The Big Election Story in 2016

[Rvaughn]

[William Thornton]

Well, Barna is always breathless and self-serving with his stuff, so I'm not sure its THE big election story.

HIllary didn't inspire much of any group to do anything, save for evangelicals to NOT vote for her. Most any other Democrat would probably have won, including Bernie.

[Tim Bonney]

Barna's charts in that article are weird in that he draws up charts which include the different Christian segments leaving out mainline Christians entirely.

Tim

[Dave Roberts]

I received the Barna survey and then completed it. What was interesting was that first he did not have any category in which I felt that I fit. He defined terms differently from what I do. For example, the Barna definition of pro-life is simply "opposed to abortion." To me, pro-life means not only wanting life to be born but also to be fed, educated, cared for, and to oppose the death penalty. His "bible believing" meant only "in agreement with inerrancy or fundamentalist stands." The survey and his conclusions are basically useless because they demand adhering to his definitions to fit into the categories he wants. He has again adopted his conclusions and then shaped his survey to get the data he wants.

[Tim Bonney]

Yes, I have no idea what he means by "non-evangelical born again." That sounds like "non-immersion Baptists." Or a similar oxymoron.

[Sandy]

[Dave Roberts]

Perhaps the Barna folks need this:

[Rvaughn]

[Sandy]

There are some clear messages in the data, as it is presented, that may provide some insights into the way Barna sees things, and to a broader, "Evangelical" perspective as well. This is a personal opinion, though I think it is a conclusion that is supported by what I see. And please note that these conclusions are my interpretation of what I think is being said by the survey, and the way the data is presented, but it is not my own personal opinion of the groups that are represented.

1. Mainline church members are not identified. Since they're liberals, why do we care about their political perspective, or need to know how they voted and in what percentages. We're the only religious group that matters, and we're more willing to line up with, and compromise doctrinally with Mormons and Catholics if they can help us get to the numbers we need to win.

2. African Americans, who make up 40% of Baptist church membership in the US, and a similar percentage of other denominations considered, by definition, to be "Evangelicals" don't matter either, because by and large, 90% or more of them don't vote Republican. Moreover, Latino Evangelicals are also not included in the figures, because Latinos and African Americans together comprise 50% of the "evangelical" vote, and they overwhelmingly voted for Clinton, combined, it was well above 80%. Since there is no way that 79% of all "Evangelicals" could have voted for Trump if African American and Latino Christians are included in that figure, it is clear that they are left out. They are classified separately in most surveys, as "traditionally African American denominations" or "Evangelical Latino groups". So there's still segregation, at least intellectually and politically, and guess where it finds a welcome mat at the front door?

3. Barna uses couched terminology and phrases to categorize voters, but the bottom line is that, though the percentage of Evangelical voters who choose the Republican candidate remains fairly steady, the actual number of individuals who are Evangelical voters, as a percentage of the total electorate, is dropping, while the "non-affiliated" increased by almost 15 million total votes in just one election cycle. The Republican party has been almost deliberate and calculating in avoiding putting a genuine, doctrinally certifiable Evangelical at the head of their ticket. With Romney's candidacy, Evangelicals said clearly that all their talk about orthodox doctrine was meaningless when it came to electing a president. With Trump's candidacy, they've said, loudly and clearly, that they are also willing to abandon values, convictions, morality, ethics and their own previous statements to elect a President. So most Evangelicals have chosen to be known for hating liberals, than for loving others in Jesus' name, or even than for loving Jesus.

[KeithE]

[Rvaughn]

[William Thornton]

[KeithE]

[KeithE]