Obama's Prayer (or Wooing Evangelicals)

I thought this was a great article.

He is talking about how Barak Obama is trying to woo the evangelical community to the liberal (Democrat) side. Obama recently gave a speech on that subject. I think Peter Wood hits the nail on the head on why even Obama doesn't quite get it.

O

bama’s tightrope walk faces another hitch when he enunciates the principle that “Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values.” The trouble is that religious folk (not just Christians) generally believe that they already are speaking to universal values. Most religiously committed people move effortlessly between the “religion-specific” rules of their congregation (whether-to-wear-a-hat-in-church style rules) and more general values (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”). In this sense, Obama’s distinction between universal and religion-specific values rings hollow.

Obama's whole speech sounds rather condecending to evangelicals. I think Obama has it right as far as "main line" denominations go. But main line denominations are largely liberal anyway. And what he fails to understand is that, on an issue like abortion, there is no middle ground. Evangelicals believe it is a baby, that abortion is the killing of that baby, and they won't seek a compromise (at least on that aspect of it).

He also goes into what Obama has right, what he has wrong, and why he is so persuasive in general.

Anyway, the article is quite good. From the National Review.

By the by, I use the term evangelical, and in many ways I would be considered one. However, I do not consider myself an evangelical. I would term myself a Christian, or a follower of Jesus Christ...

-PureNard