What shapes our decisions?

I would like to think that the decisions I make are informed by, and directed by, my understanding of who I am in Christ and what he would like to do through me. I hope that is how most Christians think. Imagine my dismay then at reading this.

“Literal interpretation of the Bible and frequent religious practice push AfrAms toward the Democrats and whites toward the Republicans” (72). Read that twice and think about it. It boggles.

Now here it is put even more potently: “the Gospel [sic, gospel] does correlate with political orientation: the direction of correlation depends on believers’ social contexts, which in this case means their differing racial ancestries” (72). Is this suggesting that folks vote on the basis of income/economic status, regardless of their faith, or that their faith supports their perceived income needs, or that one of these groups is consistent and the other one not?

<idle musing>
Ouch!!
</idle musing>