The Faith of Barack Obama | 
| Author: Stephen Mansfield
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $10.00 (50%)
New (33) Used (10) from $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 15993
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9
ISBN: 1595552502
Dewey Decimal Number: 328.73092
EAN: 9781595552501
ASIN: 1595552502
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Get inside the mind and soul of Barack Obama In The Faith of Barack Obama, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield takes readers inside the mind, heart, and soul of presidential hopeful Barack Obama—as a person of faith, as a man, as an American, and possibly as our future commander in chief. America faces looming inflation, climate change, a national credit crisis, war in the Middle East, threats to security and liberty at home, and skyrocketing oil and gas prices. With all of these threats to our security, prosperity and freedom on the horizon, it has never been more important to choose the right leader for America. “If a man’s faith is sincere, it is the most important thing about him, and it is impossible to understand who he is and how he will lead without first understanding the religious vision that informs his life,” writes Mansfield. In The Faith of Barack Obama, Mansfield holds back nothing to share that vision and explain its roots, including: •Obama’s upbringing in a non-Christian home
•the influence on his life from his agnostic mother and Muslim father
•his remarkable turn to Christianity after working in the inner cities of Chicago
•his years at the controversial Trinity United Church of Christ
•his association to the radical teachings of Rev. Jeremiah Wright
•the source of Obama’s relentless optimism and hope for America
Every American voter concerned to know more about Obama’s beliefs, both religious and political, and how the two intertwine should read this book, as should every thinking person who continues to shape and evolve his or her religious beliefs. Barack Obama, according to Mansfield, is “raising the banner of what he hopes will be the faith-based politics of a new generation . . . and he will carry that banner to whatever heights of power his God and the American people allow.” “You must read this perceptive and well written book. Then you will know why Barack Obama has such a passion for justice and equity, such a gift for filling people of different generations with a newfound hope that things can and will change for the better.” —ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Obama's Faith - The Prequel? August 31, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
One measure of the usefulness of any book lies in its power to provoke a reader to mindfulness of alarming conditions in one's community, one's universe, or one's own spirit. As I read and pondered Stephen Mansfield's The Faith of Barack Obama, I became increasingly mindful of certain alarming paradoxes in American political life in 2008:
*How bizarre it is that personal character is usually kept off the table in political discourse while a candidate's religion is now considered fair game. When a scandal occurs, as it so often does nowadays with Democrats, Republicans, and preachers, it is always a scandal of character, not of one's stated religion.
*The central organizing principle that underlies the uses of religion and spirituality in American political life is bold hypocrisy and outright deceit. This has been true for decades, or perhaps as long as religion has been so used, but it seems especially clear today.
*Despite abundant evidence - not least in Obama's presence itself - that we live in a post-homogeneous America, our politics are relentlessly constrained by homogenizing talking heads who are always willing to stoop low to achieve the populist posture of a "gotcha" moment in which they use association or innuendo to say, of Obama or anyone else, "See, he's not like us!"
The aforementioned condition of rampant hypocrisy is not limited to one political party or one religious denomination. It is widespread. It is not my intention to cast stones here, but simply to state what should be obvious.
Religious self-presentation has become a routine element of political campaigns, often with no more rigor than might be involved in a candidate's assertion, for instance, that she had "always been a Yankees fan." No wonder, then, how often such calculations backfire with the drawing back of the curtains and the attendant protestations that we should "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
I recall a long period in my own adult life when I might have argued that Stephen Mansfield's inquiry into the spiritual journey of Barack Obama, however elegant in its composition and thorough in its supporting research, was insignificant almost by definition. Like millions of others who were inspired by John F. Kennedy's public persona, I grew up believing that religion should have no role in politics. Even if America's mid-century notions of pluralism and tolerance operated within the boundaries of a seemingly homogeneous culture, they appealed both to our basic sense of decency and to our fuzzy notions of a living constitution that worked.
Those notions have come under relentless attack for decades, so that we are less likely to recoil reflexively from the very idea of a book such as Mansfield's, as I and many others once did at titles such as Senator Barry Goldwater's Conscience of a Conservative or William F. Buckley's God and Man at Yale.
I wonder if Mansfield's book would have the same bookshelf appeal that it has today if it had been published under the title The Character of Barack Obama. That seems a bland alternative. But when I finished reading Mansfield's book and put it down, what impressed me most was that I felt that I had just read a book of considerable rigor and thoughtfulness about Obama's character and its origins, rather than anything so specific as a book about his religious faith.
I cannot fault Obama for fronting his "faith" as he has done, or Mansfield for writing about it. Without falling into a potentially dull recitation of second-hand news, Mansfield's narrative manages to do justice to the extremely damaging - and, of course, deceitful -- smear campaigns of guilt-by-innuendo and guilt-by-association that have tarred Obama as a Muslim extremist and, by selective use of the quotations of former Pastor Jeremiah Wright, as a bitter and unpatriotic black man. Under such stress, I don't know if there is any other way for Obama to fight back, and I appreciate Mansfield's chronicle.
But I admit that I will be somewhat more interested, if Obama is elected (as I hope that he will be), in an updated chronicle of the testing of his faith during his tenure as president. Whatever the ability of any campaigner to dance righteously across the religious dance floor of contemporary presidential politics, it is when a candidate becomes president that he (or, in the event of two very plausible circumstances, she) embarks upon a season of relentless preaching from America's most powerful pulpit.
Should such a book become appropriate, I hope that Stephen Mansfield will write it.
 An important book for our times August 26, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Democratic National Convention started today in Denver, Colorado, and it is no doubt that the nominee of the party for President will be Senator Barack Obama. With that nomination, and even before, come the questions of who is this man, what does he believe in, and where does he stand? As our nation has struggled through the recent hardships of 9-1-1, the Iraq war, and turmoils in our local communities, we are increasingly looking beyond the superficial appearances of our politicians to their core beliefs and values. We are, as a nation, more and more interested in what drives out leaders and makes them tick.
The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield seeks to help the reader find some of those answers. The book does not make a judgement call on who Americans should elect as their next president. Instead the author, by explaining Obama's upbringing and influences, strives to show what it is that forms Obama's beliefs and how that drives his thought process. The book also pulls no punches. On complicated issues such as abortion and the various laws legislating around the issue, Mansfield clearly points out where Obama has logical struggles and at times has mis-stepped his ideals. But again, the strength of this work is that it offers up the facts on those issues and lets the reader form their own opinion.
In addition to detailing the influences that have gone into the Barack Obama's faith, Mansfield also gives attention to three of the other main characters in this election - Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and George W. Bush. Not does this help to give a foot in the door on exploring those dynamic individuals, but it also helps to compare and contrast the cast of players. It is made clear that there are more than years of difference in this election, there are also differences of education, social influence, and how their faith was obtained. Revelation versus inheritance versus personal exploration are depicted as paths that help to form the destination.
This book is timely not only in terms of the election and the conventions, but also in terms of where we are currently in US politics. We are seeing, across the board, Republican or Democrat, a renewed interest in values and what goes into a person to form those values. Those values, that faith, is important to the American people and to the world. How our President puts his personal values into action in the world is important to determining how we interact with the world and where this country will be in years to come. Well written, timely, and well researched, this should be considered a must read for anyone on either side of the election interested in learning more about the candidates.
Faith of Barack Obama - A Must Read August 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Faith of Barack Obama is going to let down many readers. Those who are looking for a pro-Obama reading will not find what they anticipated. The people who are expecting to read the certainty about Obama's religious affiliations won't get what they want.
Readers who want the truth will not be disappointed.
Stephen Mansfield writes with no agenda other than presenting what he learned about Barack Obama's journey in faith. Although Mansfield has been open about not voting for Obama, that stand never shows in the book.
After a brief re-telling of Obama's childhood, including his stint in a Muslim school, Mansfield describes how Barack Obama made a spiritual journey from no faith to the Christian faith.
Important also is Mansfield explanation of new face of religion in the United States. By comparing John McCain, Hillary Rodman Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama's faith, Mansfield illustrates how faith changes through the generations. It's not your mama's religion.
The reading of this book hasn't changed my mind about whether I'll vote for Barack Obama or not. It has given me a new look at Christianity in America and its affect on American politics - liberal and conservative.
I applaud Thomas Nelson for taking the bold step of publishing this book, even in the face of unwarranted backlash.
Worthwhile Read as the Election Approaches August 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read this book with an eye looking for signs of bias. I didn't want someone to tell me what I should think about Obama's faith. I wanted to better understand where he's coming from. And I think this book did that for me. It gave me a fuller picture of his background and the church he's attended. We've all heard of some of the outrageous things Dr. Wright has said, but this book helped me understand where he's coming from. That doesn't necessarily mean I like it or agree, but I at least have a context.
It also highlighted the post modern nature to Obama's faith. This is a concept that is smacking me everywhere I turn, and I am searching to understand. It's like anything else, I need to understand it, so I can figure out where it diverges from what I believe and where there's common ground for a starting point.
The most helpful chapter for me was the four faces of faith. In that chapter the author contrasts Obama with John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush. It was hugely helpful for grasping where McCain is coming from, especially in the context of his answers in the forum.
"It is the healers who are best remembered..." August 22, 2008
After an overt audience preference for John McCain at Saddleback's faith forum last week, I found myself skeptical that another Christian mainstay (Thomas Nelson) could treat a democrat fairly. However, like moderator Rick Warren, author Stephen Mansfield does a respectable job proving for insight into the spiritual life of the current democratic presidential nominee in The Faith of Barack Obama.
The Faith of Barack Obama appears to be written for a more conservative, evangelical audience. At points, it feels as though Mansfield uses the views of the religious right as the measuring stick for the `correct' faith. When speaking of faith, the perspective with which he compares Obama stems solely from the more conservative Christian viewpoint (as opposed to Muslim, Hindu, etc.) Given the audience, there is no fault in this, but it would be helpful to note this point to better understand the book's perspective.
In spite of the audience, Mansfield works hard to highlight Obama's message of unity to the traditionally divided factions of politics and faith. Chapter two opens with an example of then-presidential candidate Sam Brownback and Obama at Saddleback's World AIDS Day summit. At the summit, Brownback commented that he felt more `comfortable' than he'd felt when they'd shared the stage at the NAACP conference. Given evangelicals' tendency to lean Republican, Brownback turned to Obama and commented, "Welcome to my house!" In his infamous eloquence, Obama responded, "There is one thing I have to say, Sam. This is my house, too. This is God's house."
Mansfield goes on to explore how Obama has worked to bring traditionally divided houses together, to break down long-standing barriers, and to forge common ground on hostile issues. Perhaps the most hostile of these issues is abortion, to which Mansfield dedicates an entire chapter on Obama's voting record on abortion. While this chapter is the most negative tone, it is certainly an issue to be considered for those who espouse the value of human life. However, the examination of this one issue felt overemphasized as I would have liked to see a more in depth examination of his stance on other issues of life such as the death penalty, world poverty, and health care. (Mansfield does touch on some of these topics, just not as in depth as he does with abortion.)
Mansfield also includes a fascinating chapter entitled, "The Four Faces of Faith" which examines how George Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barrack Obama represent four distinct sectors of America. In it, he examines how each public figure has publically lived their faith and how they reflect a various sectors of the American public. I won't elaborate more here or it would spoil his point.
"It is the healers who are best remembered," he concludes, "those who teach us to live beyond the limitations of our lesser selves." Comparing Obama to such historic figures as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Gerald Ford, Desmond Tutu, Manfield closes with deep respect for the message that Obama proclaims - that as a nation, we are broken and we need healing. He asserts that Obama's presence is "more significant for who he is than for what he does politically" because he brings to light long neglected issues in our past: racism, the poor, the "restoration of religion to the political Left", the recognition of the black church in America. While certain sections feel slightly biased, the majority of Mansfield's book is objective and fair. Ultimately, it is a challenge to those on both sides of the church fence to be willing to dialog across difficult lines.
|
|
|
