I am and always have been of the 20% fact-based/80% conjecture-based opinion that Obama is not really that religious. His entire ascent into the Christosphere seems to have been purely political; indeed, this was one the reasons the Wright controversy made little sense--Obama seems to have attended church, even in his days as a normal citizen, quite infrequently. And of course this goes for many politicians. No major league politicians are self-identifying atheists. And all campaigns are filled with deliberate or inadvertent references to the magic of Jesus. But it seems intuitive, if purely from a numbers perspective, to assert that many of these self-described nonsecularists are, in fact, pretty much meh on the whole religion thing. George W. Bush was obviously living fat in Jesus' pocket. But Clinton, Bush I, and Reagan all seemed to be wielding religion more or less for political ends. The same goes, I believe, for Obama.
Andrew Sullivan thinks otherwise. In fact, one of the reason he claims to like the current president is because Obama embodies "real Christianity," and not the Bush-Cheney abomination of it. Indeed, Sullivan has taken it upon himself to redefine modern Christianity through Obama's speeches.
In response to last year's race speech:
But I do want to say that this searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime.
In response to this year's Notre Dame speech:
I found his Notre Dame commencement speech deeply Christian.
In response to yesterday's Cairo speech:
It was a deeply Christian - and not Christianist - address; seeking to lead by example and patience rather than seeking to impose from certainty[...]
I think the sooner we get away from describing anything and everything in religious terms, the better off everyone will be.
