The survey, conducted by phone Oct. 7-14, found that 30 percent of Protestant pastors approve of the president (14 percent strongly) and 9 percent are undecided. Gallup reported today that the president’s average seventh quarter approval rating among Americans stands at 44.7 percent – its lowest point since Obama took office but still significantly higher than among Protestant pastors.

Perhaps not unexpectedly, the president’s approval rating is higher among Protestant pastors who self-identify as Democrat – 47 percent of them strongly approve of his job performance as compared to only 3 percent of Republicans and 10 percent of Independents. ...