{"id":5364,"date":"2008-06-02T23:24:30","date_gmt":"2008-06-02T23:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/06\/obamas-faith.html"},"modified":"2008-06-02T23:24:30","modified_gmt":"2008-06-02T23:24:30","slug":"obamas-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/06\/obamas-faith.html","title":{"rendered":"Obama’s faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interesting interview with Obama about his Christianity<\/a> including this little tidbit:<\/p>\n

GG:
\nDo you still attend Trinity?
\nOBAMA:
\nYep. Every week. 11 oclock service.
\nEver been there? Good service.
\nI actually wrote a book called Dreams from My Father, it\u2019s kind of a meditation on race. There\u2019s a whole chapter on the church in that, and my first visits to Trinity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That should make opposition research a little easier.
\nAnd this is especially timely:<\/p>\n

GG:
\nDo you have people in your life that you look to for guidance?
\nOBAMA:
\nWell, my pastor is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for.
\nI have a number of friends who are ministers. Reverend Meeks is a close friend and colleague of mine in the state Senate. Father Michael Pfleger is a dear friend, and somebody I interact with closely<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s just the little political nuggets but the rest in much more fascinating because you really get a sense of Obama’s view of God and Christianity:<\/p>\n

GG:
\nWhat\u2019s that power? Is it the holy spirit? God?
\nOBAMA:
\nWell, I think it\u2019s the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience.
\nThat\u2019s something you learn watching ministers, quite a bit. What they call the Holy Spirit. They want the Holy Spirit to come down before they\u2019re preaching, right? Not to try to intellectualize it but what I see is there are moments that happen within a sermon where the minister gets out of his ego and is speaking from a deeper source. And it\u2019s powerful.
\nThere are also times when you can see the ego getting in the way. Where the minister is performing and clearly straining for applause or an Amen. And those are distinct moments. I think those former moments are sacred.
\nGG:
\nWho\u2019s Jesus to you?
\n(He laughs nervously)
\nOBAMA:
\nRight.
\nJesus is an historical figure for me, and he\u2019s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.
\nAnd he\u2019s also a wonderful teacher. I think it\u2019s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m surprised by his answer on the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t sound like he understands the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. And it’s really too bad that the interviewer didn’t follow up and ask him how is Jesus a bridge between God and man? (The answer is quite simple, I would be curious to see if Obama believes it \ud83d\ude42
\nAnd I wonder if Obama think he’s works will get him into heaven?<\/p>\n

OBAMA:
\nWhat I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don\u2019t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well, he’s in trouble if he thinks that:<\/p>\n

ESV Isaiah 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(BTW, the NET Bible translates “polluted garment” as “a menstrual rag.” Eww! That’s a rather disgusting image, don’t you think? Pretty earthy \ud83d\ude42
\nAnd it appears that Obama has set the standard for his sin (it’s amazing that he doesn’t mention that his sin is against God not his own values):<\/p>\n

GG:
\nDo you believe in sin?
\nOBAMA:
\nYes.
\nGG:
\nWhat is sin?
\nOBAMA:
\nBeing out of alignment with my values.
\nGG:
\nWhat happens if you have sin in your life?
\nOBAMA:
\nI think it\u2019s the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I\u2019m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I\u2019m not true to it, it\u2019s its own punishment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No mention that God is the judge and will punish for sin (or in the case of a believer, discipline). It’s as if his faith is in control and God isn’t even involved. How can you discuss sin apart from God? No mention of repentance either which is absolutely amazing!
\n(via<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interesting interview with Obama about his Christianity including this little tidbit: GG: Do you still attend Trinity? OBAMA: Yep. Every week. 11 oclock service. Ever been there? Good service. I actually wrote a book called Dreams from My Father, it\u2019s kind of a meditation on race. 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