Obama and McCain at Saddleback church

Barack Obama and John McCain answered the same questions from pastor Rick Warren tonight regarding a wide range of issues at the Saddleback Civil Forum.
Televised by CNN and FOXNews, I thought the format was well-conceived and allowed viewers to compare candidates on the same questions.
One controversy which was immediate was Barack Obama’s reply to the question, “when does a baby qualify for human rights?” Obama took an agnostic position saying theologically and scientifically the answer was “above his pay grade.” McCain answered directly that life begins at conception. Obama also said the number of abortions had stayed the same through the Bush presidency, a claim immediately contested by the Americans United for Life via one of the Fox News commentators. I am looking for some documentation on the matter but I do not think Obama is correct on that point.
Here is video where Obama says the number of abortions have stayed the same.

The debate may have helped Obama with Evangelicals in one sense: he made a clear profession of faith in Christ. However, in my opinion, Evangelicals will now have to do a real check of what they consider basic. Is the sanctity of life a core issue or can it be considered a second tier issue in order to vote for a candidate who articulates an orthodox testimony of spiritual salvation?
As for McCain, I think he helped himself enormously with Evangelicals via his performance in this forum. He demonstrated an emotional connection with the audience and had stories which connect with people. McCain’s responses seemed more at home at Saddleback with many more applause pauses from the crowd than received by Obama. I found him much more persuasive in that setting and with that audience than Sen. Obama.
But then I am biased and I suspect Obama supporters will view the evening as a win in that Obama played reasonably well in a ballpark unfamiliar to prior Democratic candidates.
UPDATE: According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group with close ties to Planned Parenthood, abortions declined throughout the Bush administration.

2 thoughts on “Obama and McCain at Saddleback church”

  1. I agree with David in that being a Christian is not a requirement for being president. I also suggest that those interested in the question of Obama’s relationship with Christ dig a little deeper than his words at Warren’s forum, because we ought to know enough by now to understand that words mean different things to different people. For a fuller look, might I suggest Stephen Mansfield’s new book, The Faith of Barack Obama, published by Thomas Nelson. I read the “money chapter”, entitled “Faith Fit for our Age”, and suffice it to say that I’m quite unconvinced that what Barack Obama means by “Christian” and what I understand the term to mean, as an evangelical, are one in the same.

  2. Being a Christian is not a requirement for being president…that is, it is not a required experience.
    Valuing life and protecting the weak, I think that is a necessary requirement for anyone who holds that much power…Since power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
    Allowing the powerful, in complete privacy, to harm the powerless…sometimes repeatedly; is a legitimate concern for all who wish for the just and compassionate use of power.

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