Our Top Heroes

(from FotF's Pastor's Weekly Briefing)

The Harris Poll^® conducted its regular hero survey of a cross-section of Americans last month. Asked (off the top of their heads) whom they admire enough to call their heroes (up to three names), those mentioned most included:

1. Barack Obama 2. Jesus Christ 3. Martin Luther King 4. Ronald Reagan 5. George W. Bush 6. Abraham Lincoln 7. John McCain 8. John F. Kennedy 9. Chelsey Sullenberger 10. Mother Teresa 11. God 12. Hillary Clinton

13. Billy Graham Franklin D. Roosevelt 15. Mahatma Ghandi 16. Colin Powell George Washington Bill Clinton 19. Condoleeza Rice 20. Oprah Winfrey 21. Sarah Palin 22. George S. Patton Bill Gates

Those in the top 20 in 2001 who dropped off the top of the list this year included John Wayne, Michael Jordan, John Glenn, Norman Schwartzkopf, Princess Diana, Dwight Eisenhower, Pope John Paul and Jimmy Carter.

In another question, responders were asked to select from a list of choices what made someone a hero. The top definitions given were:

1. Doing what's right regardless of personal consequences (89%).
2. Not giving up until the goal is accomplished (83%).
3. Doing more than what other people expect of them (82%).
4. Overcoming adversity (81%).
5. Staying level-headed in a crisis (81%).