Over the last several months I have heard quite a few Christians question the authenticity of Barack Obama's Christian faith. The comments tend to fall along the lines of, "I don't care what he says, he can't be a Christian."
I understand where this comment comes from, but I think it reveals a flawed and destructive perspective. Barack Obama has made a profession of faith and since he attended a Baptist church I'm going to assume he has been duly baptized. His own theology may be deeply uninformed and full of serious errors, but no matter how you slice it, he has made a credible profession of faith. I have personally heard him say that his sins are forgiven by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can't look into Barack's heart or the eternal mind of God and know whether or not he is "truly regenerate." No one can. However, we can see what God has given us to look at - and based on those things, we are called to extend a judgment of charity to him. Last I checked, he hasn't been excomminucated or put under any kind of ecclesial censure.
Barack's political philosophy is deeply problematic in my opinion. I think his position on "pro-choice" is a major, major problem to which he will be held into account. But that doesn't make him a non-Christian as far as I can tell. We should be very thankful that he is NOT a professing Muslim, atheist, or Wiccan. What we need to do is pray that he would seek God's wisdom through His word and come to greater Christian maturity.
If Obama suffers some series of major moral lapses or explicit denials of the faith, we'll have to take that into account at that time. Until then, let's pray for our Christian brother as a Christian brother.
Amen. Spoken like a mature brother.
Posted by: Eric | November 28, 2008 at 08:06 PM
We are commanded to pray for rulers.
I also will pray that he makes his membership at a church a priority (maybe more important than his gym membership).
Posted by: RevK | November 29, 2008 at 03:33 PM
He may actually be paedo-baptist since attended a UCC church for 20 years. We pray for him every Sunday morning during worship.
Posted by: Garrett | November 29, 2008 at 04:30 PM
Excellent point my friend. Ephesians 5:1-2 comes to mind!! I know that it is tough for my household to get over the "pro-choice" view but we are commanded to "live in love".
Posted by: TexanInCali | December 01, 2008 at 12:09 PM
The UCC is an heretical church. Obama is heretical by historical standard. I would also question the validity of his baptism. Besides that he is indeed excommunicated from the Catholic Church by traditional church standard as well as the current bishopric. He is to be treated as a nonbeliever.
Posted by: Mike Spreng | December 01, 2008 at 07:24 PM
Does it matter?
Posted by: Theisens | December 01, 2008 at 07:59 PM
Black Liberation Theology -- close enough for government work!
No, point taken. I suppose Hitler technically could have been a Christian too. I mean, he certainly wasn't Mormon.
Posted by: Splash | December 03, 2008 at 08:58 PM
Mike,
That's not true. What do you do with the Hungarian Reformed Church or the other confessing UCC churches. Life is a little more complicated than that. BTW what should we care on who the RCC thinks is off...like most of us?
Posted by: Garrett | December 04, 2008 at 07:44 AM
Yes, Obama is a Christian, which is why he should be disciplined. He has been a staunch advocate of abortion. Is this amoral?
Posted by: Joost Nixon | December 05, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Hey Joost. Good to see you here!
You might be right about that. However, the trouble is that "we" can't discipline him. His church will de facto not discipline him. We're caught at a time in the history of the church when hypothetical discipline doesn't resolve the issue...
Posted by: Boneman | December 06, 2008 at 04:40 PM
I guess I don't really see the importance of this question. Many (if not all) presidents have declared some kind of "Christian-ish-type" faith. But I guess I'm failing to see how this will affect whether or not he will be a good president.
Posted by: Theisens | December 06, 2008 at 08:53 PM
Garrett,
It is indeed heretical. The heretical churches - which are many - have received no discipline by the denomination.
Posted by: Mike Spreng | December 07, 2008 at 07:30 PM
Yes, it is a constant frustration that the church won't take responsibility. Meanwhile though, though we cannot formally discipline him, we certainly can remember to confess our nation's sins, and we can make a distinction that though Obama is objectively Christian, only in a similar sense that Ahab was also.
Posted by: Joost Nixon | December 11, 2008 at 02:43 PM