Two Good Articles on Obama

I came across two good articles on Barack Obama:

1. The first is an article in Newsweek about Obama's faith journey. See here. I read this at my therapist's office this morning. I was hesitant to read it at first, since I had already digested his chapter about faith in Audacity of Hope (see Obama on Faith). But the article presented some information that I hadn't encountered before.

First, it says that Obama was an introspective introvert when he was at Columbia. He didn't party or socialize that much. Rather, he lived a monkish existence, and he reflected in solitude about the great works of philosophy and religion (e.g., Augustine's Confessions). I really identified with this, in part because I tend to live that kind of lifestyle myself. But here's a thought that entered my mind: I may have gotten along with Obama if I were a fellow student of his back then. I doubt I'd get along with Bill Clinton, since he'd be sucking up all the glory and dominating the conversation. I don't think I'd get along with John McCain, since he was cocky, had a quick temper, and was continually chasing women (see here). But I can imagine myself having a nice, quiet, thoughtful conversation with Barack Obama over dinner--perhaps Indian food.

That's not to say Obama doesn't annoy me a lot. He does! He strikes me as narcissistic at times, as when he said that people don't read their Bibles, or that his Presidency would turn back the waters and heal the world. But there is a side to Obama that attracts me, as much as I hate to admit it.

Second, the article explains where exactly the cross fits into Barack Obama's theology. Obama is not exactly an evangelical, for he believes that his mom is in heaven, even though she didn't accept Christ as her personal Savior. And he concedes that his view is not popular among evangelicals, which at least is honest. He's not speaking the evangelical language just to get the Christian conservative vote. When he accepted Christ as his personal Savior, Obama says, "what was intellectual and what was emotional joined, and the belief in the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, that he died for our sins, that through him we could achieve eternal life—but also that, through good works we could find order and meaning here on Earth and transcend our limits and our flaws and our foibles—I found that powerful." For Obama, there's a sense in which Christ is transforming the world, even as he enables us to transcend our flaws.

Third, I liked this quote:

"The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell—who gave the invocations at both of George W. Bush's inaugurals and presided over the wedding of the president's daughter Jenna—is among those on Obama's prayer team. When Caldwell talks about Obama, he can barely keep the emotion out of his voice. The thing that impresses him most, he says, is that when he asks Obama, 'What can I pray for?' Obama always says, 'Michelle and the girls.' 'He never says, 'Pray for me, pray for my campaign, pray that folks will quit bashing me.' He always says, 'Pray for Michelle and my girls'.'"

I like this quote for several reasons. It shows that Obama is a family man, unlike, say, Bill Clinton, who cheated on his wife over and over. It also brings out a side of Obama that is unfazed by his opponents. I dislike the self-righteous Barack Obama, who gets on his high horse an excoriates "swift-boat politics," as if he's beyond criticism. He looks pretty whiny then! But I admire him when he appears unfazed, as if what his opponents say about him cannot shake who he really is. I think of the time he smiled at John McCain's accusations, or when he responded to Hillary in his calm, rational, Mr. Spock manner. It's like he thinks beyond himself, at least at those times.

2. I promised John Birch that I would comment on this article: What Did Obama Do As A Community Organizer? by Byron York. This appeared in National Review. It doesn't make fun of Obama's record as a community organizer, as we saw at the Republican National Convention. Rather, it acknowledges that Obama roots a lot of his identity in his years performing this role, and it tries to explain what community organizers do: they mobilize people to advocate for changes they desire. York argues that Obama did a good job in organizing, but that he really didn't have much to show for his work, since he didn't change the Chicago system. Obama himself seemed to recognize that, for he left community organizing to see how the rich and powerful work and think. But I don't think that Obama accomplished nothing. After-school programs can teach at-risk youths how to read, write, and do math, which at least gives them a fighting chance in life. I doubt this is enough to qualify Obama for the Presidency, but he did well to try to make the world a better place.

And now that I alienated my conservative readers...