A group of more than 70 prominent ministers defended President Obama against what they call a "misrepresentation" of his Christian faith.
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Bishop T.D. Jakes, Florida megachurch pastor Joel Hunter, World Vision President Rich Stearns and the Rev. Sammy Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, were among the signatories to an open letter released this week challenging a pervasive belief that the president is a Muslim.
A Pew Research poll last week found that 18 percent of Americans believe the president is a Muslim, up from 11 percent in March 2009. Only 34 percent of Americans think the president is a Christian, down from 48 percent last year, and 43 percent said they don't know what faith he practices.
In their letter, the leaders said the president has been "unwavering" in confessing Christ as his savior and has spoken often about the importance of his faith.
"Many of the signees on this letter have prayed and worshipped with this President," the letter stated. "We believe that questioning, and especially misrepresenting, the faith of a confessing believer goes too far."
The leaders said the president's faith is not a political issue, noting that they come from diverse political backgrounds. "We are unified in our belief in Jesus Christ," they wrote. "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."
