Washington, USA - Despite Barack Obama's approval of abortion and homosexual activism, new polling by a prestigious Christian research group indicates that the Democratic presidential nominee is making significant inroads among voters who are classified as "born-again" Christians.
The Barna Group for research says Obama is statistically tied (43 percent to 45 percent) with Republican John McCain among born-again Christian voters. "Born-again Christians" are defined by Barna as people who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus and believe they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Based on that definition, 48 percent of all voters in this election will be "born-again" Christians.
Meantime, Barna says 63 percent of "evangelicals" are supporting McCain, while 23 percent are supporting Obama. "Evangelicals" meet the "born-again" criteria, plus seven other conditions, including the belief that salvation is only possible through grace, not works.
According to Dave Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group, born-again Christians voting for Obama say they are backing the Illinois senator because they believe he will do a better job restoring America's reputation and handling the economy and agree with his stance on the Iraq War.
"People in their 20s or 30s who are born-again Christian are more likely to support Senator Obama than Senator McCain, compared to people who are older born-again Christians, who are more likely to support the Arizona senator," he explains. "So, when you look at it, it's a pretty complex set of reasons, and each person comes to this voting decision with their own unique sensibility, but what's interesting is the Christian community, compared to previous elections, is more open to this Democratic candidate than we've seen in at least the last couple national elections."
Kinnaman says it is important to keep in mind that only one in every ten voters is an evangelical Christian with a biblical worldview and understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ.