A recent LifeWay Research survey indicates that although Protestant pastors clearly maintain personal political opinions, 84 percent disagree (70 percent strongly and 14 percent somewhat) with the statement, “I believe pastors should endorse candidates for public office from the pulpit.”
According to the Baptist Press article: “for comparison, LifeWay Research found in a June 2008 survey that 75 percent of American adults disagreed (59 percent strongly) with the statement, ‘I believe it is appropriate for churches to publicly endorse candidates for public office.’ Also in the October 2008 study, less than 3 percent of Protestant pastors agreed that they had publicly endorsed candidates for public office during a church service that year.
“We know that pastors have strong feelings when it comes to political candidates and their job performance,” Ed Stetzer said. “But each week when they step into public pulpits in front of sometimes thousands of congregants, the vast majority of those pulpits remain silent on advising others how to vote.”
“Party affiliations reveal differences in opinion on this issue. Among pastors who call themselves Democrats, 84 percent strongly disagree, as compared to 61 percent of Republicans, that political endorsements should be made from the pulpit. Also, mainline pastors, at 79 percent, are more likely than evangelical pastors, at 65 percent, to strongly disagree that endorsements should be made from the pulpit.” (Click here to read the full article.)