In Search of the Evangelical Obama

Perhaps you have noticed, we have new president of the United States. To many that is nothing new or exciting. Yet the media has gone to great lengths to acknowledge that there is something a little different about this president; he is black.

For anyone wondering how someone mixed with both black and white becomes black, I'll explain it is largely due to the fact that he has been designated as black his entire life. It is bizarre that in the midst of an intense political race many white people chose to comment on the fact that he was not black, but instead half white. I call that funny because no one wanted to change the designation of his race when he was at Harvard Law School or a U.S. Senator; he was as black then as he is now.

This month being black history month I have graciously received an invitation to write on themes that effect theology and African Americans. My attempt in this article is to bring to light what may be a trend toward a more racial diverse church. This in my opinion is a good thing. However it may be that the church of Jesus Christ is in need of some mild rebuke for again taking its cue from the world instead of the bible.

You may be wondering what Obama has to do with Christian theology. To that inquiry we must spend some time. Our President Obama has made light of many of the issues that concern political conservatives as well as the Christian minority. His stance on the issue of abortion is discouraging and disheartening. It seems to fly in direct opposition to the worldview of scripture.
Obama

Obama has not made abortion rights the shouted refrain of his campaign, as other Democrats have done. He seems to realize that pro-choice enthusiasm is inconsistent with a reputation for post-partisanship.

But Obama's record on abortion is extreme. He opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion -- a practice a fellow Democrat, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once called "too close to infanticide." Obama strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision upholding the partial-birth ban. In the Illinois State Senate, he opposed a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of infants mistakenly left alive by abortion. And now Obama has oddly claimed that he would not want his daughters to be "punished with a baby" because of a crisis pregnancy -- hardly a welcoming attitude toward new life. (Washington Post- Michael Gerson)

God

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female."

Exodus 20:13 “Do not murder”

Psalms 139:13-14 “For it was you who created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know this full well.”
HCSB Bible

President Obama has also shown that his views regarding homosexuality are out of step with Christianity as well.

Obama

Obama wants to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which he has called “abhorrent”, even though the Act's main purpose is merely to prevent “gay marriage” adopted in one state from being foisted on all other states. Even Hillary Clinton did not come out in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act. In Obama's own words: "Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether."

Obama strongly opposes California’s Proposition 8, which merely limits the definition of marriage to a “marriage between a man and a woman.”

• Obama has stated that he “respects” the California Supreme Court decision foisting “gay marriage” on the state.


• Obama opposes any federal constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.


• Obama strongly endorses granting every single marriage benefit to homosexual unions, not to mention every “sexual orientation” special protections law imaginable. Such legislation will make civil and cultural bigots of everyone who espouses a male-female prerequisite to sexual relations, in the workplace, at school, in the media, and throughout the public sector.
  (D.R. Robert Gagnon- Between Two Worlds)

God

Leviticus 18:22 “You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable”

Romans 1:26-27 “This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even there females exchanged natural sexual intercourse for what is unnatural. The males in the same way also left natural sexual intercourse with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty for their perversion."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Do you not know that the unjust will not inherent the God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: no sexually immoral people idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, or swindlers, will inherit God’s kingdom. (HCSB Bible)

In essence the link between public policy and Christian theology is as close as few new political policies. While I do not intend to make this an article about the shortcoming of President Obama there are undeniable tensions in his election to the presidency.

On the flip side of the issue there is another word of caution for the church in America that comes as a result of President Obama’s election to office. I have noticed recently that more and more evangelical groups are touting a new version of the up-in-coming black man who has something to contribute theologically. In a recent February article of Table Talk, the monthly devotional magazine of Ligonier Ministry I noticed that Kevin Smith who is the senior pastor of Pinelands Presbyterian Church was a contributing author. This would seem like nothing out of the ordinary except that he mentioned that he was an African American in his article. The reference added nothing to the article except to highlight that black people also contribute to conservative theology.

We can also look at a recent Journal of Theology that I received from Beeson Divinity, which highlights Robert Smith Jr. Smith is an ordained ministered who recently authored a book on preaching and doctrine. Smith is not new to evangelical circles and his book may only be a timely reminder of the need for biblical preaching. More and more it seems as though names like Voddie Baucham, Thabiti Anabwyle ,and others are heard more frequently as if suddenly conservatives have finally liberated their African American counterparts.

Make no mistake about it I am glad to be made aware of upcoming books especially those of a conservative variety. However, it seems that evangelicalism since the election of Obama, the first African American president, is now trying to say that African Americans contribute theologically as well. If I am wrong then my observation is nothing more than a passing coincidence; however, if I am right it may be an embarrassing sign that the evangelical slip is showing.

Let me define the embarrassment as it may be the case. America has taken a giant leap forward in race reconciliation by electing to the highest office in the land an African American. This follows other public polices of desegregation and affirmative action that have led us to this point. In similar cases the church has been slow to respond to the need for racial reconciliation. It has been well chronicled that the most segregated time in America is Sunday morning, as the African Americans head to their churches and the white Americans head to theirs.

The stinging irony of this statement is that in large part it is true. Southern Christianity has been at times unabashed in its lack of race reconciliation. We may just be living in a time in which evangelicals are again following the lead of the culture; the thinking being that if it is popular to see African Americans in the role of government and politics, it may be popular and even lucrative, to also see African Americans in the role of religion as well. It may be that even evangelicals have something to sell.

Now as a final word I want to balance out the article with a couple of Pauline ruminations that regardless of this articles validity need to be heeded. The first, that Christ has reconciled us to God and given to us the ministry of reconciliation. It should not be uncommon for Christians to find themselves in a position of bringing people to Christ regardless of what socio economic or racial distinction they may carry. We are simply to bring men to Christ.

If we were to do this with equal earnest everywhere we go it would change the make- up of our churches almost overnight. For people are seldom only confined to a homogeneous social network. Secondly and finally, I have been hard on what I perceive to be a weakness among evangelicals. I am certainly not meaning to call-out the motives of all evangelicals, but only those who look at the supposed new racial harmony as an opportunity to make money and win influence. I may never know who crosses this line of delineation so I close with these words.

“Some to be sure, preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of good will… What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes I will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)

Grace to you
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