Postcards From Myself

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 only does this help to give a foot in the door for 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.

The wait is over! Just hours ago, Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his vice president. Now, MoveOn.org is offering FREE Obama/Biden stickers, and they want to give away half a million of them as quickly as possible. Want one?

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After you’ve gotten your Obama/Biden sticker, please forward this link to your friends. The stickers are perfect for everyone, and for everywhere: your car, your laptop, your window, or anywhere else. And the more of us who put these stickers in visible places, the stronger message we’ll send about our support for the Obama/Biden ticket this November.

These Obama/Biden stickers are the latest addition to our massive Obama visibility campaign. MoveOn members have already ordered more than 2.5 million Obama buttons and bumper stickers, and are already showing communities across the nation that regular folks sincerely support Barack Obama.

Just a wonderful Sunday here. I wanted to post something as I walked around our historic Charleston churchyard after services.

A new book by Stephen Mansfield has just been published entitled The Faith Of Barack Obama. I guess the title pretty much says it all, and I don’t need to tell you what it is about. My review copy should be arriving in a few days, and I will post a full review at that time. Oh, and by the way, the introduction is by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A work like this is extremely important right now, and not just because of the upcoming election itself. It is important because it is time for the liberals to take back some of the religious momentum from the conservatives and really start talking about religion, faith, and matters of the spirit. For too long the Democrats and other liberal parties have not even raised a voice as the Republicans and religious conservatives controlled the religious discussion and made it appear as if they were the only ones in the pews. Barack Obama has made his faith and values a center point of his campaign and is forcing, in a good way I believe, the liberal left to confront the Republicans in what they feel is their strong hold. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Faith Of Barack Obama so I can get a better idea of where Senator Obama stands in this all important struggle.

Until then, the publisher was kind enough to send me the first 48 pages in pdf format and allow me to post them here. Please take a look, give it a read, and let me know what you think. And, as I said, as soon as I get the book I will be posting a full review.