Saddleback Civil Forum Aftermath

After watching the Saddleback Civil Forum with Senators Obama and McCain, here are my impressions, first about Senator Obama.

Senator Barak Obama

I’m not going to give you a play by play because I didn’t take those kind of notes. What I was more interested in during this forum was getting a feel for the candidates’ personalities, their ability to think on their feet, etc. This particular forum was perfect for Senator Obama. It was relaxed, informal and very conversational in its style. Obama’s obvious comfort in this forum was evident with his jesting with Pastor Rick. He was very much at ease. He was very thoughtful in his answers. Obviously, I disagree with him on many things, but here is what I found interesting this evening. With the exception of the issues of taxes, abortion and stem cell research, most of his answers were articulated in such a way that he has left himself open to interpretation. His answers reflected that he was trying to analyze each point of view and formulate a consensus answer. You may wonder what is wrong with a consensus answer. It’s very Post-Modern in that it really has no backbone because instead of coming up with a solution to a problem that has substance and has strong support, you get a weak solution made up from bits and pieces of everyone’s opinion, with no strong support from any one group. Post-Modern thinking attempts to form consensus from many points of view. It sounds wonderful, but what you really end up getting is a chameleon-like ethical approach. Every situation must be evaluated based upon present attitudes, not upon long standing principle.

Strong Points

• Articulated his faith strongly (except where he said he “hoped” he would be forgiven). He demonstrated an understanding of redemption through Jesus Christ.
• He was very confident and sure of himself in his answers. I didn’t notice any backtracking or slips in his answers.
• He expressed a belief in the existence of evil and that it needs to be dealt with. Too his detriment, however, he wasn’t quick to say it must be confronted.

Senator John McCain

Senator McCain’s personality made itself evident quickly. He’s much more hawkish than Senator Obama, likely because of the clearly defined convictions he gained from being held hostage in Vietnam. McCain from the get-go appeared to be more assured in his answers than Obama. I don’t think that means Obama doesn’t know what he thinks, but rather that McCain has many years of experience in leadership which Obama lacks. Therefore some of his answers were very rapid fire, almost knee jerk reaction, because experience has taught him over the years the clear answers to these issues. No need to debate them, or prolong the answer, when the answer is very clear. I call McCain hawkish, though not in a militaristic way, but just generally aggressive on the issues which are dear to him. Obama did not demonstrate to me a clear passion for his issues. While I would never characterize Obama as uncaring or disconnected, his passion is not clearly demonstrative. I would say the only thing that took me by surprise with McCain was his explanation of his faith. I felt that Obama’s answer was much clearer in defining what his faith is and what it means to him. McCain instead gave an answer – which by the way was moving to me – that instead demonstrated a moment where his faith was very much in action. Both gave good answers, but they took different approaches to answering.

Strong Points

• His answer about faith was very moving. While it wasn’t a clear definition, it probably left little doubt in people’s minds about his beliefs.
• McCain’s quick answers to many of the questions will be assuring to many people. Like when asked about when life begins, his answer was one word, “Conception.” Those sorts of answers are comforting for people because there’s no wrangling with semantics, and there’s no room for misunderstanding.
• McCain seems to have a good grasp on our nations fiscal condition. We simply spend too much money. We do not need more taxes, but rather we need less spending. This always plays well to fiscal conservatives, but it also plays well to people who simply don’t want to see their taxes go up.

Pastor Rick, I think, did a good job as moderator, and I’d be happy to see this become an election year tradition at Saddleback. It really is as fair a forum as you can hope for. You will be able to view the forum at the Saddleback Civil Forum Website in the coming days or weeks by clicking “View Past Forums” in the site’s menu.

Rick Warren Hosting a Presidential Discussion

Tomorrow night Rick Warren is going to be hosting a presidential discussion at Saddleback. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a debate. Rather what will happen is Pastor Rick is going to have a set of questions that each candidate will have opportunity to answer, uninterrupted, and apparently neither candidate will hear their opponent’s answers. McCain and Obama will both receive approximately 50 minutes. I’m actually intrigued by this whole event. To my knowledge, this is a first in presidential elections, and a first for an evangelical church. What I would advise you to do is not just listen to their answers, but listen to the types of questions which Pastor Rick asks. For this event, I am just as interested to see what Rick Warren has to say, as I am about the two candidates. Rick Warren is viewed now on a national level, maybe a world level. His leadership as an evangelical will send waves through the evangelical world (actually he already has) in the wake of this event. We should watch all three of them with a cautious eye.

For more information on the event, you can visit the website for the event. The forum will be broadcast on CNN, Fox News. The broadcast begins at 6:00 PM Mountain Time.