Majority of Evangelical Leaders Don't Donate to Political Candidates
Most evangelical leaders don't contribute financially to political candidates, according to a new survey.
Sixty-four percent of the board of directors of the National Association of Evangelicals said they don't support political candidates with monetary donations.
Evangelical leaders prefer to give money to churches and ministries. "So many others fund these campaigns from deep pockets, and I prefer to invest in the kingdom of God. Also, once on their lists, it is difficult to get off," said Daniel Henderson, president of Strategic Renewal.
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Some still choose to contribute to political campaigns, but NAE President Leith Anderson said those who do don't give much and they try to keep their donations "as private as possible."
Don Sweeting, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, is among those who like to participate financially.
"While the gospel must be our first message, rendering to Caesar in a democratic republic means that Caesar has invited us to participate in the political process," he said, according to NAE.
"If we do not, we lose our influence and the consequences are huge – religious freedom, tax deductions for charitable donations, interference with Christian education, among other issues are affected by this."
The Obama reelection campaign has raised $934 million through to October and spent $852 million. The Romney election campaign raised $881 million and spent $752 million.
Evangelicals surveyed for the NAE poll include CEOs of denominations and representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations including missions, universities, publishers and churches.
