Obama isn't scary, but I worry about the people who are scared by him. A friend just pointed out these two articles to me, and I think they shed helpful light on the misguided political path of Evangelicalism in recent years.
And while I'm on the topic, Obama's Call to Renewal Keynote Address from June 28, 2006, is, in my opinion, one of the best speeches I've heard[1] a politician give on the topic of faith and religion. Those looking carefully might notice that he doesn't state a position on Biblical inerrancy, and he doesn't acknowledge that slavery as described by Leviticus was not identical with chattel slavery as it was practiced in the United States. But those are hardly reasons, in themselves, to reject his claim to be a Christian. His gentle reprimand toward those who "cynically use religion to justify partisan ends" is such a welcome breath of fresh air, especially coming from the lips of the man who is now on his way to the White House.[2]
I think Evangelicals would do well to heed the words of Barack Obama, and not just the words of people who would use scripture or religious authority to incite fear of him.
[1] See a video of the speech here.
[2] In ironic contrast, after you read Obama's speech you might want to note some of the Michael Moore-style (i.e., unfair and unreasonable) mish-mashes of the above speech readily available on youtube, such as the one entitled "Barack Obama Mocks And Makes Fun Of The Bible--No Christian Would Do This".
2 comments:
Perhaps as Christians we shouldn't be fearful or "scared" of political leadership changes, at least in a spiritual sense. Still, Obama's speech, (as so many speeches given by politicians of any stripe, I'll agree) is rife with propaganda and assumptions that are indeed completely counter to this country's founding principles of individual liberty and property rights. Just one example is his mention of the estate tax, where he assumes state ownership of an individual's property. Totalitarian states always begin with an erosion of private property rights and regardless of the rhetoric, are rarely, if ever, very tolerant of faith (esp. Christian) when all is said and done. I'm suspicious of any claims that "this will be different."
Secondly, I'm not one to question a person's claim to be a Christian, but in an interview with Christianity Today, after expressing his belief in the redemptive death/resurrection of Christ, he stated that "...most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful..."
If a person truly believes that "feeding the hungry" (with your money, not his) is more important than Christ's work, than it is, indeed, fair to wonder about his faith. At least a bit. Another statement from Obama that sin is "[b]eing out of alignment with my (Obama's) values" also raises an eyebrow; might need more clarification on that.
Lastly. I don't expect secular governments to run according to completely scriptural principles, nor do I think that the enlightenment principles upon which this country was founded are all completely defensible by scripture. Still, one only need study some history to see how totalitarian, oppressive governments get started to see that the erosion of individual liberties and property rights are the canary in the cage. A person who believes it is moral to take from one person by force to give to another has a very different interpretation of scripture than I do. I truly find it indefensible and the antithesis of anything taught in scripture about caring for others.
I almost included some provisos specifically in anticipation of responses such as this, but I decided instead to keep it concise; by not including the provisos, I painted with too broad a brush.
I didn't really mean that there are *no* reasons one could have to "fear" Obama, I was really focused on the kind of baseless fear-mongering (complete with name-calling) I know I've heard about, and which the article to which I linked also describes. For example, I'm writing about people who are stockpiling dry goods right now.
I'd enjoy having more of this discussion with you at some point, but I'd rather have it in person. I think an exciting political discussion here could distract from the point of the original post, which was actually much more social than political.
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