Christian Leaders Sign Letter In Support of the President's Christian Faith

by David Brody

August 30, 2010

The Brody File has learned about a letter from Christian leaders who are calling for "public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President's Christian faith."

The letter has been put together by the folks at the faith centered Eleison group.

TD Jakes, Joel Hunter, David Gushee are among the ones who have signed the letter.

The Brody File has the entire letter below.

As Christian leaders-- whose primary responsibility is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our congregations, our communities, and our world-- we are deeply troubled by the recent questioning of President Obama's faith. We understand that these are contentious times, but the personal faith of our leaders should not be up for public debate.

President Obama has been unwavering in confessing Christ as Lord and has spoken often about the importance of his Christian faith.  Many of the signees on this letter have prayed and worshipped with this President.  We believe that questioning, and especially misrepresenting, the faith of a confessing believer goes too far.

This is not a political issue. The signers of this letter come from different political and ideological backgrounds, but we are unified in our belief in Jesus Christ.  As Christian pastors and leaders, we believe that fellow Christians need to be an encouragement to those who call Christ their savior, not question the veracity of their faith.

Therefore, we urge public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President's Christian faith.  And we join with the President in praying that God will continue to bless the United States of America.

For a complete list of who signed the list, click here.

The Brody File heard back from a couple of other prominent Evangelical leaders on the issue of President Obama's Faith.

Leith Anderson, president of the NAE:

"One of the verses I memorized at church when I was a child was Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Ever since then I have been asking people if they believe in Jesus.

When someone says they are Atheist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Christian, I let them identify their own faith or lack of faith. Only God can see inside a human heart. We listen to human words.

I've never heard President Obama describe himself as anything other than a Christian. He should know better than anyone else."

And a spokesman for Dr. Rick Warren, Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church:

Dr. Warren has not made any comment, nor has he signed any group letters or statements.

The only identifiable reference would be his question to then-candidate Obama at the Saddleback Civil Forum in August 2008, when he asked "What does faith in Jesus Christ and Christianity mean to you on a daily basis?"