From Thomas Nelson Publishers comes an interesting sounding book, The Faith of Barack Obama. Written by Stephen Mansfield, the book provides the reader a great view of the home into which Obama was born and raised and how that affected his journey of faith and practice.
The good news (pun not intended) and bad news is that the first three chapters tell the story of the Faith of Barack Obama. The first three chapters plus ten pages of photos (that seem out of place in a book of this type) comprise 80 pages, or over half the book. So what about the last half?
The last 70 pages are split in to two pieces that i would label as "faith in politics" and "healers".
The faith in politics section was interesting, but did not flow as well as the first three chapters. In addition to providing an overview of how Obama has brought his faith into his campaigns, Mansfield also touches on the faith of George W. Bush, John McCain and Hillary Clinton.
The last section (and chapter) of the book is where the author jumps the shark. The basic summary:
Perhaps we have come to a moment when a common devotion to God may fuel a national resolve to break cycles of poverty, challenge strongholds of racism, reinforce ethical conduct among the powerful and the powerless, deliberate on the morality of war before it is declared, and end the moral scourges of our time. If this is so, then part of the impact of Barack Obama in our generation may be for just such a purpose: to help wed faith to a political vision that leads to meaningful change in our time.
As if healing the nation hasn't been among the phrases used for every new tenant of the White House for the last thirty years. As if all previous U.S. presidents have been card carrying atheists. Yeah, that last chapter didn't resonate with me at all.
In spite of the last chapter, i liked the book. The biographical nature of the first three chapters made it interesting. Mansfield does a great job of handling the Trinity United Church of Christ and its former pulpit occupant Jeremiah Wright.
Thomas Nelson Publishers did give us bribed bloggers permission to share a PDF of the first two chapters (actually 48 pages, or one-third) of the book. Enjoy.
James' Rating: 3.5/5
