Obama's Circle Of Pastors

New York Times:

President Obama has been without a pastor or a home church ever since he cut his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. in the heat of the presidential campaign. But he has quietly cultivated a handful of evangelical pastors for private prayer sessions on the telephone and for discussions on the role of religion in politics

All are men, two of them white and three black -- including the Rev. Otis Moss Jr., a graying lion of the civil rights movement. Two, the entrepreneurial dynamos Bishop T. D. Jakes and the Rev. Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, also served as occasional spiritual advisers to President George W. Bush. Another, the Rev. Jim Wallis, leans left on some issues, like military intervention and poverty programs, but opposes abortion.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Puzlfxr]

Where is Jeremiah Wright?
Obama's long time pastor and mentor should still be influencing his life.

[tomasedison]

almost clever....­.but hopeless

FOX found this issue had zer traction last summer

it has less than zer traction now

[hortonhearsawho2]

yeah, but this guy is a puzzeee...

[StillIRise]

He probably would be if Sean Hannity and FOX had not been on a mission to destroy his life with their malicious slander and smears and 30-second soundbites ... which inevitably led to the destruction of his and President Obama's relationship.

FOX should be ashamed for what they did to this 70 year old man's 40 year ministry, but they have no shame ... and I assume that you don't either!

[Zanti]

Actually, Wright's statements were, in many instances, accurately represented. The real issue is that he has every right to those views, controversial or not. There's no law that forbids a minister from holding views that are left (or otherwise out of alignment with) the center's. It was dumb and rather cruel of Obama to put Wright out there as his beloved mentor, etc., only to denounce him for political reasons. For one thing, Obama should have seen this coming some time back. In fact, all he REALLY had to do was maintain lukewarm ties with Wright. That's all. And, somehow, he blew it.

I voted for Obama, and I'm very pleased with his performance in office so far, but I have issues with his handling of the Wright situation. Faulting the media, in this case, strikes me as silly, especially given that much of the media--MSNBC, in particular--was engaged in 24/7 damage control for Obama's campaign. FOX has enough to answer for without our making up charges.

[Lillopa]

To many wofves in sheep chothing not preaching Jesus gospel or God's word, but their own words and gospels to get rich. Send me the money and you will get rich in 5 days or a miracle?

[lewes17266]

Lillopa, They are predators preying on the most trusting souls.

[Hirnlego]

A Personal Relationship with Jesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLBDFe3mDtk

"Is it possible for three people to have a common friend, but have wildly different views about him, his views and his character? Wouldn't that indicate that at least two of them, and possibly all three of them, were mistaken, or lying?

Well, why can't people who claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus agree on what he wants and what he's like?"

[LanosIceland]

Jesus died thousands of years ago, like all men do: He was and is not God; he was 'a child of God', a devout adherent to Judaism, which preaches the unity of God(he is absolut): Jesus therefore would find blasphemous the religions of men which propogate heretical teachings such as the trinity, the Jesus only cult, catholic dogma and other misbegotten idolatries. Many today are running around blindly believing in things which are totally in conflict with what God truly represents. They should take time to reference the Jewish Encyclopedia and approach the origins of religion more as a study of semetic history. Maybe then they will cease to afflict us with their nonsensical teachings and destructive behaviour.

[GabrielXL]

*nodding* and agreeing in principle.­..

[StillIRise]

Great post ... and I agree!

I wish I could carry you around with me when I try to make this point to others!

[macintoshsauce]

Jesus is not God? I beg to differ... In the Bible, he says that the only way to the Father (God) is through him (Jesus). He also said that he and the Father are one. Therefore, if he and the Father are one, so is he and the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons yet all the same. The trinity...

[Knowitall]

And just how do we know that YOU know the true will of God??? How do YOU know what Jesus would find "blasphemous"??? Did he tell you personally??? Why should we agree that the Jewish Encyclopedia is the only place we can go for the true word of God??? Why is it more truth there than in the BIble or the Koran?? It is my right as a human being NOT to believe anything in those books, or anything you just said. In fact it is my right NOT to believe in any religion.

If I choose to believe, I will believe what makes sense to me and makes me want to be a better person. And that's what religion should be about. Not the denomination or the building or the minister. That's the problem I have with all doctrinaire religion. They all claim to have the absolute truth--when in fact none of them probably have the whole truth.

In the last 30 years, the U.S. government has become too entangled with rightwing evangelical religion, and look what its done to this country. Too many of the "ministers" have been wedded to the almighty dollar and not Almighty God.

I hope that Pres. Obama will continue to listen to several different voices from the faith community, because it's for sure that none of them have God's ear exclusively. And you probably don't either.

[svmaggieb]

Brilliant! Coudn't have put it better.

[StillIRise]

I've often thought along this same line of thinking. Why, for example, are there so many different CHRISTIAN churches with so many opposing views on various life issues, and why does each one of these churches say and believe that they alone are the TRUE church of God?

This to me, among other things, is very telling that the church has much more to do with man's word than with God's word, which lends to the self-righteousness, intolerance and hypocrisy that one often finds within the church family - attributes of man, not of God. For this reason, I believe that the church itself can sometimes become the stumbling block to one's personal relationship with a higher power.

[Zanti]

You take this stuff way, way too literally. As all fundamentalists are wont to do.

[PlayTOE]

Question ..
Is Obama getting spiritual counseling?
or
Is Obama staying in touch with the religious right?

Answer ... These 5 have very little useful counseling to offer, but if Obama can keep them from getting upset at his political moves then the rest of the religious right cannot complain too hard.

[Irish55]

How do you know what they have to offer Pres Obama? Are you privy to their phone calls/prayer sessions? It's none of our business who the President choses to pray with. I realize that it is now public record. But why must you try to make it into a political issue rather than a spiritual one?

[MathIsTruth]

My thoughts ran along similar lines.

Obama is the rare kind of politician who seems to like to listen carefully to all sides of a debate. The fact that he listens carefully to people on the opposite side from him is to allow him to (1) adjust his own views on the topic if he finds the opposition has reasonable arguments and (2) argue against the opposition in a way the opposition will understand.

[MomfromTexas]

What happened to that confidentiality thing between a minister and the person the minister is working with/praying with/counseling? Why are these guys talking to the NYT's?

[postman606]

They are all just more than ministers, those guys are religious conglomerates, publicity is necessary to sell their books and CD s and grow their memberships.

[lewes17266]

Read my profile.

[ticoune]

Obama can do nicely without these clowns my feeling is that he is just playing politic.

[AriannaFan2]

Jim Wallis! Yeah! He da man!

[EducatedObserver]

Would it not have been better for the president to select religious leaders from a more global prespective - one more representative of the population at large?

A Roman Catholic, an evangelical, a Jew and perhaps even a Muslim leader in the mix (rather than the over-heavy emphasis on evangelicals) would have meant that the president's religious counsel truly reflected the religious character of the people he lead.

[Coolcat101]

Or maybe the President is choosing religious leaders for his own spiritual nurturing, and not to be a political symbol. He is a Christian. So he is praying and and receiving counsel from Christian pastors. It's really just that simple.

[TIMEATELL]

"All are men, two of them white and three black -- including the Rev. Otis Moss Jr., a graying lion of the civil rights movement. Two, the entrepreneurial dynamos Bishop T. D. Jakes and the Rev. Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, also served as occasional spiritual advisers to President George W. Bush."

Ha! Gotta love that extra emphasis on race.

[darker]

How about the OBVIOUS extra emphasis on NO WOMEN ALLOWED in the boy's locker room?
That's pretty good emphasis on SEXISM.

[HMDMSR]

Would the President give Zen a shot?

[darker]

Zen wouldn't care to be shot, no thanks.

[Tim303]

Would you?

[Weirdwriter]

There are, and have always been progressive people of faith, not something the GOP likes to admit. Not all their members are believers, but they all seem to like to pretend only they know what a Christian is. Or a Jew or a Muslim, for that matter.

[swo68]

Wonder if these ones will end up under the bus?

[postman606]

Wondering when your English class is back in session.

[swo68]

Oh come on. Seriously.

[darker]

A Mack truck would do a better job.

[tploomis]

I hope so. It's where they belong.

[postman606]

The pastors from the Super Bowl Churches always make me uncomfortable. I like them from the small store fronts where the actually believe.

[hmmmmmer]

From the article "faith is the foundation in the fight against economic inequality and social injustice.­"

That seems to be where the politics of religion fails miserably.

[swo68]

Ya, too many posers out there.

[merger]

Should pastors be poor? I am just wondering.

[darker]

Religion has been used as GOD-SCAM for eons to enrich the Vatican, millionaire "reverends",
tear-jerk money-hoarding charity foundations whose executives pay themselves like CEOs while
handing out pitiful sums, if any at all, to the supposed "charity".

[AlP]

Obama still hasn't learned his lesson. Amazing.

[tan8277]

AIP there's no lesson to learn. Grow up a person's faith is personal and for some of us it's real no matter how imperfect the pastor or priest.

[HMDMSR]

What part of it is real? We know it isn't the you're worshiping.

[Zanti]

Depends on what you mean by that. I think he's doing a wise thing, but I disapprove of his inner-circle choices. Then again, it's his dime.