On Jun 13, 2008, Sharon Doughty said:

I was not surprised by the survey, but my mind was drawn to the thought of pastors, who week after week from the pulpit preach on many moral issues. And most of the time they are not appeasing words to some. If he says, all life is precious to God and He holds every breath in His hand and has a plan to the very end, it may get a hardy amen, until we are personally faced with the issue. If He says it is not ok to "live together" he is now meddling, or getting too personal, or being judgemental. If he says homosexuality goes against what the Word of God teaches, some get offended. But in the end God has set the standards from the beginning and His standards have not changed to fit our lifestyle. He tells us to write His Words on our hearts and to teach them to our children. I appreciate those pastors who take a stand on the moral issues according to God's Word, week after week, in the face of alot of opposition. But through the Holy Spirit's leading, men of God preaching, and God's Word, that is how I determine what stand I need to take on these issues. Thank you to all the pastors who stand firm! All of us will face moral issues each day of our lives. How will I choose to live and answer the survey?

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On Jun 15, 2008, Brian Warfield said:

I was not surprised in the least to find the majority of SBC pastors on the right (as opposed to the left) concerning the two moral issues highlighted in this editorial. What was surprising was the extremely high percentage. It appears that 88% of SBC pastors think that individuals should suffer through the excruciating pain of a terminal disease until they breathe their last breath...however long that takes. For me, that does not sound very merciful. Personally, I don't think I could stand in front of someone facing such a grim prognosis and say, God wants you to "tough it out". It's also surprising that only 6% of pastors support the development of embryonic stem cell research. Obviously, the issue centers around whether an embryo is considered a "person", someone who is already "made in the image of God". For those that believe personhood (aka "human life") begins at conception, the hang up on this issue is that current stem cell reasearch often requires the destruction of the embryos. However, many of us are not convinced that the Bible speaks with certainty as to when personhood begins. For us, we feel the need to care of the people right here in front of us supercedes are need to worry about cells that could develop into people. If the embryo is not a person, it seems worth pursuing further research so that the people around us might have a better, longer life. The scary statistic for me is that 80% of pastors plan to vote for John McCain as opposed to 1% for Barack Obama. Wow. Perhaps the editorial is trying to suggest that John McCain is the more moral candidate (or at least SBC pastors have made that judgment) because his policies do not encourage embryonic stem cell reasearch or physician-assisted deaths. If only these were the 2 moral issues! I have a few more that I would like both candidates to answer: was it moral for the Bush administration to use waterboarding on terrorist suspects (See golden rule in sermon on the mount)? Is it moral to ignore the fact that millions of Americans cannot afford health insurance? Is it moral to fight a war that was based on false information? Is it moral for income distribution to be so skewed that an average CEO makes 500 times what an entry level worker makes? These are some pivotal issues for our nation at this time. How we talk about war, genocide, poverty, and human rights in addition to stem cell research, physician-assisted deaths, and gay marraige will indicate where we are in terms of moral progress. Perhaps a short answer would be, YES. I do disagree with 80% of southern baptist pastors.

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On Jun 17, 2008, TOM GOINS said:

I apprciate your report and thank the Lord our SB pastors are standing firm even when the world seems to disagree. To comment on the three polls taken, my understanding of scripture is that when a baby leaps in the womb that pretty well identifies the fact scripture recognizes a person is in there. To kill a person for someone else's benefit doesn't seem right. Next, I have a grandson born with spinal bifida. I prayed for his healing. God did not heal him but I don't want to kill him to lessen his pain. I know that he doesn't suffer like a lot of folks but it still doesn't seem right to kill someone because of a illness. I hope I am never faced with that kind of a decision. Lastly, I have a problem understanding how an "American" Southern Baptist could vote for someone who associates with and believes in people that are so aganist our country and Christian principals

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On Jun 19, 2008, Brian Warfield said:

The last gentleman said "I have a problem understanding how an American southern baptist can vote for someone who associates with and believes in people that are so against our country and Christian principles." I hope the gentleman is not referring to Barack Obama. Perhaps Tom saw the 30 second sound bites of Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, in which Wright issued some harsh words to America. The media took these sound bites and painted a picture of Wright as anti-American. Though, I would have preferred sermons that balance criticism of our country (which pastors are called to do and usually shies away from) with the recognition of the religious freedom, equality, and emancipation that have been achieved in our country, at least Wright is not using his platform as a bullypulpit for war - as some conservatives do. I might add that unnecssary war and bloodshed seems to be a very non-Christian ideal (see 1 Samuel 25). Nonetheless, is Obama to answer for every word that comes from his pastor? We're not electing the pastor, we're electing the politician. Arguments that paint Obama as unAmerican or unChristian (and there is a difference) because of his company really miss the point. One could make the point that McCain's wife is the heir to a very large Anheiuser Bush distributor, and the last time I checked, many Southern Baptists are still prohibitionists. So, McCain has quesitonable company. He also has more lobbyists funding his campaign, which means he's more likely to do favors for those who contribute to his campaign - something that doesn't seem too just. But let's not get into that kind of arugment. The election is about the values and policies of these men running for office. As to the claim that Obama associates with people who are so against Christian principles, I just have to say...what? I really don't know of anything to substantiate this claim. I will say that Obama is proposing something that seems very Christian: using words over weapons in his foreign policy. While McCain also claims to be big on diplomacy, it's hard to believe this is the case when he proposes a long term military occupation in Iraq...whether that be 50 or 100 years. Obama also proposes talking with our enemies. While some say this position is naive or unwarranted, perhaps even dangerous, what would Jesus do? Can we love our enemies and still not talk to them? Will that treatment ever win them over?

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On Jun 30, 2008, Ken McKinley said:

I am quite pleased that the majority of pastors in Oklahoma are not supportive of Obama or Clinton, but I am a bit disappointed that they are planning to vote for Senator McCain and not a candidate that is more in line with the values of Christianity such as Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. As Senator McCain does not have the best track record when it comes to same sex marriage and abortion, I do not understand how anyone who claims to be a Christian could vote for the man. I believe that if Christians would vote for the candidate that best represents Christian values rather than the lesser of two evils that they feel has a better chance to win, we could possibly see God move (see 2nd Chronicles 7:14).

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On Jul 11, 2008, Donnie Hazlewood said:

My goal is not to get into a large scale argument over this but when I read this comment I couldn't help but respond. We need to realize that 2nd Chronicles 7:14 does NOT in anyway refer to the United States. Further, I am can't understand why people get so up in arms over who is going to be the president. If someone is elected who is not Christian is God surprised or does he somehow lose control? We make it sound like we are trying to save America by who we vote for. One only need to look at kings and those in power throughout scripture to have a better picture of what a correct understanding of how a Christian should relate to the government. First God used Nebuchadnezzar (pagan King of Babylon) to fulfill his end of the Old Covenant (Deut. 28). Further he even refers to the actions of Nebuchadnezzar as "The Day of the Lord." Many other examples can be found throughout scripture (think of the Israelites complaining to God for a King), however I want to point out one more example which in my opinion gives us the best picture of who to think about the government. Look at Paul throughout the book of Acts. He does not tout his Roman citizenship as something that defined who he was (in contrast to saying things like we are proud to be American). Paul preaches the Gospel and proclaims another Lord which stands in complete opposition to Caesar. This Lord is Jesus. He only makes use of his privileges as a Roman citizen when it will have a direct benefit for accomplishing the purpose God called him too. He uses his Roman citizen status to save his life, get a fair trial, and ultimately get to Rome, so that he can preach the gospel unhindered. So it is my opinion that we should use the government and who we are as Americans only to the end that it helps us proclaim the Gospel and build the Kingdom of God. How about using our huge food surplus to help those in other countries? How about thinking up solutions to the huge national and international debt which cripples millions? I could go on but won't. However, we use these as a means to an end, that end is in sharing the gospel.. Just so you know, I am not in favor of abortion, stem cell research, but we need to realize that there are massive other problems that Christian's by in large turn a blind eye too. (apologize for the long post)

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