Survey Shows: 92% of Congress Are Christian

Members of this year’s 114th US Congress may have many differing opinions, however, according to a recent Pew Research survey, there is one important thing most of them have in common: faith.  The Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project found that 491 of the 535 members of Congress (92%) identify as Christian.  According to a CNN Wire report, that number is a slight increase from last year’s Congress (which was 90%).

 

Alan Cooperman, director of religious research at Pew, noted, “One of the things we have seen in our surveys is that the American public says one thing they like to see in candidates for office is strong religious beliefs.”

 

If you broke it down amongst party lines, you'd find all but one of the Republicans in Congress are Christian … New York’s Rep. Lee Zeldin is Jewish.  The more diverse group are congressional Democrats, who are 80% Christian, 12% Jewish, with two Buddhists, two Muslims, one Hindu and one ‘unaffiliated’ member, according to the CNN Wire report.

 

“On the whole, American adults tend to say that they do want strong religious beliefs in candidates and they tend to say that they would be less likely to vote for someone who says they do not believe in God,” added Cooperman.  “Candidates are reflecting the views of the public when they do tend to affiliate with a religious group.”

 

Given these stats, what can we expected of our elected officials?  Do their religious convictions govern their decision-making process?  Do they recognize God’s Word as the absolute source for truth and justice?  Will we see voting that support the Biblical worldview for religious liberty, sanctity of human life, traditional marriage & family, national defense, right to bear arms, freedom of speech, economic free market, dominion over the environment, and in foreign policy? … for the Bible speaks to all these contemporary issues.

 

Let us earnestly pray for those members of Congress who profess to be Christian that their walk will be consistent with their talk.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel