Thursday, February 5, 2009

Obama's Testimony: He is Reformed?

"I was not raised in a particularly religious household. I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done.

I didn’t become a Christian until many years later, when I moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. It happened not because of indoctrination or a sudden revelation, but because I spent month after month working with church folks who simply wanted to help neighbors who were down on their luck – no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to. It was on those streets, in those neighborhoods, that I first heard God’s spirit beckon me. It was there that I felt called to a higher purpose – His purpose. " ~ Obama


I am not sure if this is an excerpt or his entire thought, but I am not sure I understand what he means by God's Spirit. Is this the Holy Spirit calling him? Is Barack Obama reformed?

5 comments:

Joeyolsen@gmail.com said...

I do not understand how being reformed or not would matter in this situation? I wonder why you would not assume he is speaking of the holy spirit?

Travis Marsh said...

Well I suppose I am kidding a little bit, but when he says that he heard the spirit calling him, not him calling the spirit.

Joeyolsen@gmail.com said...

Gotcha, I didn't get the humor :) but that is okay. Interesting thought, the end of your response makes me think you are questioning why Obama wouldn't be calling on the holy spirit to reveal "His purpose" instead of relying on the spirit to speak to us as individuals am I following you?

Travis Marsh said...

Well the one thing that strikes me in this whole thing is that he doesn't come out and say anything about Jesus. He also gives a strong universalist approach to the whole thing "no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to."

That isn't a real strong statement for Jesus being the only way. Yet with his stance on other social issues it is not surprising or anything. I suppose if you look a little more closely as well you notice that he says it was not Scripture that influenced him it was all experience based learning.

Unknown said...

He's obviously a evangelical mainline baptist...