Sunday, November 09, 2008

Worrying About Scared People

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".