Posted on 11/06/2008 5:58:46 AM PST by NYer
James Dobson may be the only Evangelical whose Sunday school teacher apparently never warned him to be careful what he prayed for. Two weeks before Election Day, the Focus on the Family founder chatted with Sarah Palin on his radio show and shared his backup plan for the struggling GOP ticket. He was, Dobson told her, praying for "God's intervention" and that "God's perfect will be done on November the 4th."
Unless Dobson has undergone a dramatic political conversion, it's safe to assume he does not consider Barack Obama's election on Tuesday to be divinely ordained. In June, Dobson delivered a furious broadside against the Democrat, charging that he was "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view." And yet in a year in which the economy mattered more than social issues for most voters, Obama's comfortable victory included Democratic gains in every single religious category among the electorate.
John McCain's selection of Palin, a former Pentecostal Christian, as his running mate was supposed to help strengthen his appeal to religious voters. Republican strategists knew that undecided religious voters broke heavily for George W. Bush in the last weeks of the 2004 campaign, and they hoped Palin's candidacy would sway those voters to the GOP again this year. Instead, those late deciders — including white Evangelicals — appear to have split between Obama and McCain.
Nationally, Obama captured 53% of the Catholic vote, a 13-point swing from 2004 and the largest advantage among the group for a Democrat since Bill Clinton. Obama also cut in half the Republican advantage among Protestants. And he made significant gains among regular worship attenders. Voters who attend religious services most frequently are still most likely to cast ballots for Republicans.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Just shows again that the media does not GET Evangelicals at all. Obviously, when Dr. Dobson made that statement he knew what he was saying, what he was praying for. My prayer was that God would not deliver our country into the hands of Obama and his ilk, but I also prayed that God’s will be done. I also knew what that could potentially mean and I trust Him, even though I have had a hard time dealing with it. This election has gone this way for a reason, for His reasons, and this is our opportunity to shine and show ourselves to be His children.
There is not a Christian that could vote for a man like Obama and the fact that a disturbingly high percentage of Evangelicals and Catholics did vote for him just demonstrates how lukewarm and fallen many of our churches have become.
God answers all prayers. Sometimes in his infinite wisdom the answer is no.
Many “Christians” supported Hitler as well. Labels mean nothing. God judges the heart.
I’m guilty, also.
It doesn’t matter what he thinks. He wants God to prevail. I understand.
I know several liberal baptists and episcopaleans who voted for Obama. I do not consider them to be evangelicals and they would hide their heads in shame at that label. They have authored their own God and named him "Jesus," too. Who applies the "evangelical" label - does it mean "church attending"? Just because you sit in a church does not mean you are a Christian or that you believe that God's word is true and applicable. Non-Christians just don't 'get it,' and never will.
Yeah, these “evangelicals” must be the
Marxist, Infanticide supporting “evangelicals” that think that all of the Commandments are mere suggestions.
Honor thy Mother and Father (and by extension, traditions of the country)
Thou shall not kill (even when the “fetus” is inconvenient)
Thou shall not commit adultery (unless you really feel like it)
Thou shall not steal (unless the gov’t does it)
Thou shall not bear false witness (unless you’re accusing the “greedy rich” of stealing your pie)
Thou shall not covet (unless it’s the “greedy rich”’s stuff you’re coveting)
No true Christian, Evangelical or Catholic, would vote for Obama but there are lots of “Matt. 8:21-23 Christians”. OTOH, I agree with NYer that a main factor was geography: those people who live in states with large black population, who know what this group of people can be, went for McCain.
Laodicean Church.
Since Vatican II (and maybe before, I don't know) a number of Catholics have not been, well, made conspicuous by their obedience. I'd venture to say that there's always been a streak of anti-clericalism among Catholics. And CINOs who probably use artificial birth control and always seem to have a reason miss Mass on Holy Days of Obligation and haven't seen the inside of a confessional for decades can always find in the social teaching of the Church a [bogus] reason to overlook the rest of her straightforward moral teaching.
And, we should never forget that 100 IQ is average. There are a lot of people who ain't too smart and ain't too informed and aiin't too used to using what little brain they have. And of those folks, plenty vote.God’s perfect will was done.
Thank you, Westbrook. The scoffers don't realize how jejune they seem when they try to "do theology" against the faithful.
It may be that we are in need of chastisement -- I know I am. It may be that God has decided to do a little winnowing. Who knows? But His Name will be glorified in the saints, in the Church, and in Christ Jesus forever. And we can thank Him now for this opportunity to recommit ourselves to Him and to learn in a deeper way what charity is.
Yep, exactly.
a homosexual author pushing for homosexual chinese menu faux churches.
Nailed it. I have young children so I struggle with knowing the direction we're now going, but then I settle on: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
I dwell and trust, therefore I rest.
Jimmy Carter is the perfect example of a liberal “christian.” In one of his books, he patted himself on the back repeatedly, telling of how he played with a black child when he was young. I also grew up in Georgia (but after de-seg). His back-patting confirms to me that he grew up racist, has changed his thinking, and now has alot of white guilt. I know several liberal “christians” who are certain that every white person in the South is racist. In my eyes, they grew up in a racist family/church/community and now have ‘white guilt,’ as they realize that their upbringing was flawed. They feel more passion and urgency to bring others out of their racist thinking than they do about leading people to Christ.
the Focus on the Family founder chatted with Sarah Palin on his radio show and shared his backup plan for the struggling GOP ticket. He was, Dobson told her, praying for “God’s intervention” and that “God’s perfect will be done on November the 4th.”
Unless Dobson has undergone a dramatic political conversion, it’s safe to assume he does not consider Barack Obama’s election on Tuesday to be divinely ordained.
If the writer was a Christian they would understand that it is all in Gods hands and though as Christians we pray for Him to grant us a good leader for our Nation since too mnay of us have turned our face from Him he may just send us a crappy perosn as President to teach us a lesson.
It seems to me that this is exactly what has happened.
I am guilty of the same thing, looking to politics too much and to God too little. This may be God’s way of strengthening our faith as individuals and as a nation. At least I’m going ask God to help me better put my trust in Him!
So many church goers chose wrong and did not vote the Bible because they have not had a change of heart, have not been truly born again and therefore do not have the Lord Jesus Christ in them or his Spirit.
Faith (in Jesus Christ) comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God and the Christian Churches are not preaching the Bible which is what they need to hear in order to become a Christian and have Him living in them.
The churches are preaching pop psychology, sermons on how to fix this, how to fix that, finance, relationships, etc. All the How to Sunday morning sermons mean nothing to an unchanged, unconverted heart that does not have Jesus Christ residing in it. They are just layering on good works on a dead corpse, layering on appearances of change when deep inside there has been no change, no conversion, just a veneer.
You said — “While I do find it hard to grasp some how geniune “evangelicals” could cast their ballot for Obama, I’m blown away that 53% of Catholics supported this guy and his positions. Is the Catholic church tanking?”
It seems that the word “Evangelical” is not as valid as it used to be. I see so-called Evangelicals abandoning the faith of the Bible and the “Emerging Church” coming out of the tossing off of Biblical doctrines taught in the Bible.
I find I can no longer use the word “Evangelical” in a trustworthy manner and depend upon it meaning what it used to mean.
Thus, when the media and the polls use the term “Evangelical” — one must realize that these are not the Evangelicals of one time in the distant past.
In fact, the word “Christian” is also so diluted, as to require further “definition” to even find out if the person is a true Christian as the “name” seems to indicate (at first). Many times one finds out that “Christian” is nothing more than having certain political and social values, absent the saving Grace of Jesus Christ — which is no Christian at all.
Thus, these polls are all wrong in that sense — in measuring “true Christians” and what they think. That’s because these pollsters (and other non-Christians) don’t really know what a true Christian is.
No! Catholics, like Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Jews, Protestants, Mormons and atheists were imbued by their Creator with the gift of free will. They chose to ignore the teachings of their faith and pull the lever for Obama. God is the judge of our actions - not you and not Alex Murphy.
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