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OBAMA IS NO JOSHUA
on June 16, 2008 9:25:00 | 37490 times read
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By Cal Thomas
Tribune Media Services
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign plans to strike at the heart of the Republican base by attempting to woo Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics to his side.
The Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody first broke the story on his blog “The Brody File.” Obama’s campaign for the conservative Christian vote, which has largely gone to the Republican presidential candidate in recent elections, has been dubbed the “Joshua Generation Project.” Joshua, Moses’ successor, led the Israelites into the Promised Land. It wasn’t the group that fled Egypt in the Exodus, though. They died in the wilderness, lacking faith in God’s promise. It was the next generation that Joshua led into Canaan. Apparently, if we have enough faith in Obama, he will lead us all into a new America, but if we vote for John McCain, we will demonstrate a lack of faith (in Obama) and die in the political badlands.
Obama is better at biblical language and imagery than any Democrat in modern times. He certainly beats Howard Dean, now the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who once offered Job as his favorite New Testament book. This is cynical manipulation of the devout and it is no better when Democrats do it than when Republicans use religious language for partisan advantage.
Obama has declared himself a committed Christian. He can call himself anything he likes, but there are certain markers among the evangelicals he is courting that one must meet in order to qualify for that label.
Some insight into Obama’s “Christianity” comes from an interview he gave in 2004 to Chicago Sun-Times religion editor Cathleen Falsani for her book, “The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People.”
“I’m rooted in the Christian tradition,” said Obama. He then adds something most Christians will see as universalism: “I believe there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.”
Falsani correctly brings up John 14:6 (and how many journalists would know such a verse, much less ask a question based on it?) in which Jesus says of Himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That sounds exclusive, but Obama says it depends on how this verse is heard. According to Falsani, Obama thinks that “all people of faith — Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, everyone — know the same God.” (Her words.)
Evangelicals and serious Catholics might ask if this is so, why did Jesus waste His time coming to Earth, suffering pain, rejection and crucifixion? If there are many ways to God, He might have sent down a spiritual version of table manners and avoided the rest.
Here’s Obama telling Falsani, “The difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and proselytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that if people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior, they’re going to hell.” Falsani adds, “Obama doesn’t believe he, or anyone else, will go to hell. But he’s not sure he’ll be going to heaven, either.” Again, that is contrary to what Evangelicals and most Catholics believe.
Here’s Obama again: “I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. When I tuck in my daughters at night and I feel like I’ve been a good father to them, and I see that I am transferring values that I got from my mother and that they’re kind people and that they’re honest people, and they’re curious people, that’s a little piece of heaven.”
Any first-year seminary student could deconstruct such “works salvation” and wishful thinking. Obama either hasn’t read the Bible, or if he has, doesn’t believe it if he embraces such thin theological wisps.
Obama can call himself anything he likes, but there is a clear requirement for one to qualify as a Christian and Obama doesn’t meet that requirement. One cannot deny central tenets of the Christian faith, including the deity and uniqueness of Christ as the sole mediator between God and Man and be a Christian. Such people do have a label applied to them in Scripture. They are called “false prophets.”
(Direct all MAIL for Cal Thomas to: Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207. Readers may also e-mail Cal Thomas at tmseditors@tribune.com.
(c) 2008 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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Comments (18 posted)
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Posted by Tammy Thomas, June 16, 2009 3:38:02I just read the article "Newsrooms shouldn\'t be houses for worship" and I\'m glad to see that there are some not bowing down to worship Obama. I don\'t keep up with the news very much but stopped to read this article and was interested to see what more Cal Thomas writes about Obama. My opinion is that I feel so many Americans voted for him because it would be "History in the making" to have an African American; a change as everyone stated they wanted. I think most of those that voted didn\'t know what he stood for; what he supported. I may not know everything he signs and does but I know he supports homosexual "marriage" and he supports abortion. That was enough for me to not vote for him and though I was not crazy about McCain; I did not want to see Obama in. I am a Christian and I feel that everything Obama does mostly is anti Christian. Only God has the right to end life; Only God gave us marriage. He is our creator. I think too many people have been putting all their hope in a man (Obama) and not enough in the hope of Jesus Christ. Recently I saw a t-shirt at a mall resembled the picture of Obama (the part red and part blue face of him) but instead this picture was of Jesus being crusified. He is the hope! I just got finished with a study of Revelation; wow-look where we are right now in the world. Look at the one that is trying to be almighty. It says there will be one that calls himself God, that will have the trust of people. We need to be on our knees and praying for this country; praying for Obama too but certainly not worshiping him. A few years ago my son wrote a book report on his favorite read book; the book of Acts. The reports were to be broadcast on the school tv as all the other reports. Some reports were shown; until my son\'s was discovered to have been on a book from the Bible. He was not aloud to put his on there. Clearly violated. This world keeps pulling more and more away from God.
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Posted by sunburst727, April 12, 2009 3:39:56There is nothing "hateful" about this. Jesus made the requirements of his followers clear and Obama is ignoring what Jesus said--I cannot call myself a physician if I don't follow the qualifications of becoming a physician. Obama cannot be a true follower of Christ if he denies or changes what Christ plainly said. He is being deceptive in trying to make people believe that he is a Christian.
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Posted by floran, November 17, 2008 6:51:44I can't believe you wrote that. You have decided Obama isn't a christian. I could understand you saying that an action done by Obama doesn't seem like a christian action. For an example, I believe McCain, when he says he is a christian, but hearing him say Obama "pals around with terrorists" made me assess the action. I don't think intentionally causing people to believe that is something a christian should do, particularly when there are such hate filled people just looking for an excuse to hurt people. I don't believe Jesus would want to cause that kind of hate.
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Posted by ONEFORJESUS, September 19, 2008 10:39:33If Americans were educated and not dumbed down by liberal, lawless schools and Hollywood Amoral trash Obama would not even have 5% of the popular vote. Foriegn nations blind by censoring, devil has blinded by distractions and lies which if said loud enough, and long enough will cause people to believe. If Obama comes America may cease to be a nation and if it countinues to be a nation you wouldn't be able to recognize it (should you have been sleep for four years) the poverty that is comming, the terrorits attacks, the lack of freedooms, lawlessness, and attacks from foriegn powers. America your bridge is out and the distance to bottom is only a few feet not a few miles! Wake up before its too late your solution is not DC or with men. Americans need to turn their Maker, and Provider Jesus Christ in all genuine repentance and with tears. Pray as if your life depends on it because it does.
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Posted by TK, June 25, 2008 1:11:38This strikes me as a very wise commentary by Cal Thomas. But I'm hoping "Christians" get the point here. The point is that there is a very basic test that one applies to determine if anyone (including Sen. Obama) holds to Christianity (cf John 14:6). This is so basic, in fact, that it's amazing that it has to be explained. What i read here is Cal applying that test to words publically spoken by Obama--the exact same thing that every person daring to call themselves "Christian" should do! The Christian scriptures instruct us not to be judgmental, but those same scriptures instruct us to judge (be discerning). More and more i find myself wondering why so many people fixate on the Bible passage "judge not lest yourself be judged" (Matt. 7:1), yet at the same time totally ignore all the passages that instruct us to judge and test (e.g. I John 4:1; I Thess 5:21-22).
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