Much has been written about Barack Obama's religion. Given that Barack Obama is the most influential and important political figure in the United States and one of the most significant on the world stage, it is only natural that people would be curious about Barack Obama and his religious beliefs. What exactly is Barack Obama's religion?
What is Obama's Religion?
During the 2008 presidential campaign, allegations arose that Barack Obama was a Muslim. Those making the charge cited Obama's family ties to Islam. Barack Obama's father, stepfather, brother and grandfather were all Muslims, and Obama was reportedly enrolled in an Indonesian school as a "Muslim" in 1967.
The Obama campaign vehemently denied this characterization. Obama himself pointed out that his father, while raised a Muslim, became an atheist. What's more, the Indonesian school in which Obama was enrolled was Catholic. If anything, Obama claims, his upbringing was more skeptical, than religious.
Regardless of his family and childhood past, Barack Obama has, in recent years, repeatedly described himself as a Christian. Indeed, he began attending Trinity United Church of Christ in 1985 and has maintained ties to Christianity ever since.
What is a Christian?
Before one can assess whether Barack Obama is a Christian, it helps to know the definition of a Christian. What is the basis for classifying someone as a "Christian?"
The quest to understand the Christian faith should begin at the origins of Christianity. The term "Christian" comes from the book of Acts, where Luke (the likely author) explains that followers (or "disciples") of the first-century Jewish teacher named Jesus were first called "Christians" in the city of Antioch. (Acts 11:26)
Based on the writings of the early Christians, especially those found in the New Testament, a fair description of Christianity would be that it is a monotheistic faith, which holds Jesus of Nazareth to be the Son of God (John 3:16) sent to redeem the world from its sins. (Romans 10:9-10)
Barack Obama's Religious Beliefs
Regardless of the President's self-declarations, those examining Barack Obama and his religious beliefs often have difficulty classifying him as a Christian in any kind of traditional sense.
In a 2004 interview with Cathleen Falsani of The Chicago Sun-Times, then-U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama said: "I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people," (Interview with Cathleen Falsani, The Chicago Sun-Times, March 27, 2004).
Obama's "many paths" understanding of faith is in direct contradiction with Jesus' declaration of exclusivity. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is quoted as saying: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6, NKJV)
Obama told Falsani that he retains a "suspicion of dogma" and refuses to think he has a "monopoly on truth." He added that his prayers aren't "formal" in any sense, but more an "ongoing conversation" with God as he works through questions and issues.
Stephen Mansfield, who has profiled the faith of several American political figures, says Obama "is the product of a new, postmodern generation that picks and chooses its own truth from traditional faith, much as a man customizes his meal at a buffet" (Mansfield, Stephen. The Faith of Barack Obama. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008, p. 52).
Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright
Fueling the controversy of Obama's faith even further is his 20-year association (now terminated) with Dr. Jeremiah Wright and Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Of those familiar with Wright, most know of the Chicago pastor's zealous attacks on the United States, including his odd charge that the U.S. government used HIV/AIDS as a weapon against blacks and that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were America's "chickens coming home to roost."
What most Americans don't understand is that Obama became attached to Wright in the mid-1980s, because of the latter's passionate embrace of "Liberation Theology," a school of thought that redefines orthodox Christianity, grounding it in the exercise and expression of social activism.
The New York Times described Wright as a "dynamic pastor who preached Afrocentric theology, dabbled in radical politics and delivered music-and-profanity-spiked sermons" (Kantor, Jodi. "A Candidate, His Minister, and a Search for Faith." The New York Times, April 30, 2007).
Though Trinity United professes a belief in the divine Christ, the congregation is deeply committed to an Afro-centric perspective of social justice. Not only does the Pan-African flag grace the front of the church, but Dr. Wright presented the Bible "as truth sprung from African soil" (Mansfield, p. 61).
Obama formally severed ties with Wright during the 2008 presidential campaign, but the Chicago pastor's influence on Obama is undeniable.
Is Barack Obama a Christian?
Though he classifies himself as a Christian, Barack Obama derives his theological beliefs more from personal reflection, life experience, and an Afro-centric perspective of "Liberation Theology" than from any careful study of the Bible or fidelity to biblical inerrancy. This selective, postmodern approach to Christianity has left him understandably vulnerable to many critics.
Nevertheless, President Obama's faith is certainly sincere and plays a major role in driving him toward the accomplishment of his goals and dreams. Whether he is sincerely right or sincerely wrong is for God to decide.
Recommended Reading
Readers interested in this article should read The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield as well as the Suite101 Protestantism articles "Basic Protestant Beliefs" and "What Do Christians Believe?"
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