Barack Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast

As I noted in the first post in this series, the complex weave of faith, prayer, and politics in American public life is a strong index of the degree to which democracy and religion and the interconnection between the two are at the core of American culture. In his remarks at National Prayer Breakfast, an iconic event in this sense, Barack Obama rejoices in the fact:

I'm here for the same reason that all of you are, for we all share a recognition -- one as old as time -- that a willingness to believe, an openness to grace, a commitment to prayer can bring sustenance to our lives.

The President tells a story in illustration of the interconnection:

Last month, God's grace, God's mercy, seemed far away from our neighbors in Haiti. And yet I believe that grace was not absent in the midst of tragedy. It was heard in prayers and hymns that broke the silence of an earthquake's wake. It was witnessed among parishioners of churches that stood no more, a roadside congregation, holding Bibles in their laps. It was felt in the presence of relief workers and medics; translators; servicemen and women, bringing water and food and aid to the injured.

One such translator was an American of Haitian descent, representative of the extraordinary work that our men and women in uniform do all around the world -- Navy Corpsman Christopher Brossard. And lying on a gurney aboard the USNS Comfort, a woman asked Christopher: "Where do you come from? What country? After my operation," she said, "I will pray for that country." And in Creole, Corpsman Brossard responded, "Etazini." The United States of America.

Evangelicals will do well to notice how the President of the United States showcases their witness over and over again. This is not, I believe, just a political gesture. It is a sincere acknowledgment.

One of my favorite lines In Obama’s remarks::

Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith, or, for that matter, my citizenship. (Laughter and applause.)

The birthers on the Right and the truthers on the Left are a plague on public discourse. The demonizers in our world, and they are legion, sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. But there is another way. There is some hope for the future so long as demonizers do not have the upper hand. 

Comments

[Chris]

So policies and faith have nothing to do with each other??? They should. Shouldn't they?

[JohnFH]

Hi Cristian. They have a lot to do with each other, I agree.

Which makes one wonder, how can Jews and Christians in politics support policies which create a playing field in which the defenseless and the poor have so little chance of success? What about Psalm 72? What about Isaiah 1:2-21?

I keep looking for politicians who will take the side of unborn children and the families I meet when my congregation serves and distributes dinner to hundreds of indigent people. Too many politicians, so far as I can see, have priorities completely at odds with Ps 72 and Isa 1:2-21.

[Rick Wadholm Jr.]

John,
I've REALLY appreciated these posts on the Prayer Breakfast (which I surprisingly was home to watch live today). I very strongly disagree with many of the political (even many of the ethical) decisions of both President Obama and Secretary Clinton, yet they are still people who profess Christian faith and are trying to live according to their understanding of that profession (which is at odds with my understanding of it, but it is still an attempt to do so...and thank the Lord I'm not the one will we all give account to). Your posts have been (if even momentarily) humanizing of both individuals who are (as you have clearly stated) so often demonized by evangelicals. I thank you for this and I pray our Great God and Savior give them grace, mercy and wisdom in the fulfillment of His calling upon them.

[JohnFH]

Rick, I'm pleased you find the posts helpful.