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Christianity Today, June (Web-Only), 2008 |

Theology in the News

Reading the Bible with Obama

The presidential candidate crosses swords with Dr. Dobson over hermeneutics.

Collin Hansen | posted 6/30/2008 09:46AM

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Politicians understandably fear to tread where theologians rule, the field of hermeneutics. Here theologians debate how to interpret the Bible and apply it across time and culture. In his 2006 speech Obama made a hermeneutical point when he doubted that the U.S. Defense Department could survive application of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. If we knew what was in there, Obama implied, we wouldn't find it such a simple thing to say our politics were based on Scripture. "So before we get carried away, let's read our Bibles," Obama said. "Folks haven't been reading their Bibles."

If only it were as easy as reading our Bibles. Analysis takes more work. Fortunately, the church has already invested a lot of time into understanding the tensions Obama brought up.

Hermeneutics helps us understand that Jesus does not necessarily have the nation-state in mind when he tells his followers not to retaliate (Matt. 5:38-39). We cross-reference this passage with Romans 13:4. Obama notes that the Book of Leviticus prohibits eating shellfish (Lev. 11:9-12). Presumably, he aims to make a point about homosexuality, since some Christians cite Leviticus 20:13, which sanctions the death penalty for those who engage in homosexual acts. Many Christians, as Dobson pointed out, have long recognized that these specific laws applied for a time to Israel, not to the church inaugurated by Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17). Yet they find sufficient teaching on homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27 to still oppose this practice.

Usually, politicians want no part in these theological debates. Otherwise, they would provoke Christian leaders such as Dobson to say, "He is deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology." But Obama is no typical politician. That which makes him interesting makes him controversial.

Collin Hansen is a CT editor at large and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists.

Related Elsewhere:

More about Barack Obama's faith is in our Campaign 2008 full-coverage section.

Previous Theology in the News columns are available on our site.

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June (Web-Only) 2008, Vol. 52

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Philip Friesen

Posted: July 12, 2008 9:53 PM

A Call for Evangelical Rhetorical Accountability (by Brian McLaren) The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA.org) was launched in 1979, in response to growing concern "over an increase of [sic] questionable fund-raising practices in the nonprofit sector." As their Web site explains, Sen. Mark Hatfield challenged "a group of key Christian leaders" to begin policing their own mission agencies as a kind of "Christian Better Business Bureau." Perhaps 30 years later, evangelicals, because of "an increase in questionable rhetorical practices in the nonprofit sector," need to form the ECRA: The Evangelical Council for Rhetorical Accountability. ... The need for an ECRA became clearer than ever to me this week when a beloved elder in the evangelical broadcasting community spoke out against Sen. Barack Obama.

Cezanne

Posted: July 12, 2008 5:50 PM

2 Timothy 4:2-5---Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. We as christians have a duty to pray for, research and look into the people who are running for political offices. If we would all do our part things could be different. But we also need to remember that the Lord is in control of EVERYTHING. He knows what is happening and what is going to happen. We need to make sure that we are holding on tight to the Lord and trusting in Him.

search for truth

Posted: July 11, 2008 11:18 PM

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51121 Obama has consistently voted in favor of expanding abortion rights and the funding of abortion services with taxpayer dollars. As a state senator in 1997, he voted against Senate Bill 230, which sought to ban partial-birth abortions unless necessary to save the life of a mother. He also voted against a 2000 bill that would have ended state funding of partial-birth abortions. He voted “No” on a bill prohibiting minors from crossing state lines to gain access to abortion services, and “No” to requiring physicians to notify parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. As a state senator in 2002, he voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act, which was intended to protect babies that survived late-term abortions from being permitted to die from intentional neglect.

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