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Obama: One more UCC syncretist...

by David and Tim Bayly on April 30, 2007 - 9:48am

-by Tim Bayly

Here's an article from the New York Times on Senator Barack Obama's church and pastor. The piece is fascinating, both for the glimpses it gives into the origin of Sen. Obama's theological commitments, and the way the Times treats matters of religious faith. Over the years it's always seemed the Times' Great White Fathers can't speak of the tiniest aspect of religious faith without displaying the howlingly ludicrous combination of supercilious ignorance.

Sen. Obama attends the largest church of the UCC--what my friend, Donald Bloesch (also a member of the UCC), tells me stands for  "Unitarians Considering Christ." More official sources, though, say it's the United Church of Christ.

Like clockwork, the piece has Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton's colleague, Jim Wallis, pawntifuscating as a self-styled "progressive evangelical." While we're on the subject, I assume everyone knows Jim Wallis' alma mater is Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and that he continues to lecture at their invitation? Also, that Random House just bought out Multnomah Publishers?  But I digress. Back to the Times piece for my favorite quote:

Generally, Mr. Obama emphasizes the communal aspects of religion over the supernatural ones.

(Thanks, David.)

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Submitted by Kamilla on April 30, 2007 - 10:55am
"Mr. Obama reassures liberal audiences about the role of religion in public life, and he tells conservative Christians that he understands why abortion horrifies them and why they may prefer to curb H.I.V. through abstinence instead of condoms. AIDS has spread in part because “the relationship between men and women, between sexuality and spirituality, has broken down, and needs to be repaired,” he said to thunderous applause in December at the megachurch in California led by the Rev. Rick Warren, a best-selling author. " Well, there you have it. Kamilla

Submitted by Abram on April 30, 2007 - 5:51pm
Maybe I'm a cynic, but I can't help thinking that Mr. Obama is just another shrewd politician. American's wouldn't elect an atheist president *yet* (at least not a professing atheist); and they would certainly not elect a Muslim president (yet). Mr. Obama knows that he has to stroke the voters the right way to get their votes; and Americans want a president who professes Christianity, but isn't too serious about it. I've met students at my university who are seriously pursuing careers in politics; and as part of pursing that career each one of them is already trying to fashion himself into an electable politician. They're smart: they know they'll have to write memoirs and autobiographies; and that when they announce their candidacy investigative journalists will dig up every scrap of background information that can be found. Right now (in college) they're burying little gems for those journalists to dig up later and say, "Look, Brian was in the student chapter of the ACLU! How American of him!" Or "Look, Jenny was President of IU College Republicans! How American of her!" Or "Look, Barack has been a Christian for years! How American of him!" Regarding his early work "organizing Chicago neighborhoods" (?), the Times says "minister after minister told Mr. Obama he would be more credible if he joined a church..."

Submitted by dan gelok on May 2, 2007 - 6:40pm
Abram, he's a Christian who hasn't joined a church! How American of him!

Submitted by Jack's Pipe on May 2, 2007 - 7:53pm
Abram, I'd call you a realist. You may appreciate this anecdote: http://www.jackspipe.com/2006/03/28/lyn-nofziger-rip/

Submitted by Abram Hess on May 4, 2007 - 1:10pm
Mr. Pipe, How terribly funny, and terribly discouraging. Abram

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