A survey just out from The Barna Group reviews the so-called "God gap" between the Republican and Democratic parties. It found that while the GOP continues to hold an advantage among born-again voters, Democrats aren't as far behind as one might assume.

Researcher David Kinnaman says that 51 percent of Republicans have spiritual convictions that qualify them as born again, compared to 38 percent of Democrats. Among evangelicals, the gap is huge—59 percent favoring the GOP to just 16 percent for the Dems.

However, since registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 41-31 percent margin, that means if the 2008 election were held today, 38 percent of born-again voters would cast their ballot as Republicans and 37 percent as Democrats, with the rest unaffiliated.

A narrow gap?

In addition to that thin edge, the study found that of 32 factors used to measure the spiritual differences, only eight of them generated a difference of more than 10 percentage points. Kinnaman says that suggests the gap between the two parties in most areas of faith is not huge.

One can argue endlessly which party holds a superior claim on moral values. Those critical of the Democrats controlling Congress chide them for their pro-homosexual, pro-choice leanings. Those critical of conservatives talk about poverty, the environment and the need for better educational access as moral issues, too.

Without dipping too deeply into this pool, anyone who sees the Republican Party as the harbinger of morality would be hard pressed to explain that amid the slew of recent scandals that led disgraced GOP members to resignation and prison.

Aside from that debate, though, I see some positives in this study. They start with the fact that if the 2008 election resembles the last two elections that born-again voters will cast roughly half of all ballots. And of those, a fourth will be nine-point evangelicals, a term Barna uses to describe people who subscribe to certain essentials of faith.

What this means is that candidates—even those not necessarily friendly to the Church—can't dismiss it out of hand for fear of alienating a significant electoral bloc.

This brings a moderating influence to both parties. Any pro-life supporter should be glad that not all Democrats walk lock step with the pro-choice lobby, just as those opposed to the expansion of gambling can find support on both sides of the aisle.

This survey also shows that not everyone lines up in a particular camp no matter what the issue. In the same way, there is no unanimity among churches on any theological point you care to name, from baptism to Communion to Calvinism.

The lesson for believers

What that means is that Christians who hope to see the nation lifted out of its deeply-divided condition need to lead the way in exploring issues without degenerating into fractious camps where the goal is to see "our" side win.

I happen to believe one reason the world is so polarized rests on the shoulders of the Church. Believers are to set an example for how to disagree and work together to resolve differences. Yet too many Christians quarrel endlessly and paint each other as the enemy with the same kind of venom spewed across political aisles.

Before aiming our barrels at the "other" side, Christians of all political persuasions should spend more time calmly discussing issues with those we disagree with and less time trying to outdebate them.