Nashville – The U.S. conservative evangelical Christian vote is still the Republican Party’s to lose, but the poor economy may be peeling some of them off, analysts say.
Voters who value moral issues such as opposition to abortion and gay marriage still tend to favor Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona over Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, USA Today reported.
But younger and more moderate Christians faced with evaporating job prospects are showing signs of flexibility on their loyalty to the GOP and some are being attracted by Obama, analysts said.
“Moderate evangelicals can swing either way, particularly in an election like this” where the economy is emerging as an overwhelming concern, James Hudnut-Beumler, dean of the Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School in Nashville, told the newspaper.
Another factor affecting the thinking of evangelicals is suspicions about McCain’s true commitment to fundamentalist Christian values. Unlike U.S. President George Bush, McCain is not an openly “born-again” Christian.
“Bush was very much seen by evangelicals as one of them,” Vanderbilt University political scientist Marc Hetherington told USA Today. “McCain on the other hand Â… his faith is something that is much more private to him.”
United Press International
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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posted October 7, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Perhaps there is hope for the minds of Moderate Evangelicals after all. Now that they have seen what extreme Evangelicalism can do after our last eight yrs. they should be able to make a considered decision.
posted October 7, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Jesus saves, but not enough for retirement. A 401K is better.
posted October 8, 2008 at 12:27 am
The economy is a values issue. You pay for what you value. If you value humanitarian causes you know you have to pay for them. If you value astronomical salaries and benefits for a corporate CEO, you have to pay for it. If you value war, terror, and the machinery to make it happen, you have to pay for it. You are going to pay for your values – so what do you value – and how much are YOU willing to pay?
posted October 8, 2008 at 1:22 pm
As the saying goes, particularly now, “It’s the economy, stupid.” The incredible economic mess we are currently in will most certainly cause those of normal Christian conservative leanings to change and try the Democrates for a change. Somehow needing a job and one’s retirement investments trumps whether someone is allowed to have a legal abortion or not or whether 2 people of the same gender can marry and share a life together. Those 2 things, legal abortion and gay marriage wouldn’t be high on my list of worries if I needed a job or was afraid of losing my job, or was watching my retirement monies are headed to the dumpster. (which they are).
posted October 8, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I am Christian who is called a liberal democrate by most of my repulican friends. I tell them that I am only a believer in GOD’s word and promise. I enjoy the freedom of choice given by the Creator but I find that the Christian conservative desires to take that freedom away by Ceasar’s law. I believe a man must earn his keep by working for it, yet I am willing to share my prosperity with someone who honestly needs a hand up not a hand out. How can you stand against killing an unborn child but not fret over killing 100,000 babies and children. We really need to pray for America because in our legit fight against terrorism we have innocent blood on our hands. You reap what you sow and America My Home we’ve sowned some terrible seeds in the name our america intrest.
posted October 8, 2008 at 7:04 pm
As long as there is a capitalistic system in place it will foster greed and greed will be our downfall. The economy is failing because as soon as a person gets into a position of power they take, take, and take, giving no heed to the effects of their greed. With expediential nature of that kind of mentality there is but one end; wrecked economy!
posted October 8, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I don’t know that these people had against McCain or Obama. Faith is a personal issue and that person faith is between him and god.
when you die and go to heaven, i don’t think that there are billions of people judging you and deciding if you shall go into heaven?
No, only god is the person sitting in the judgement seat, so therefore, faith is between you and god and no else business.