When it was Obama's turn to speak, the Illinois senator spent nearly all his allotted 15 minutes on addressing the issue of poverty - the question posed by Sojourner's founder Jim Wallis. Obama discussed his ideas on how to lift people out of poverty such as through education by providing early childhood education that starts from age 0-3 and working with at-risk teenage parents. He also sees solution in providing ex-offenders coming out of prison a second chance by giving them government transitional jobs.
Obama, who has been criticised for his support of abortion and embryonic stem cell research, was not asked and did not address any controversial moral issue during the forum.
Clinton, on the other hand, was asked by the Rev. Joel C. Hunter of Florida mega church Northland Church if she could envision pro-life and pro-choice individuals working together with the goal to eliminate abortion.
The New York senator and former first lady responded that she has been working for years to get abortion to be safe, legal and "rare."
"It's been a challenge, because the pro-life and the pro-choice communities have not really been willing to find much common ground. And I think that is a great failing on all or our parts," said Clinton, who, like Edwards and Obama, is pro-choice.
Religion has proven to play a prominent role in voters' candidate preference. All 17 democratic and republican presidential candidates describe themselves as Christians.
"To many Americans, religion is a very important part of their life and they are interested in how religiosity influences candidates," explained John Green, a University of Akron political science professor and senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, according to The Associated Press.
Experts note that this election is different because Democratic candidates are more open about their faith and are more actively seeking religious voters.
Clinton and Obama have hired strategist to focus on reaching religious voters, according to AP.
For Monday's forum, some 1,300 people packed the auditorium at George Washington University, where the forum was held.
A similar second presidential forum inviting top Republican candidates is currently being organised by Sojourners and is scheduled to take place in Iowa this September.
