In light of recent polls, pundits have speculated that Sen. Barack Obama will need a miracle to win his party’s presidential nomination. After offending many of the nation’s ministers, priests and rabbis in a speech this summer, he’d better have a direct line to the Almighty.
Mr. Obama accused conservative Christian leaders of “hijacking” religion several weeks ago. While seeking to impose his own secular agenda through houses of worship, the senator condemns any pastor or priest who disagrees with it.
Speaking to one of the nation’s most liberal protestant denominations, the United Church of Christ, Mr. Obama said, “Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us.”
It is cynical for him to say that conservative clergy of the evangelical community are “exploiting” their faith or their people. One should never say that those preaching in the pulpits of Christian churches were exploiting — or worse, hijacking — religion. I presume in charity that those who have dedicated their lives to preaching and ministry act out of honest motives, even if I disagree with their interpretation of our theology.
Yet Mr. Obama somehow knows the hearts and minds of evangelical leaders, and gives them extraordinary hostile labels such as hijacker and exploiter.
The senator went on to say that, “faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart,” and that evangelical leaders are to blame.
Evangelical leaders challenge the moral issues in our society. Those are so often issues because of the specific teachings of Christianity. For example, Evangelicals teach the value of innocent human life and the sanctity of marriage, so they oppose abortion and same sex marriage.
A challenge is inherently divisive. There is no such thing as a challenge that does not divide. But it is division with a purpose. Evangelicals see part of a Christian’s duty to be “salt and light” in society. In doing so evangelicals cause division, but it’s intended for the service and well-being of others as well as their duty to God.
Yet Mr. Obama will have none of that, and his comments are outrageous and ironically divisive.