President Obama’s Tenure Has Been More “Christian” Than His Critics Will Ever Admit

[babylonsister]

This is old but I like it and I am not at all religious~

President Obama’s Tenure Has Been More “Christian” Than His Critics Will Ever Admit
January 6, 2016 / John Pavlovitz

snip//

In many ways, he has in effect out-Jesused many of his Conservative Christian critics.

Rather than being the kind of showy, loud but largely loveless noise in the world that the Apostle Paul warns believers against becoming, the President’s time in the White House has yielded the kind of tangible fruit Jesus said would be the mark of the true person of God.

In other words, Barack Obama has let his life be his testimony:

He’s vigorously defended the civil rights of all human beings, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or faith tradition.
He’s engineered a national system of healthcare for all citizens.
He’s been an advocate of the working poor.
He has spoken out loudly against the death penalty.
He’s continually challenged us to be hospitable to refugees and immigrants.
He’s called out the corporate lobbyists and big business special interests that have crippled the middle class and widened the income gap between the richest and poorest of our people.
He’s been a champion for equality in the workplace for women and minorities and the gay community.
He’s worked to eliminate the bullying and marginalizing of the LGBTQ community.
He’s pushed back against the NRA and the gun lobby to reduce the violence in our streets.

While not at all perfect and certainly deserving of scrutiny and pushback, in so many ways President Obama’s tenure has championed justice, equality, and the inherent dignity of all people in a way that closely mirrors the stated mission of Christ; certainly as much as any politician on either side can claim. Many Evangelicals either don’t like to admit this or they simply no longer recognize the kind of life Jesus was actually calling his followers to live when they see it.

That’s because there’s a stylized, bastardized Christianity that many politicians and celebrity pastors have peddled for years; one that has slowly but surely become our American template. It’s a bloated, opulent, consumerist, aggressive, nationalistic, might is right amalgam that really doesn’t resemble Jesus much at all.

It’s the kind of religion that name drops God in stump speeches and invokes Scripture at every turn, but retains little of the deep humility, love for the poor, defense of the downtrodden, care for the hurting, call for community, and shunning of excess that we see characterizing the life and ministry of Christ. In fact, it’s President Obama’s failure to conform to this prevalent but counterfeit Americanized Christianity, that has revealed the real merit in his convictions.

more...

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/01/06/president-obamas-tenure-has-been-more-christian-than-his-critics-will-ever-admit/

[yortsed snacilbuper]

1. I doubt Obama believes in sky daddy.

[rug]

2. Your wishful thinking is not evidence.

It's a very good article.

[babylonsister]

3. Do you mean god? Who knows or cares? nt

[Martin Eden]

4. What is it that qualifies a person as an authentically good Christian ...

... adherence to dogma, or living one's life as a truly decent human being?