{"id":27205,"date":"2012-04-18T10:25:22","date_gmt":"2012-04-18T15:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?p=27205"},"modified":"2012-04-14T07:26:48","modified_gmt":"2012-04-14T12:26:48","slug":"ed-stetzer-president-obama-gov-romney-and-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2012\/04\/18\/ed-stetzer-president-obama-gov-romney-and-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Stetzer, President Obama, Gov Romney, and Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

From CP:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Now, the Presidential race is really on \u2013 and down to two candidates, both who identify themselves as \u201cChristians.\u201d But, it appears, that many Americans (and a strong majority of evangelicals) don\u2019t think either of them actually are Christians. In other words, both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney profess to be Christians, but that profession is widely disbelieved. Romney is doubted primarily because he is a Mormon, while President Obama is doubted for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n

The obvious question is: are they Christians? Evangelical Christians see being a Christian as having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ made possible through Christ\u2019s death on the cross, for our sin, and in our place. Through His sacrifice we can receive new life in Christ, a new life that comes through a conversion experience. This inward reality is accompanied by outward signs bearing witness to that fact. In the end, though, only the person (and God) can say with certainty whether he or she has been converted.<\/p>\n

Even though about 75% of Americans believe themselves to be Christians, most devout evangelicals do not believe that three of four Americans are \u201cChristian\u201d and would actually seek to share Christ with them so they might become Christians. In other words, for evangelicals being \u201cChristian\u201d is not a demographic category\u2013 \u201cI was born in America, am not Jewish, and went to church as a child\u201d\u2013 but rather a faith commitment with a conversion when they moved from unbelief to belief. To use Bible terminology, they\u2019ve moved from death to life, and, to use Jesus\u2019 words specifically, they are \u201cborn again\u201d (John 3:3).<\/p>\n

In a case where someone is within a religious tradition which evangelical Christians consider to be outside of \u201cbiblical Christianity,\u201d most evangelicals would believe such a person could be a Christian. For example, if you ask an evangelical, \u201cCould a Mormon be a Christian?\u201d they will generally say \u201cyes\u201d but will follow up stating that as a Christian they should and will eventually leave Mormonism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In short, I don\u2019t know whether Governor Romney or President Obama is a Christian because God has not granted me the insight to see into a person\u2019s soul, nor have I been invited to have spiritual conversations with either of them to help me understand what they mean when they convey their experiences and beliefs.<\/p>\n

So there is much we cannot know with certainty. Yet there are some things we do know: the perceptions of Protestant pastors, evangelical churchgoers, and random Americans on this issue.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From CP: Now, the Presidential race is really on \u2013 and down to two candidates, both who identify themselves as \u201cChristians.\u201d But, it appears, that many Americans (and a strong majority of evangelicals) don\u2019t think either of them actually are Christians. In other words, both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney profess to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1732],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-issues"],"yoast_head":"\nEd Stetzer, President Obama, Gov Romney, and Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From CP: Now, the Presidential race is really on \u2013 and down to two candidates, both who identify themselves as "Christians." 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