The Faith of Barack Obama

"I am one of the 100 (heard it's 200 now) people who received the book, "The Faith of Barack Obama" free, with the requirement -- read and post a blog. Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt posted a note on the Internet about this offer, and I jumped on it."

I read the book in two hours the other night, and was totally caught up in the writing of the author, Stephen Mansfield. Excellent writing.

Barack Obama, grew up under the influence of atheism, folk Islam, and a humanist understanding of the world where he may see religion merely as a man-made thing, as a product of psychology (page 4).

Take a six-year old boy and send him to Indonesia. This is possibly one of the most controversial phases in Obama's life. He lived in a small flat-roofed bungalow. He was listed on official documents as Muslim. He attended a Catholic school, and his mother was an atheist and his step-father was Muslim. So he's praying at the feet of a Catholic Jesus. He attending a mosque, and learning Islam in his school.

The Islam of Indonesia in those days easily blended with Hinduism and Buddhism, quite the spiritual mix. Imagine the impact on a small child. Imagine yourself at that age.

As a 20-year teacher of children in my local church, I have watched dear little ones come through my classroom. Some come from broken homes. Some live with violent parents. Some struggle to belong. Others only hear about God on Sunday mornings with me. When I look at Barack Obama's life from the idea of what his childhood tossed at him, I see the face of a little boy, lost and wandering where life will take him. I start to feel sorry for Obama.

Not in the sense of who he is now, or where he is going with his current choices or with his political views. But rather, my heart aches at knowing this small boy was inundated with beliefs contrary to those of my own Christian heritage. But he is not alone. He is not the only face living with a mixture of beliefs, and being taught other religions beside Christianity.

By the age of 10, Obama was living in Hawaii, but he was walking between two worlds, longing for a guide to show him how to join this troubled world. Much later he moved to Chicago (1985) and Obama landed in a pew at Trinity United Church of Christ. He settled in, sitting on a pew at an African-American church after meeting Rev. Jeremiah Wright. After months of soul-searching, he knelt before a cross, saying he felt God's spirit beckoning him. He was now submitted and dedicated to discover God's truth (page 27).

When I journey back to how I met Jesus, my own search for God is different than Obama's. I didn't grasp for Jesus because I was desperate, or because I felt like a wanderer. I heard a message of the grace of a loving Jesus, and I wanted to become a part of God's family. I prayed at an altar in a church service and accepted the free gift of becoming a Christian. Don't get me wrong, my own journey has come with twists, turns and tests.

As for Obama his conversion is not falling between theological lines per se. But for me to ask or question whether this man is a Christian? This is not my job. This is between Obama and God. Only Obama knows if he loves Jesus, truly with all of his heart. Having said that, as I read through the pages trying to understand Obama's faith, I found that at times -- I was confused.

On one page, I would agree with him, only to shake my head on the next. When Obama mentioned that his daughter asked him about what happens after death, I had to shake my head again. She said, "I don't want to die Daddy." He said he was unable to assure her about heaven. He also said, he finds it hard to believe that his God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.

As a Children's Church teacher, this is disturbing to me. We can't pick and choose from the Bible what to believe. Either I believe or I do not. When I teach about what Jesus did on the cross for us, and how Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; I can assure children, even Obama's daughter that when we die, if we're believers in Jesus -- we'll go to heaven.

On page 58 of this book, I read that Obama confesses that he believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who died for his sins and rose again. Yet he denies that Christianity is the sole path to God. See more confusion. Yes, all faith is a work in progress. Mine is too. I am not in the same place today regarding my faith, as I was 30 years ago. Obama isn't either.

His search is continuing, and that is a good thing. I'm reminded in 2 Peter 3:18, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

The book "The Faith of Barack Obama" enlightened me, and since I have a heart for children, reading about Obama's childhood touched me, and even broke my heart. I wish I could have been his Children's Church teacher. He would have loved my class.

I encourage you to read this book, and don't skip the part about Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush. Because we all have faces of faith.

Recently, the airing of national wounds and sin has gone to unprecedented scale. And I can only ask this one last question. "What would everyone learn about me if every part of my life played out in the news?" But then again, I'm not running for President!

(I could linger for days on this topic and I haven't changed my vote. I am very glad that I read the book, although I am not voting for Barack Obama. I will pray for him, because for me, I see a small boy looking for a place to belong. But then again, aren't we all?)