According to the Barna Group (a nonpartisan firm that aims to "partner with Christian ministries and individuals to be a catalyst in moral and spiritual transformation in the United States") one fifth of those who identifies as Christian labels themselves an Evangelical Christian - but the firm clarifies "Barna surveys do not classify a person based upon a respondent’s use of the terms "born again" or "evangelical," instead basing the classification on what a person believes about spiritual matters."

Further

"The nation's 68 million registered voters who are born again Christians were most concerned about personal indebtedness (79%), poverty (78%), and HIV/AIDS (77%) - levels similar to that of other voters. "

I find it interesting that genocide didn't seem to make the cut.

In looking over this I'm reminded of a panel I did this past week with a group of women considering running for office. I am always the only panelist (in whatever trainings or discussions I do) to talk about faith based outreach. Progressives and progressive women especially are the first to become uncomfortable and talk about "stepping over the line" when it comes to church outreach.

Need I remind us of Rev. Kline and the Slimfast Memo?

Yet, regardless of who I talk to, which candidates I consult for, which organizations I help develop strategic plans, I find that women like this are the best at articulating the ways in which their faith has influenced their inspiration for public service and working for the common good.

Capitalizing off the faith based division in the 2004 election was an organization that sought to consult for political candidates, partisan parties and party leaders, and elected officials all over the country in developing their message with a moral focus.

A good friend of mine, a self described field guy, worked with the organization for a brief time in the 2006 election season and said that their heart was in the right place, but too often he felt stuck in the pages of the famous George Lakoff book Don't Think of an Elephant.

"They'd go in and reframe the issues and I'd be the only one standing there saying... ok.... what now?" he said.

National and state parties took the lead putting people in place to help connect church leaders with their newly crafted message. Still, few candidates feel comfortable, maybe not going as far as Kline did, but talking about ways to meet people through their own church or allied churches in their area.

If these numbers tell us anything its that the economy is a serious concern and not surprisingly Christians care deeply about humanitarian efforts.

Politicians better start asking themselves "What now" soon.

Also, if you haven't seen this video its worth the watch. Here is another for fun.

Peace be with you!

(Cross Posted to the MAIN*Blog)