about not mingling government with religion...[and] hindering their ability to practice their faith...Democracy demands that [we translate] religious concerns into [universal values] amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law...I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all...Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a democracy, we have no choice...[uncompromising religious commitment] may be sublime, but to base our [government]... on such commitment would be a dangerous thing." Barack Obama, Call to Renewal Keynote Address, June 2006

EricR11

Posted: August 25, 2008 3:29 PM

"I want a Chief Executive whose public acts are responsible to all and obligated to none, who can attend any ceremony, service, or dinner his office may appropriately require of him to fulfill; and whose fulfillment of his Presidential office is not limited or conditioned by any religious oath, ritual, or obligation...But if the time should ever come - and I do not concede any conflict to be remotely possible - when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do likewise." JFK speaking to Houston ministers about his Catholicism, 1960

Ryan	Posted: August 25, 2008 11:25 AM

As Christians we are to love God and love our neighbors. Part of loving our neighbors involves standing up as a moral force for good on these issues. We must remember that this is a dark and fallen world. If Christians remove ourselves from politics, we relinquish an enormous opportunity to act as salt and light in positions of great influence. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

piggy

Posted: August 24, 2008 6:52 PM


i love how they want this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob	Posted: August 24, 2008 4:41 PM

Rachel -- One word: abortion. Explain how a Christian can support that? Now, explain how a Democrat can be a Christian. As far as war...well, it is a horrible but necessary choice sometimes. Check history books and the Bible. It is not a choice made lightly or reflected upon such except in the blogosphere. Obviously you are a) not a lawyer b) not a member of the military c) well-versed in current events beyond Headline News sound bites. I know a great many Christians truly conflicted on the use of force. Some simply say we should not use it. It is always the lunatic fringe that resorts to the laundry lists of perceived "war crimes" and the like to justify their own hypocritical stance. Thank you for the post. It was a good reminder as to why so many Democrats are not taken seriously and why so many Christians appear to pay only lip service to the Lord.

Jason

Posted: August 23, 2008 11:19 AM

It's been as clear as daylight for decades that both US mainstream parties have been bought out and paid for by very evil moneyed interests - lobbyists and campaign financers have more influence than the voters. The corrupt politicians on Capital Hill are beholden to the string-pullers, not to the people. Both parties supported the oilistic Bush family's Iraq adventures, and the catastrophic wars ("Blessed are the warmakers..") planned and promoted by the non- and anti-Christian Neocons since before 9-11, were supported almost totally by the paid-for politicans. The extraordinary symbolism of the New Babylon, centred on the Hudson, using shock 'n awe bombing to take out the old, centred on the Tigris, defiantly flouting the Nuremberg war-crimes principles. The mainstream media and Hollywood have long ago been taken over by the same dark anti-Christian forces. Evangelicals must wake up and reject the hireling "Judeo-Christian" New Babylonian shepherds in place of the true Kingdom.

Rachel

Posted: August 23, 2008 1:40 AM

I find it interesting that Evangelicals show such support for Bush -- a man who should rightfully be tried for war crimes against humanity and has brought nothing good to this world through his administration. Evangelical support gave him his Presidency, and in turn, Bush has brought this country to its knees. He's lied, manipulated, ignored UN policies, ignored the Geneva accord, lost NATO support, reignited Cold War era hostilities with Russia, bankrupted the country, caused two failed states in the Middle East (Afghanistan and Iraq), torn apart our government standards and practices, and has tried to unravel the separation of church and state. But because he is anti-abortion, anti gay marriage and anti stem cell research, he (and the Republican party) continues to get Evangelical support. When will Evangelicals let go of their antiquated litmus test and realize that they are not the center of the world, but instead a small part of something much more diverse and large?

John H.

Posted: August 22, 2008 10:44 PM


Hey Hillary, thanks for ending the discussion. Hope you won't renege on that by adding anything further.

Hilary Smith

Posted: August 22, 2008 9:38 PM


Obama will defend the poor, McCain will abandon the poor. Any Christian who supports McCain is a fraud. End of discussion.

A hermit

Posted: August 22, 2008 7:54 PM

An informative article. However, the question should be not whether the Democratic party is more favorable towards 'religion', but living Christ. Neither party come close. The Republicans yell loudly about 'family values', then push policies emphasizing greed and materialism at the expense of the environment, the poor, and the disappearing middle class. Democrats in contrast are better on those issues, but not in sexual morality. The real agenda of the Republican party is not pro-religion and 'family values', but putting profit and the powerful first. President Bush's first priority on his re-election was not ending abortion, but social security 'reform'. He and his administration have violated the law and constitution (outing of a CIA agent, illegal wiretapping, concentration camps and torture). It is time for evangelicals to see what the Republican party is really about, and stop being deluded.

George T.

Posted: August 22, 2008 6:53 PM


Why should religion be out of politics ? Serious POLITICIANS---The Founding Fathers of The U.S.A.---based the Constitution on Christian fundamental values. Whenever today's politicians and their politics have attempted to distort this proven concept(the cause and beginning of the greatness of America) things have turned against the basic interests of this Great Nation.

Greg Chase

Posted: August 22, 2008 6:27 PM

Don't be involved in politics? Does anyone remember William Wilberforce or John Newton? These are times that try men's souls and we are supposed to get out of politics and put our heads in the sand? If an evangelical is not for the Republican party, it is probably because they didn't keep their promises from the contract with America. I am an evangelical and I am one who votes and encourages everyone to be involved in the political process. However, I am sick to death of the politics of broken promises and politcians who never become statesmen. Why has Political Correctness infected the Church? The truth is not taught or lived by the majority of those calling themselves evangelical. It is never good to do wrong to do right. Yet we show how shallow we are by not doing our civic duties and by allowing sin and sinful men to prosper. Vote ! Vote! Vote! Church. Be involved in righteousness in government both for the unborn and human rights. Apathy never would have led Jesus to the cross.

E. Paul Imhof

Posted: August 22, 2008 5:53 PM

Baptized, confirmed and married in the Catholic Church I welcome the U.S.Bishops invitation to pray a novena for life, justice and peace ahead of the November elections. But the Archbishop of St.Louis, Raymond Burke's recommandation to judge political candidates primarily by their views on abortion is appaling. Pope Benedict XVI. recently appointed him head of the Vatican's supreme judical body. I resent a sovereign country the size of the Peoples Republic Berkeley suggesting a single-issue rather than candidates ability to extricate this country from no-win wars, avoid an unaffordable cold war and lead the economy through a potentially ruinous recession. My late bride, a descendant of Alexander Campbell, was raised as Disciple of Christ. Bless her memory. She bore me 5 wonderful children and raised them well. We never considered abortion. Afghan, Iraki, Georgian and mercenary lives are as valuable as unborn American babies.

Steve Skeete

Posted: August 22, 2008 5:31 PM

My question is how can the Church not be involved in politics if by politics we are talking about governance, taxes and how these are spent and by whom, and laws and who passes them and for what reason? Should not the "Church" be interested in matters like these? And what about freedom and liberty, and whether we get to keep these or not, and justice and righteousness? Should not the Church remind politicians and society about these? All of life is political. And if, like some said, all of one's life from cradle to grave is governed by politics then Christians must be involved? Now if you ask that the "Church" be impartial and non-partisan that I can understand, since the Church must be able to speak to the entire society and people must be able to trust it. Individual Christians may be Republican or Democrat if they choose to be, but the Church must speak for God and from God without fear or favour. And it must speak otherwise its silent may be taken as consent.

John G.

Posted: August 22, 2008 4:24 PM

Bill is right on target. So is Doug. The church must address issues, but in a non-partisan manner, as much as possible. Our citizenship is in Heaven, not here. Incidentally, have you seen those "God is not a Republican...or a Democrat" bumperstickers? They put the second half in dark letters against a dark background, so that unless you read it carefully, it looks as if it is saying only the first part! But this is typical of the deceitfulness and doubletalk of Jim Wallis and his Sojourners sycophants. He thinks he is this great prophetic voice, when he is really just a shill for the Democratic Party. I've long found the man to be arrogant and egotistical, and his ideas unscriptural.

Doug	Posted: August 22, 2008 4:11 PM

The lastest news is that Hunter WILL NOT give the bendiction. It's rather ironic that many conservatives want the church to dissassociate itself from political involvement. Tell that to the Black churches. If it wasn't for the political involvment of Christians and particularly the church with regard to slavery and discrimination many of these things would never have been rectified. I don't believe the church should be political by being for one party or another. But it must be active in speakaing out against injustice and other moral issues.

Ron W

Posted: August 22, 2008 3:49 PM

Quote " It is impossible to rightly govern without God or the Bible." George Washington So now where have we lost our way as a Christian nation when our fore fathers grathered in the community church house for all discussions on politics as well as religion. The first Americans settlers came here to flee from religious opression. Our constitution, and Declaration of Independence, both are worded based on bibical truths. God has time and time again blessed and delivered this nation, we should not have beaten the British, on paper there was no way that a bunch of rag tag farmers could defeat the largest and best trained army in the world. There was no way that the nation could be split by civil war and lose 600,000 of its men and come back together, there is no way that the axis powers of Germany and Japan could be defeated by a totally unprepared young nation like the United States. So now we are just going to keep God locked up in the church house, and get along on our own?

Bill	Posted: August 22, 2008 1:13 PM

I found the article above to be interesting. This is an area I have followed for a while and I am still somewhat conflicted about it. However, I am clear that Christians need to not be linked with political parties and they should not be overly enthusiastic in their view of any candidate. I think Evangelical Christians were too linked to the Republican Party for a period of time. Now I worry that Jim Wallis and others are making the same mistake in regards to the Democratic Party. Slogans like, "God is not a Republican....or a Democrat" are associated with Sojourners and Wallis. However, I read his recent comments about how Christian involvement had really helped with the input on the statements about abortion etc. and I found his enthusiasm to be really misplaced (the new wording did not seem all that positive to me). And his being identified with the Democratic Party is every bit as unfortunate as the identification of some other Christians with the Republican Party.

Page: 1

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment