Interview with Barack Obama

Barack Obama answers FaithfulDemocrats.com's questions about humility, the black church, and partisan

prophecy.  "The black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation
from collective salvation," he says, "which is why its membership is at the forefront
of the fight for civil rights and the common good."

Possible presidential candidate Barack Obama has become the poster-boy for a lot of ideals to which Democrats aspire — diversity, passion, principle, moderation…And since the Illinois Senator's speech at a Sojourners/Call to Renewal conference this summer, we can add another ideal to the mix: the ability to speak articulately and genuinely about faith.  In this speech, Obama put forward his characteristic brand of thoughtful, measured analysis that he hopes will come to have a greater role in our national dialogue than the partisan screaming matches to which we have become accustomed.  He argued that both Democrats and Republicans have work to do in dealing constructively with faith in the public square.

 And now, fresh off an announcement on Meet the Press that he is considering a run for president, Obama has taken time to answer a few questions from FaithfulDemocrats.com about humility, the black church, and partisan prophecy.

You're now a world-famous
celebrity and more in demand as a speaker than anyone else in Congress. 
How do you try to maintain humility? 

If you look at the challenges
we face as a nation, I believe we have no choice but to be humble. 
We have to be humble because no single person can deal with these difficult
problems alone.  It's a sobering reality, but a hopeful one,
because it drives Americans — myself included — to work together
to achieve our common goals.  

Why do you think Christian
faith tends to be such a strong part of African American life and politics
in this country? 

As I say in my book, I believe
the black church has played a central role in not only African American
politics, but the politics of our nation, particularly in our movements
for social justice.  This role arose out of necessity — the black
church had no choice but to serve as the center of the community's
political, economic, social, and spiritual life, because it was often
the only institution within which African Americans could freely express
themselves, hold positions of leadership, and advocate for change.  
The black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation
from collective salvation, which is why its membership is at the forefront
of the fight for civil rights and the common good.   

Both progressive and conservative
religious leaders claim to have prophetic voices on political issues. 
Is there such thing as a politically partisan prophet?  How do
we bring God into politics while recognizing that God is bigger than
politics? 

While
we shouldn't ignore the role of religion in public life, our democracy
makes it imperative that the proposals public officials put forth, and
the positions we take, be subject to argument and amenable to reason.  
For example, I may be opposed to a given law for religious reasons,
but if I seek to overturn the law, I can't simply point to the teachings
of my church as justification.   I have to explain why the
law violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths
— including those with no religion at all.  

There were both positive
and negative critiques of your speech at Call to Renewal this past summer,
and much of the criticism came from the liberal blogosphere.  What
do you think of the negative criticism, in particular, and what do you
think it will take to generate more acceptance — both from the right
and the left — of a strong faith voice in the Democratic Party?  

Well, I'm grateful for the
words of support I have received regarding the speech, but I also understand
and appreciate the criticism I received from those who disagreed with
me.  This was expected, and I think what's important is that these
reactions reflect an honest dialogue on these issues. It's a dialogue
that I believe enriches our national conversation about the role of
faith in politics, and it's a dialogue that keeps me continuously
thinking about how these issues affect my public service.