“I have a job to do as president, and that does not involve convincing folks that my faith in Jesus is real.”

President Obama gave a rare interview about his religious views to the magazine of the National Cathedral.  Politico has highlights: 

In an interview with the Washington National Cathedral magazine, President Obama discussed how his faith influenced his politics — saying that at the end of the day ‘God is in control.’

“First and foremost, my Christian faith gives me a perspective and security that I don’t think I would have otherwise: that I am loved. That, at the end of the day, God is in control,” Obama said.

Obama also tied faith in God to his belief in a compassionate role for government.

“Faith tells us that there is something about this world that ties our interest to the welfare of a child who can’t get the health care they need, or a parent who can’t find work after the plant shut down, or a family going hungry,” Obama told the magazine.

“Faith has always provided a moral framework and vocabulary for this country to come to terms with its most pressing challenges. One of the great things about this nation is that it is a place where people from all walks of life can advocate on behalf of their faith and beliefs and be open about what drives and motivates them,” Obama said.

“From slavery to the suffrage movement to civil rights, faith — and the moral obligations that derive from our faith — have always helped us to navigate some of our greatest moral challenges with a recognition that there’s something bigger than ourselves: we have obligations that extend beyond our own self-interest,” Obama said.

Obama also briefly addressed the ongoing (false) doubts about his faith — including rumors that he is a Muslim (which he is not).

“I have a job to do as president, and that does not involve convincing folks that my faith in Jesus is legitimate and real. I do my best to live out my faith, and to stay in the Word, and to make my life look more like His,” Obama said “What I can do is just keep on following Him, and serve others—trying to make folks’ lives a little better using this humbling position that I hold.”

Read more.  And you can download the complete article—which also includes an interview on the same subject with Mitt Romney—at this link.