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Christianity Today, October, 2008 |

Preach and Reach

Despite his liberal record, Barack Obama is making a lot of evangelicals think twice.

John W. Kennedy | posted 10/06/2008 09:29AM

Winning Missouri worked twice for President Bush's White House ambitions. Barack Obama seems to have taken notice. For the past three months, the Democratic presidential nominee has been spending significant ...

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Mercy

Posted: October 19, 2008 3:18 PM


God help us all if Obama becomes president. It will be a sure sign that we are in the end times!

xiaotian

Posted: October 19, 2008 5:57 AM


Obama shall continue to be with church and abide in Lord Jesus Christ as commanded in John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. unfortunately, Obama has denounced his Pastor and disowned/left Trinity church due to some reason in order to be able to continue his presidential racing.

Anonymous

Posted: October 18, 2008 10:13 AM

Obama represents the kind of Christian that I strive to be: kind, responsible, forgiving of those who have attacked him (even thought he does correct the record) and determined to help those who haven't been as fortunate. McCane and his supporters are racist, egocentric, arrogant, and self serving and very scary(yelling kill him, off wiith his head--he's Arab!) Republicans have preyed on the ignorance and fears of so many of the religious right--all for greed. They have always used God, gays and guns to manipulate the uninformed and fearful while they steal the country blind and cover up sexual sin. I hope God opens our eyes!

jeanine

Posted: October 17, 2008 7:31 PM

christian brothers and sisters who have a deep faith and a discerning spirit are not fooled by Obama-"The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". Barak Obama attended "Wright's" church for 20 yrs. We got only a glimpse of the anti white anti country, hateful remarks this man spewed. Of course Obama wisely and appropriately walked away from his church( how close are we to election day? ). The fact is as my husband pointed out, how can one be exposed to such hatefullness for so many years and it not have a significant effect on one's life? And to those who are still in the dark on the issue of abortion-Obama is not pro-choice he is pro-abortion-period! Two great resources: The National Right To Life Committee and Citizen Link from Focus on The Family. The evidence of truth is staggering. Let's not forget Obama's response to Rick Warren's question,"When does life begin"? Obama's answer, "That question is above my pay grade". (?) McCain's answer, "Life begins at the moment of conception"God Bless him!

Gregg

Posted: October 17, 2008 2:13 PM

Any evangelical who supports a man who has no problem with the killing of babies in the womb and votes for partial birth killing needs to rethink their faith. The republicans are atrocious. But one who is pro abortion, attends long term a church that espouses heretical (whether black or Hispanic) liberation theology and racism, besides coming from that most upright of political machines in Chicago does not deserve the vote of one who identifies himself or herself as a Christian much less an evangelical one.

Kent Bowers

Posted: October 14, 2008 2:45 PM

I don't see how you can call yourself a christian and vote for killing babies vote the Bible ,last debate he didn't say he'd help Israel as MCcain said.The Bible says there will always be wars and rumors of wars. But not to kill the young.Also he's taken the American flag off his airplane and sometime he ignores the national anthem. hes hooked into radicals everywhere and he wants us to go down a socialist or otherwise communism agenda. he looks like hes brainwashing the young as the salute him in military clothes this is terrible as I don't trust him to many negatives showing up. This all shows God is about done with us as the end is near as christians think more of money than word of God and I dont mean allah false religion.I mean true followers of Jesus Christ. he also believes there is many religions to heaven not in my Bible. LOL the the koran don't even believe that. what a foolish generation the Bible warns us in the end times.

Change from whomever

Posted: October 13, 2008 5:13 PM

The thing I find interesting about the views of some of the 'hardline' christians who continue to put Obama's religious faith and 'dedication to country' on the alter of public opinion and cast doubt on his character while having done nothing to bring the Bush administration to task for sending thousands of young men and women soldiers to their needless deaths by waging a war against a country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 (which was the reason for going to was in the first place). What is the difference between killing an unborn baby and killing innocent men and women under false pretenses. Even as the administration attempted to clean up their lies by stating that they were actually looking for 'weapons of mass destruction' - in the end there were none to be found. How conveniently people can forget the things that don't further their own personal points of view. Very unfortunate.

susan

Posted: October 13, 2008 5:11 PM

Obama has his own agenda and if one has not really been paying attention, or dismissing so many important film clips and statements from his years past, one is not going to see it. The church is full of people who from the inside, has caused the Bible to be treated as obsolete. There are so many in the mainline churches of the US who do not submit to the authority and great truths of God in His Word. America and real Christians had better wake up or they will find themselves facing the persecution of a lifetime in our own country. I do believe God will allow what will happen in the presidential race. We had better realize basic anti-Christ ideology when we see it, though. We cannot possibly believe that this nation will be immune to the consequences that are coming for allowing abortion. Abortion is a JUSTICE issue that trumps so called "women's rights". Christ-Ones need to stand up for LIFE and go on helping those who need help. Just don't "help" others to do evil!

Ruth	Posted: October 13, 2008 1:28 PM

Definition of Christianity? Is a Christian one who believes that the Bible is the Word of God (not just the verses that we agree with), one who believes that Jesus is the only way as He stated in John 14:6 (or just one way one may reach Heaven), one who shows his love for the Triune God by obeying His commandments (including Thou shalt not kill), one who believes that man is made in God's image and that God knows us while still unborn and who has a plan for our lives? Is a Christian one whose "yes" is "yes" and whose "no" in "no" or is it one who can change what we say to appeal to whoever is listening to him? Is truth always the same or does it change with circumstances?

Christi Casey

Posted: October 12, 2008 4:10 PM

I am surprised at the lack due diligence being done by the American people especially the Christian Community in what Obama has supported in special interest groups and how he voted on various issues in the Senate. That, to me, speaks more of this man's heart than the eloquent speeches. Anyone can see how he voted and what groups he REALLY supported while in the Senate and it will plainly show where he stands on the issues he chose to show up and actually vote for. These votes show that he supports planned parenthood 100 percent and Right to Life 0! IT also shows how he votes on taxes and major ecomomic issues that are the opposite of what he says from the platform. I hope any of you that are on the fence and reading this, please go check out answers for yourself. you can search on Obama Senate voting record and pull up many websites that give the info, unfiltered and unbiased.

Breana

Posted: October 11, 2008 6:41 PM

I can't speak for all black Christians but I know that many African American Christians have grown weary of white Christian preachers and spokespeople, making much ado about abortion and gay rights while saying nothing about the rampant racism that still poisons our society and spews from the mouths of the Christian "right." Is abortion & gay rights more important than treating everyone right, despite the color of their skin? I know that many black Christians are sick of being treated like we are only worthwhile when the "right" wants our vote. When will white Christian leadership stop ignoring this problem that cuts to the very souls of minorities and search their own hearts in regard to how they REALLY feel about us? I am tired of being the pawn of white folks, whether Christian or heathen. When will this original sin of America be addressed by "The Church." I believe many will vote for Obama in hopes that it will change this issue, but I don't think it will.

joycelen

Posted: October 11, 2008 6:06 PM

I cannot fathom how any Christian cannot understand the deeper moral implications of Obama's stand on abortion and dismiss it as only one key factor. How we treat the most defenseless of our society is the measure of the morality and humanity of that society. It is not equally as important as issues of poverty or care for the environment, although those are significant issues. It is more important. To break it down further, late term abortion, particularly partial birth abortion in which the baby's brains are sucked out while it is still alive, are a reminder of Nazi Germany. There is no rhetoric, nor charisma that should blind a thinking Christian to this issue. As a medical professional, I can tell you that the mother's life can be saved without this savage procedure. Therefore Obama's important clause,as he calls it, is merely either ignorance or simple partisan politics at the expense of all things decent and of any vestige of humanity.

gtaylor

Posted: October 10, 2008 10:05 PM

Great and interesting article. I think Senator Obama is a better fit for the Office of Presidency than Senator McCain. He is willing to listen to others and hear others. He has the calm disposition that I would like someone who is running America to possess. He is intelligent and a thinker and doesn't disrepect people when talking to them. He has carried himself with class and dignity despite everything that has been thrown his way. I admire that because I don't know if I would have the stamina to be so gracious. I also like his health plan and his educational plan as well as his concern for average Americans who are not wealthy. Senator John McCain has lied, stirred up so much garbage and division throughout this campaign until I, as a Christian cannot possibly vote for him. He appears to lack character and integrity. He comes across as really unstable as well. I vote for the lesser of the two evils, and it appears that Senator Obama is the lesser of the two evils.

Renee

Posted: October 10, 2008 2:31 PM


I find I cannot vote for someone (Obama) who has said religion is a crutch for the weak. That offends me. I know he is a good speaker and can sway votes with the smooth words he uses, but be careful, people, we have to listen to what is really said and actions speak louder than words.

NOBAMA!

Posted: October 10, 2008 4:04 AM

This vote isn't just about Obama. It's about the fact that if Obama wins (God forbid and help us all), he will appoint several Supreme Court justices... they no doubt will be extremely liberal pro-choice, anti-Christian judges. There WILL be more persecution towards American Chrsitians (already there are lawsuits against doctors who won't insiminate lesbians, pastors who won't marry homosexuals, etc), and there is also the possibility of the Democrats having 60 seats. There will be no fillibuster and what the Democrats want, they will get. America will never be the same. Obama was rated as THE most liberal senator, even more liberal than Kennedy, and Biden was rated the 3rd most liberal. This nation is going to feel alot of pain if he is elected- maybe not right away, but eventually... as he tries to reason with terrorists, as he fails to defend the unborn, as he raises taxes, and on and on. My heart is heavy and I just keep praying that God will, in his mercy, intervene!

Josie

Posted: October 10, 2008 3:54 AM

Obama says he is a Christian. "We are a people of different faiths, but we are one..... We tolerate no one in our ranks who attacks the ideas of Christianity... in fact our movement is Christian. We are filled with a desire for Catholics and Protestants to discover one another in the deep distress of our own people." "If positive Christianity means love of one's neighbour, i.e. the tending of the sick, the clothing of the poor, the feeding of the hungry, the giving of drink to those who are thirsty, then it is we who are the more positive Christians. ." "For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people.... " Oops! These sure sound Obamish... but they're not. Guess who said these oh-so-eloquent and "Christian" statements? HITLER!!! (www.nobeliefs.com/speeches.htm) May we not be blind and stupid sheep, but rather shrewd and discerning because anyone can claim to follow Christ. Talk is cheap.

Ashleigh

Posted: October 10, 2008 3:33 AM

I have been disgusted by the bias in mainstream media-- they way they, along with Hollywood, Planned Parenthood, ACORN, and ALL extremely liberal, pro-abortion, anti-Christian people, fawn and fall over Obama. It seems now that even CT is doing this same. (sigh) I am a Christian, and I can not and will not vote for Obama. It disturbs me greatly the way he inspires a sort of cult-like fervor due to his rhetoric. He talks about hope, change, etc... but where is Christ in that? Isn't Christ our hope!? Isn't Christ the one who changes!? Does Christ call us to look to a person to bring us hope and change? NO! I don't understand how a truly God-fearing Christian person can be "equally yoked" with a party (Democrats) that is so strongly pro-abortion, and who has shown such hatred, and even vile, this campaign (esp. towards Sarah Palin). When I found out Jim Wallis, a Christian (?), blogs for the Huffington Post, an EXTREMELY lilberal and HATEFUL place... wow... I am dumbfounded!

Discerning believer

Posted: October 09, 2008 9:47 PM

Far-left, pro-gay-rights, against-Marriage-Act Obama is able to fool our youth because they don’t know the basics of salvation. Obama calls himself “a committed Christian” yet his version of Christianity isn’t Biblically based. In a newspaper interview, he said he doesn’t believe in eternal judgment. If there were no eternal judgment for sin, Jesus Christ wouldn’t have had to come down to earth to die on a cross. Obama doesn’t know if he’s going to heaven. Obama questions himself in internal discourse yet calls that prayer. Obama takes issue with Jesus’ words in John 14:6 where Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.” Last year the highly esteemed Rev. D. James Kennedy closed his sermon on John 14:1-7 with this: “And let me add this. If you go out of here saying you don’t like that text (John 14:6), that is your privilege. But do not call yourself a Christian. You are calling Christ a liar.”

Bob	Posted: October 09, 2008 8:39 PM

I thought Kennedy's article was well-written and balanced. And though I plan on voting for McCain, I agree that every indication suggests he is uniterested in the evangelical vote. However, he is pro-life and believes in appointing judges that are not legislators in disguise. Admittedly, Obama certainly presents better and seems truly interested in winning (something McCain fails to display). But the reality of his voting record should cancel any rhetorical tactics crafted to simply change opinions. Some may call it politics. I call it deception. His record reveals his heart by how he has voted. And character is often revealed by the company he keeps. So inspite of his sincerity and pleasant demeanor, for the sake of the children and our future, it is my prayer Christians will have their vote informed by God's Word and not emotion.

search for truth

Posted: October 08, 2008 11:12 PM


Obama declared his first act as president would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would again legalize "partial-birth" abortion and would use tax funds to pay for abortions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1RD2-fabA&feature=related My God help us !

Robin P

Posted: October 08, 2008 10:29 PM

All the Christian media have to do to campaign against Obama is emphasize the abortion issue whenever you mention his name. That tactic is sure to whip those stray Evangelical sheep back into the Republican fold. Nice power play. You can criminalize desperate young women, after they've gotten into trouble. Just like those guys who caught a woman in the act of adultery... Or, you can work to make our country the kind of place where parents can afford to stay home with their kids. You can support economic initiatives that strengthen families by helping them stay afloat financially. Less stressed parents, who can afford to be present for their kids, tend to have a lower chance of becoming grandparents prematurely. My pro-life vote is for Obama. But if you think the gov't shouldn't promote economic justice, maybe it's time for the church to lead in that area? (As about 2/3 of the Bible says, God hates it when the rich oppress the poor.)

Anonymous

Posted: October 08, 2008 10:03 PM

I am an evangelical Christian committed to voting for Obama, and I will admit this article made me pause, particularly because of the comments about his liberal voting record on abortion. I remain committed, however, because of his concern for the poor and the disenfranchised, his commitment to diplomacy in foreign policy, and the way he has conducted his campaign with respect for others, and a willingness to listen to and be influenced by those with whom he disagrees. As a Christian deeply concerned about racial divides and racism in our country, I am also thrilled that I can vote for an African American.

Baffled

Posted: October 08, 2008 9:15 PM

I understand how many Christians like the Democratic Party because they appear to be more kind and loving to the poor as Jesus taught... however I have a couple of thoughts on this... First of all, it is the role of the church to minister to the poor, not the government. The Republicans also want to support the poor, by setting up the rules of the economy so everyone can prosper, and make the government less burdensome so us Christians can give to the poor like we're supposed to. The Democrats supposedly support the poor but they generally are against biblical morals and ethics.... support gay marriage, and most important support abortion. Abortion is the key issue to me. How any Christian can support a party that allows innocent Children to be murdered is baffling to me. This is worse than the holocaust and some of us are standing by like nothing is happening. Christians should vote for the anti-abortion candidates! Vote McCain - not perfect, but the better of the two options!

Hanksie

Posted: October 08, 2008 9:06 PM

I have been an evangelical since I got born again in 1961 just prior to college. I've been teaching SS, Child Evangelism, Church camps etc since the early 70's. By the mid 80's I had read through my Bible at least five times, but I was still a Republican. Then I read For God So Loved The Third World, by Thomas D. Hanks that woke me up to how much God really cared about the poor and justice. I then reread my entire Bible again underlining all the verses that dealt with those topics and oppression. I was ASTOUNDED at how blind I had been, how much I had missed, and how PASSIONATELY God cares about the poor and the oppression that causes most poverty. The political right has used the religious right to get elected and enact law after law that hurt the poor. Since the Bible has about 60 verses against murder (abortion) and over 2000 about poverty, oppression and injustice, I am thrilled to vote for Obama, the first candidate I've ever donated to. Reading his first 2 books convinced me.

Jeri	Posted: October 08, 2008 9:02 PM

I am speechless. It is incomprehensible that people who identify themselves as followers of Jesus can choose to discount Obama's record of voting against "the least of these", apparently believing that other "more important" issues trump the protection of the most vulnerable in our society. By his own admission, with deliberate and willful cruelty this man who identifies himself as a Christian, voted against the "Born alive Infant Protection Act", and, in spite of having daughters of his own, voted to block a bill requiring at least one parent be notified if a minor has an abortion in another state. Further, he has stated that his first act as President will be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act." To ignore "the least of these" indicating that there are other issues that are of greater or even equal importance, boggles the mind. I never imagined I would witness such callous disregard for the totally helpless, linked to the rationale that Jesus cares more for the poor.

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