Politics, Policy and Religious Practice

Survey Shows How Liberals and Conservatives Differ on Matters of Faith

As we learned last fall in our series, "The Bible and the Ballot" during the fall election cycle from our last ministry together, people have either liberal opinions and views, or more moderate or conservative ones, and then we have God's views on politics, policy and issues which should be our own. How do you know if your views are the correct ones? How do you know whether or not your political views and votes line up with God and His biblical worldview? Do you see through His lenses?

According to the latest bit of George Barna religious research, nearly one-third of all adults (32%) consider themselves to be “mostly conservative” on social and political matters, and about half as many (17%) claimed to be “mostly liberal” on such matters. The other half of the adult population generally takes a position somewhere in between those opposing viewpoints.

Of greater interest to me of course though is the disparity in world-views among people professing faith and their religious practices or observances. Based upon an evaluation of more than a dozen religious beliefs of liberals and conservatives, consistent and significant differences are evident.

- Liberals are less than half as likely as conservatives to firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches (27% versus 63%, respectively); to strongly believe that Satan is real (17% versus 36%); and to firmly contend that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others (23% versus 48%). Liberals are also far less likely than conservatives to strongly believe each of the following:

- their religious faith is very important in their life (54% of liberals vs. 82% of conservatives);
a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by doing good deeds or being a good person (23% vs. 37%)

- their faith is becoming an increasingly important moral guide in their life (38% vs. 70%);
the church they currently attend is very important in helping them find direction and fulfillment in life (37% vs. 62%)

- their primary purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul (43% vs. 76%)

Is there a pattern here? The Barna study examined five specific religious practices and found that conservatives were more likely than liberals to engage in all five. In a typical week, the survey showed that conservatives were more likely than liberals to:

-read the Bible, other than at church events, during the past week (57% vs. 33%, respectively)
attend a religious service during the past week (62% vs. 35%) pray to God, other than at a religious service, during the past week (91% vs. 76%)

-share their religious beliefs with others, during the past year (56% vs. 39%, among the born again Christians interviewed from each segment) have ever participated in a short-term missions trip, either within the U.S. or in another country (12% vs. 6%)

- The research also revealed that liberals are twice as likely as conservatives to be categorized as “unchurched” (40% vs. 19%, respectively), while conservatives were twice as likely as liberals to be categorized as having an “active faith” (45% vs. 21%, respectively, defined as having read the Bible, attended a religious service and prayed to God during the past week).

The trends go on and on (see the full article at http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/258-survey-shows-how-liberals-and-conservatives-differ-on-matters-of-faith). Barna summarized his research this way,“Liberals appear to place a greater emphasis upon self-reliance and what they personally accomplish than upon faith alone or intense participation in a community of faith,” Barna explained. “They also seem less inclined to trust the Bible as a moral authority or source of truth, and have less involvement in some type of personal relationship with their god.” “Conservatives are more active in a wide range of religious behaviors, both individual and corporate,” the researcher continued. “They are also more connected to their deity, seeing God as more personal, interactive and involved in their lives than do liberals.”

Conclusion? Make you're own, as political persuasions may vary by definition from era to era, but there seems to be little doubt that a more biblical worldview as defined by doctrine and practice, seems in general, more closely aligned with one political ideology (not a party) than another.

Speaking of which... was anyone else aghast over this headline yesterday? Obama asserts gov't control over the auto industry. Our president made a serious of policy announcements regarding the auto industry this week that some of you may find appealing or palpable. One that struck me as quite shocking though subtle was the one reported as, "The administration engineered the ouster of longtime Chrysler CEO Rick Wagoner over the weekend, an indication of its deep involvement in an industry that once stood as a symbol of American capitalism. Did we read this right? Did an American Preisdent just get involved in the affirs of a publically held and privatelly run corporation and fired it's boss? Socialism in America anyone? We were great and free once weren't we? The Prophet Samuel had something special to say about this in 1 Sam. 8:6-22.