Saddleback Civic Forum on the Presidency

During last night’s Civic Forum at Saddleback Church, pastor Rick Warren asked Senators Barak Obama and John McCain, “What does it mean to you to trust in Christ?”

Barack Obama said, “As a starting point, it means I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that I am redeemed through him. That is a source of strength and sustenance on a daily basis. I know that I don't walk alone, and I know that if I can get myself out of the way, that I can maybe carry out in some small way what he intends. And it means that those sins that I have on a fairly regular basis hopefully will be washed away.” Quoting from the book of Matthew, Obama said it also meant an obligation to “the least of these.”

When asked the same question, John McCain told Warren, "Means I'm saved and forgiven. Our faith encompasses not just America, but the world."

McCain went on to talk about his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. McCain said a guard drew a cross in the sand while he was praying. "For a minute there we were just two Christians worshipping together."