Barna, Universalism And Pluralism, What Americans Believe

This was posted a while back, so I'm a little late on this. Thanks to David Kinnaman, this is going to be a fun little exercise. I will post the relevant sections with some of my own commentary. I may ignore the section on Pluralism and Christian perspective, as my focus is more on the generation aspect of this topic.

Universalism
Broadly defined, universalism is the belief that all human beings will be saved after death. On balance, Americans leaned toward exclusive rather than inclusive views. For example, 43% agreed and 54% disagreed with the statement, “It doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons.”

I think already there is an issue here. On the one hand, it makes sense that Americans would prefer more exclusive views on such religious matters. On the final hand, however, I would disagree with how the question seemed to be framed. Most of the Universalists I know don't think all religious faiths teach the same lesson, so I'm not convinced the question is properly placed. But this is a minor quibble.

Interestingly, younger born again Christians stand in stark contrast to their peers, being much less open to inclusive or universalist views of eternity. Still, while they are holding firm on many matters of orthodoxy, young Christians also expressed less certainty than previous generations did about what will happen to them, personally, when they die.

Instead, this is where the heart of the issue lies. This explains the rise of the Emergent Church movement and the rising tide of neo-evangelicalism. Uncertainty is a big part of my generation, and this is something we seem to actually cherish. In many ways, I agree. Uncertainty drives me towards research and contemplation, so in most ways I'm with them.

I'll list a few examples. Peter Enns, Fuller Theological Seminary, Annihilationism, Inerrancy. All of this is driven by a younger generation (and some within the previous generation) that is simply not convinced that the traditions of old figured it all out. In many ways, this is exciting. We're seeing new theological ground being mined and stronger exegesis in regards to how we treat the texts.

So, universalism and all of these other topics aren't driven necessarily by a desire for tolerance. In many ways, I think it is the opposite. Evangelicalism is built upon questioning such things. To question them is to be truly biblicist.

Thoughts?

--Nick

Barna, "5 Top Voting Issues in 2012"

May 16, 2012 – With Barack Obama’s recent decision to be the first American president to publicly support gay marriage, the lines in the sand are being drawn for the contest between the incumbent and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. A national survey conducted by the Barna Group indicates that despite all the media coverage the president’s new stand on gay marriage received, that issue is not likely to have a major effect on the outcome of the election among most voters. Out of a dozen high profile issues assessed, gay marriage placed tenth in importance and only 31% of voters said this issue would affect their voting “a lot.” In terms of faith segments, while evangelical voters are more concerned about the issue than are most other voters, it is not likely to turn many evangelicals against Mr. Obama since few of them (less than one out of every five) expected to vote for him anyway.

However, a national sample of likely voters interviewed by Barna indicated that of all the different factors they will consider when choosing our next president, each candidate’s positions on important issues will be the single most important component in their candidate choice. More than four out of five likely voters (83%) said that positions on the issues are the most important factor in their decision of which candidate to support on Election Day. The issues that are of greatest significance are health care and tax policy. (For more detail on people’s rankings of campaign issues, see “Election 2012 Priorities” published April 18, 2012 by the Barna Group.)

The second most common factor that voters will examine when making their candidate selection is the character of the men running. Half of all likely voters (51%) listed this as a key matter for them.

Less common factors that will influence people’s choice of candidate include the party affiliation of the candidates (listed by 17% of likely voters); the political experience of the candidates (16%); the candidates’ religious faith (14%); their educational background (6%); their speaking ability (3%); personality (2%); endorsements received (1%); their age (1%); and their physical appearance (less than 1%). Of course, survey respondents may not be fully aware of the factors that influence their presidential selections; however, the research helps to illuminate how they think about their electoral mindset.

For the rest (and there is plenty, including pictures), click HERE.

--Nick