I found this debate between Barak Obama and Alan Keyes to be very helpful in discerning what President Obama means when he identifies himself as a Christian.
About Dan Miller
Pastor Dan was part of the core group that started Grace Fellowship in 2003. Pastor Dan is our primary teaching pastor, leads the staff, and oversees the vision and strategy for our disciplemaking philosophy of ministry. Dan married Vicki in 1993. Together, they enjoy their seven children – Benjamin (married to Courtney), David, Alexa, Zachary (married to Ginna), Nathan, Ana, and Autumn, along with one grandchild - Lucy.
Based on this I’d have to say Obama doesn’t really mean anything when he call himself a Christian. Its just a demographic term to him that is sometimes useful for getting votes.
Of course the same can be said for most politicians who claim to be Christians whether they have an (R) or an (D) after their name.
I think, spiritually, Obama is an average church goer. He probably has a superficial understanding, and compartmentalizes his faith treating it more like something he does than something he is.
I think he probably thinks of the gospel more so in terms of the social gospel of redeeming people to a better humanity than the gospel being redeeming people to their creator given his background in his church.
His Faith does not seem to inform is view of abortion as he still supports it, but at the same time, he never publicly expresses a position on abortion; he always says we can disagree and still be of faith. He has expressed a desire to increase adoption and wants to see reductions in the number of abortions. He did introduce FOCA when he was in congress. Probably just a means to an end. I dunno.
This was a really fascinating debate excerpt for me, personally. The views expressed by Obama remind me of the kinds of views and uncertainty I held when I considered myself a “Christian,” but was not following Christ.
Specifically, I find it significant that he mentioned that the most urgent question on his mind if he was to speak with our Saviour was “am I going up or down?” Based on that statement, it seems his faith has offered him little assurance. Furthermore, he stated that just because he considers himself a Christian doesn’t mean that he has the right to say that people of other faiths are ‘wrong’ or ‘evil,’ but doesn’t the Bible teach us that all people are evil, hence our need for a Saviour? And Christ himself teaches that He is the only way to the Father, so Christ himself said that other faiths, if they are not in Him, don’t have the power to save.