The Obamagelical Reformation

It will take years to fully grasp the tsunami that swept Barrack Obama into the presidency. "It's the first time" or "not since" or "historic" have punctuated most coverage of it -- even President Bush called it "awesome." It reconfigured electoral politics and created "never before seen" voting blocs. One new and powerful wave of support for Obama came from the most surprising of groups: evangelicals.

Incredible as it sounds, exit polls show that the number of white evangelicals (ages 18-44), the base of the Republican party, supported Obama in double the numbers that came out for John Kerry in 2004. (Even Catholics were more enthusiastic about protestant Obama than they were for Catholic Kerry -- Obama won the majority, 54%, of Catholic voters; Kerry got 47%.) Nationally, 25% of white evangelicals voted for Obama. In certain key states, the numbers were higher. He saw a 14% increase in support from white evangelicals in crucial states like Colorado, 8% in Indiana, 8% in North Carolina and 4% in Ohio. Most important, he won 32% of young evangelicals (doubling the 16% for McCain).

The surge of evangelical support for Obama reflects stunning changes among voters who have traditionally voted for the most right-wing of Republicans. Democratic strategists should hear this message loud and clear: many morality voters have party-hopped. Are these culture warriors laying down their swords? The 2008 election may mark the moment religious voters put reason above rhetoric. The birth of the Obamagelical.

Clearly Obama's inclusive approach resonated with many evangelical voters--but to only credit the candidate is to miss the bigger story. According to a poll taken by Beliefnet.com, Obamagelicals believe the Democratic party platform holds the greatest potential for progress on the most intransigent issues. Take, for example, abortion. Of evangelicals who voted for Obama only 8% believed that restricting abortion would lead to reductions in the abortion rate (61% of evangelicals for McCain did). A whopping 86% of Obamagelicals believe that instead "the best way to reduce abortion is by preventing unintended pregnancy (through education and birth control), or providing financial assistance to pregnant mothers." This is in direct opposition to the "pro-life" agenda, which seeks to ban many forms of contraception along with abortion.

Obamagelicals have re-priortized what they consider the critical issues our nation must address. For McCain's evangelical supporters, abortion is their top issue; 65% select it as one of the most important issues of the election. Only 10% of Obamagelicals think this. Most list, in order of importance, the economy, Iraq war, reducing poverty, character of the candidate, the environment, cleaning up government, access to healthcare as the more critical issues facing our country. For McCain's evangelical voters abortion is the number one issue facing our country, and "reducing poverty" weighs in at #13 in importance. That 75% of women having abortion list financial reasons as the basis of their decision doesn't click for McCain's evangelicals. For Obamagelicals it apparently does.

As the Washington Post reported,

It could be we're at a tipping point in this culture," said R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Ignoring the obvious will not help."

President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats have promised to work to make abortion rare, so long as it remains legal. "Maybe it's time to take them up on the offer" instead of "bashing our heads over and over again against the same wall," writes Paul Strand, a blogger for the Christian Broadcasting Network.

The Rev. Joel Hunter, an influential megachurch pastor in Florida, sees a new willingness among pro-life activists to cooperate with pro-choice forces in search of a middle ground. He traces that openness in part to the flourishing of crisis pregnancy centers. As volunteers meet women struggling with unplanned pregnancies, they begin to view abortion less as an absolute evil and more as a practical challenge: How do we get this single mother a job, or help that college student with child care so she doesn't feel as though abortion is her only option?"

No less than a third of white evangelicals under 30 favored Obama. These young evangelicals come to long intransigent issues like abortion with a fresh, results-oriented approach, and for the Republican party and the pro-life movement as a whole, this is bad news. Prevention of unwanted pregnancy was important enough to make it into the Democratic party platform this year (and previous ones). That platform states:

The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.

The Republican platform is silent on the subject pregnancy prevention. It has no strategy to prevent unintended pregnancy, only to ban abortion. There is not one "pro-life" organization in the United States that supports contraception, though it's the only proven way to reduce the need for abortion.

Now young evangelicals appear to be turning away from the monolithic fights of their elders. They support prevention because it delivers the results they seek. Bill Clinton, the nation's first pro-choice president, inherited high abortion rates from the previous two "pro-life" Presidents, Reagan and Bush (Sr.). Clinton presided over the most dramatic decline in abortion rates in the recorded history of our country. He backed prevention and financial support for the most at risk; the pro-choice approach. Banning abortion, the "pro-life" movement's approach, has little effect on its prevalence, study after study shows. The countries with the highest abortion rates in the world are those that have already adopted our Republican party's platform and banned abortion. This includes most of Latin America where abortion rates are equal to the US and in several countries twice as high.

Conversely, the strategy Obama promises to implement is what has proven to work in the countries where abortion is most rare. These countries, like the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, have adopted the strongest pro-choice policies--abortion is legal, often free, contraception is widely available and abstinence-only education exists only as an oxymoron.

Obamagelicals have moved beyond the righteous rhetoric and political hyperbole to focus a wider array of issues that impact rates of abortion, like poverty, education and prevention. They may be the common ground movement pro-choice people have long been praying for.

For breaking news on threats to birth control access and information visit birthcontrolwatch.org

Follow Cristina Page on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cristinapage

Comments

[NotFromRoundHere]

"For McCain's evangelical voters abortion is the number one issue facing our country, and "reducing poverty" weighs in at #13 in importance."

As an Australian evangelical Christian, this statistic horrifies me. Even disregarding the following fact that 75% cite financial reasons for choosing abortion, it seems a gross distortion of Christian doctrine to value the poor so lightly. Christ spent his time with the poor, the disaffected, the unclean and they were drawn to him while the authorities were threatened by him. Many Christians today have the opposite effect!

I've always hated the expression "God helps those who help themselves" which is used so often that it seems like scripture when the fact is that it is like an anti-gospel. God helps those who look to him for help while he OPPOSES the proud who help themselves! The above expression is, to my mind, merely an excuse to not love your neighbour in favour of yourself. I can't help but think that the majority of evangelicals have fallen into this trap when I hear that they rate poverty 13th in order of importance.

The judgement of those choosing abortion without a serious compassion for their circumstances betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel of grace and I'm very grateful that the younger generation is starting to see this...

[kjstjohn]

I am in total agreement with you. And would you believe there are conservative Christians in this country who make light of their lack of concern for the poor by asking the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" How weird is that?

[JLee]

Well, at least it's scripture. Still weird.

[stefiz]

i,m sending this to my"ban abortions" pastor!!! thank you!!!!!

[Free2Rocknroll]

I'm not sure if I'm totally sold on this idea truthfully. If you read the New York Times article that's linked above it says,

"Nationwide, most white evangelicals remained in the Republican camp despite misgivings they voiced about the depth of Senator John McCain’s commitment to a conservative social agenda. Mr. McCain, of Arizona, held 74 percent of the white evangelical vote, compared with 24 percent for Mr. Obama — a gain of only three percentage points over Mr. Kerry"

I think if you wanted to see how the Evangelical vote changed in 2008 this would be the stat you'd look at. African American Evangelicals already tend to be more progressive as do a lot of Hispanics. And from the above statistic, only 3 percent of white evangelicals are capable of changing their minds and voting for a Democrat, even after the disastrous presidency of George Bush. If Democrats were going to be able to flip these people it would be now, especially with someone like Obama reaching out to them.

This idea that evangelicals are flocking to Obama strikes me as a myth created by Progressive Christians to make themselves feel a little better about the company they're keeping. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for that 3 percent, it helped a lot in states like Colorado, but its a pretty small number to start calling people Obamagelicals.

[klmebane]

3 percent seems small, but it calculates out to hundreds of thousands of people, if not more.

[novowel4me]

I would think younger people are looking at what unites us rather than what divides us. That's what I take from this article and what I think this election portends.

[kellygrrrl]

while we are busily taking Our Country back ...
let's also take back Christianity - and return it to the true teachings of JesusChrist.

we can start by stripping the tax-exempt status of churches who politicize.
the Mormon churches ordered members to donate time and money to the Yes on 8 campaign
the Catholic church who told members they could not receive communion if they voted a certain way

Money Talks

[kjstjohn]

Amen, Sister!

[firstfreeze]

the only IRS restriction is that churches can't endorse candidates. They are free to deal with members as they want to. There is no "right" to receive communion -- none of the gov't business. Nice try.

[Cil]

Huff Post,

Thank you sooooooooooo much for posting this article!

I have been wondering about the EVANGELICAL VOTES
SINCE THE PRESIDENTIAL WRAP UP.

WHY?

Because I distinctly remember, months ago where an
article was printed about EVANGELICALS AND THEIR
VOTES. One leading Evangelical noted in the article
THAT BARACK WOULD WIN THE PRESIDENTIAL
RACE!

I am sorry, but I just cannot remember the name of the
EVANGELICAL WHO MADE THE STATEMENT, but the
REASON he gave for BARACK'S success was along the
line of.....EVANGELICALS WILL PUT HIM OVER THE
TOP!

WOW...Was this man right on the ball!

[kjstjohn]

Conservative Christians have certainly tarnished the "conservative" label in this country.
Wouldn't it be rich if liberal Christians led the way in restoring the lustre of the word "liberal"?

[novowel4me]

Calling these people conservative must have Barry Goldwater rotating rapidly in his grave.

[imnoone]

The Republicans have always had an abortion prevention policy. People should never have sex unless they are married. They should just say no. Their drug prevention policy is that people should never use drugs unless prescribed by a physician. They should just say no. Their anti-poverty policy is that people should always have a good job with good benefits and a livable salary. They should just say no to poverty. Just say no to sex, drugs and poverty. After decades of realizing that "Just Say No" is not a workable policy, the American People decided that the only way to respond to the Republicans was to just say no.

[AZdesertdog]

not exactly true. Nixon and Ford were both pro-choice, as well as H. W. Bush until he was selected as Reagan's VP. and let's not forget Ronald Reagan was the first governor to sign the right to abortion into law in 1966.

Barry Goldwater's wife was instrumental in the start of Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930's.

all this anti-choice crap came into being right around 1979, with the start of Jerry Falwell's Christian Coalition.

[chewie2008]

Obamagelicals...I like the sound of this.

[SekhmetHathor]

Not trying to be mean or critical but when you say things like "Obamagelical" it really feeds the fires of those who call us kool-aid drinkers looking for a messiah.

[diamondc]

I don't think of us Christians who support Obama as Koolaid drinkers looking for a messiah.

We already have a messiah - Jesus Christ.

We simply do not think that the most important christian beliefs are related to abortion and homosexuality to the exclusion of everything else that the bible says including but not limited to: Love your neighbor..., Love God..., Don't judge on appearances alone..., Give to the poor, to widows, and to orphans..., Pray for our leaders..., Pray for those who would be our enemies..., and so on.

Get the point?

[Lilly-G]

No.

[kjstjohn]

Yes.

[IntrepidReader]

No kidding. I find the term "Obamagelical" to be absolutely nuts. And scary.

[TakeSake]

Perhaps a more technical definition could be something like "Moderate Christian Activist".

[mikey76]

Nothing the Republicans suggest or feed off of works. That's why the Dems will hold office for at least the next 16 years. All you will have to say is Bush and they will fade away.

[SekhmetHathor]

If you've ever played sports you should know two things :

1) Never underestimate your opponent
2) Never overestimate your abilities

I wouldn't get myself all giddy thinking that the Democratic Party will rule for 16 years(though it would be nice), a lot can happen in the next four, eight, or twelve years. If things go wrong your looking at people hating Obama and Democrats as much as they now hate Bush and Republicans. There is no way to see the future. In 2000 the Republicans thought they had it sewn up for the next two decades. Times can change fast.

[qofdisks]

Corruption will overtake the DEMS too.

[rixter1965]

It is time to retire two terms used by the media when talking about American Christians:

"Evangelical" is a decidedly improper term since, in actuality, all Christians are called to evangelize. The term is used to describe those who reject any innovation in doctrine, any academic approach to the Bible, most precepts of science, and embrace conservati­ve/Republi­can policies including laissez-faire capitalism and touting "wedge" social issues a way to garner votes. None of that has to do with evangelizing!

"Mainline Protestant," too, is a misnomer. Better "historic demoninations" since so many "Evangelicals" are either moving their churches from historic denominations in different directions or are based in non-denomi­national/i­ndependent churches.

POLITICAL conservatives and their religious allies have kidnapped theology and married it to conservati­ve/Republi­can dogma. Time for the marriage to get a divorce!

[cuthbertallgood]

You keep talking about 'issues' in the plural, but you only look at reproductive rights. Guess if you talk about the other issues, the new fundies look just like the old ones?
Sorry, I'm not rejoicing at a bunch of prejudice divisive people wishing to take over the Democratic Party now that they've ruined the Republican Party. The politics of hate and division are all they know. They are always 'against' things, never 'for' anything, never for anyone.
They are the enemies of my family, and they are not welcome to display their hate around me, no matter who they vote for for President.

[billstewart]

You're missing the point - evangelical Christianity is about so many different issues, and the Republican Right Wing machine which has been exploiting them during the Gingrich/Rove/Bush years has started to lose their hold. Evangelicals aren't stupid, but when you push their buttons they jump just like Planned Parenthood supporters do, and the right-wing leadership has been pushing their buttons hard and often since they figured out that it was an easily exploited block of political supporters. People who are willing to go ring doorbells and talk to friends and strangers are a hugely valuable resource for a political party, and it's easier to redirect people who already do that for their churches than to community-organize tv watchers to go out and do it for causes they believe in. And it's a lot easier to get people to be against things that for them.

Jesus said lots of things about helping the poor and making peace and loving your neighbor that fit better into liberal politics than into hard-right-wing politics, and believers are getting back to that.

Traditional marriage really is being threatened by social changes, and people are scared by it and don't know what to do. Gay marriage is so obviously not the problem, but it's foreign enough to be a handle the right wing can use to keep people working for them. (Pay no attention to those triply-divorced Republican politicians behind the curtain...)

[kjstjohn]

I attend an American Baptist church in the South. We were kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention a few years ago because we ordained a gay minister and hired him as an associate pastor. In the 1960's we were almost kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention and two thirds of our congregation left because the pastor welcomed all races. We have interfaith fellowship with Jews and Muslims, who have preached from our pulpit. Atheist spouses attend without fear of being proselytized. We are "for" living an examined life; struggling to understand what it means to follow Jesus' commandment to love God, ourselves, our neighbors, and our enemies; serving the poor; fighting injustice; protecting the environment; and waging peace.

As a group, we are probably much less prejudiced than the average secular American because we actively work to overcome prejudice within ourselves. And, I guarantee you that we are not the enemies of your family.

[mcantwell]

blue_ocean55:

I totally agree with your comment. As a christian, these past several months have opened my eyes and helped me to understand why Ghandi stated, "I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so UNLIKE your Christ."

[Shrinath]

There are way too many questions to be posed to the "pro-life" republican party and the religious bigots about there stance on abortion. This is a pluralistic society with many faiths. Just because you belong to one and are on in majority cannot mean that you can shove it down my throat. Which explains why my extended family of 36 (Indian-Americans) are all Democrats.

It pains me whenever the state makes a choice for the individual. As far as I am concerned, it should be left to the individual, the woman who might become the mother. As a man I will have no way of knowing the pain that a woman goes through when delivering a child. But she does it with love. When the circumstances of the conception are not through love or of her choice, then the decision should be left to the woman alone.

I am totally in support of sex-education in school starting as early at grade 8. Prevention is still better than the cure. Contraception is by far one of the best options available. In this age, the Church and the State has to be separate. If the GOP still persists on a platform built on that issue, the entire structure is going to collapse soon. And no, I do not believe that the Republicans as a party can be written off yet. Too many factions inside the Democratic party decree that the GOP will stay.