GlocalNet

Agree or disagree with President Obama - I received this email from Josh Dubois and got his permission to post this on my blog.  I don’t like religion as a political tool - I see far too many people doing that - but a man’s faith should speak for itself. 

December 16, 2011
Dear friends,
Happy Friday to you! I wanted to send a note about President Obama, and his work on issues related to religion and politics.  The question is sometimes asked about whether the President’s outreach to the faith community – and candor about his own faith – is new…or whether he has engaged the role of religion in the public square consistently, both in the White House and earlier in public life.
Please see some background information below, in case it provides helpful context on the subject.  And please do let me know if you have any questions at all. 
In His Own Words
Since his 2006 keynote address at Sojourners’ “Call to Renewal” conference – a speech Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne called perhaps “the most important pronouncement by a Democrat on faith and politics since John F. Kennedy’s Houston speech in 1960 declaring his independence from the Vatican” – President Obama has consistently addressed both his own Christian faith, and the role of faith in public life. 
In 2007 in remarks he titled, “A Politics of Conscience,” the President said that “our values should express themselves not just through our churches or synagogues, temples or mosques; they should express themselves through our government. Because whether it’s poverty or racism, the uninsured or the unemployed, war or peace, the challenges we face today are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect ten-point plan. They are moral problems, rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness – in the imperfections of man.”
Then-Senator Obama went to the Compassion Forum at Messiah College and spoke persuasively about his belief that science is compatible with faith, telling the audience that “the more I learn about the world, the more I know about science, the more I’m amazed about the mystery of this planet and this universe. And it strengthens my faith as opposed to weakening it.”  And in 2008 he movingly addressed faith again at Saddleback Church, alongside Senator John McCain.
The President’s candor about his own faith, and religion in our country, continued in the White House.  He went to the 2009 National Prayer Breakfast and announced The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, saying that Americans’ “varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strive and rebuild what has broken; to lift up those who have fallen on hard times.”

Later that same year, he addressed immigration at the Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, and was “reminded of the power of faith in America—faith in God, and a faith in the promise of this great country.”

And in 2010, the President visited Vermont Avenue Baptist Church to offer a powerful reflection on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the midst of a grueling legislative battle, and told the church that “it’s faith that keeps me calm. It’s faith that gives me peace…A faith in things not seen, in better days ahead, in Him who holds the future in the hollow of His hand.  A faith that lets us mount up on wings like eagles; lets us run and not be weary; lets us walk and not faint.”

2010 was also historic as President Obama became the first President to host an Easter Prayer Breakfast, taking the opportunity to speak movingly about what “draws me to this holy day and what lesson I take from Christ’s sacrifice and what inspires me about the story of the resurrection.”

This year, in February, the President offered insight into his prayer life at the National Prayer Breakfast: “When I wake in the morning, I wait on the Lord, and I ask Him to give me the strength to do right by our country and its people.  And when I go to bed at night I wait on the Lord, and I ask Him to forgive me my sins, and look after my family and the American people, and make me an instrument of His will.”

In April, he continued his tradition of an Easter Prayer Breakfast for Christian leaders, and told them that “there’s something about the resurrection…that puts everything else in perspective.”

And just this month, the President spoke movingly about Christmas: “More than 2,000 years ago, a child was born to two faithful travelers who could find rest only in a stable, among the cattle and the sheep.  But this was not just any child.  Christ’s birth made the angels rejoice and attracted shepherds and kings from afar.  He was a manifestation of God’s love for us.  And He grew up to become a leader with a servant’s heart who taught us a message as simple as it is powerful:  that we should love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves.” 

This list is not exhaustive of the President’s thoughts and remarks on faith. He spoke about civility at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2010, and he returned to the Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in 2011. He shared thoughts about his faith in a backyard in Albuquerque, and read scripture at ground zero. From speaking at Saddleback Church in 2006 on World AIDS Day to talking just last week about the meaning of Christmas, President Obama has been deeply comfortable in talking about his personal faith and the role of faith in public life in a way that is accessible, honest and genuine.

Connecting with Local Congregations
President Obama and the First Family have also enjoyed worshipping with local congregations.  They have attended church services numerous times here in Washington, including visits to the Washington National Cathedral, 19th Street Baptist Church, Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, and multiple services at Evergreen Chapel at Camp David and St. John’s Episcopal Church right across the street from the White House (including a lovely service this past Sunday!)
Serving People in Need through Faith-based Partnerships
As President, Obama has expanded the engagement of faith communities and secular nonprofits through the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (OFNP) and the 13 Partnerships Centers across government.  Just a few examples: through the OFNP’s Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative, the President has engaged a diverse range of faith leaders and organizations to help connect fathers to their families and impact the crisis of father absence.  The President has issued an Interfaith Campus Challenge that has the participation of over 270 schools to promote community service through the partnership of student organizations representing different faiths.  President Obama created the first-ever Advisory Council of Faith and Non-Profit leaders and has implemented over 70% of the Council’s first-year recommendations.  Also through the OFNP, the President has partnered with faith-based groups to fight childhood obesity, feed hungry kids in the summer, and turn around failing schools, among other issues.  The President’s Faith-based Office created a comprehensive and accessible partnership guide for faith and community leaders, Partnerships for the Common Good.
There are dozens of other concrete examples of substantive partnerships between President Obama’s Administration and faith-based organizations. In addition, during his presidency Obama has met with religious leaders from across the spectrum including the National Council of Churches, the board of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Circle of Protection, Catholic Charities, Bishop Charles Blake, Bishop TD Jakes, Pastor Joel Hunter, his Faith-based Advisory Council and many others.
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In sum, religious outreach, faith-based partnerships to serve those in need, and speaking about his own faith are nothing new for this President. For years, President Obama has led a historic engagement of the faith community on issues of mutual concern, and this has continued in the White House.  I hope this is helpful to you, and encourage you to share with anyone who may be interested.
All best,
Joshua DuBois