How will Obama's religious beliefs change the course of America?
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Niels C. Nielsen, Jr.'s field of study and research is philosophy and religious studies. His text, Religions of the World is a widely used class book. His study of The Religion of Jimmy Carter had international sales, with Dutch and German translations. He has also written on Religion After Communism in Russia.
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We're now past Obama's first hundred days in office and we see him taking the country in different, and to many people, alarming directions. It's time to revisit one of the most controversial issues of the recent presidential campaign — his religious beliefs and background — and how they influence his day-to-day decisions.
Where is Barack Obama taking the country, politically, religiously, economically, ethically? When will we know whether the first Afro-American president succeeds or fails? What does he believe; what are his values? Nielsen compares Obama with other past presidents such as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Carter, Nixon, Clinton and the Bushs. What would they say to each other as contemporaries?
"GOD IN THE OBAMA ERA" is intended primarily for general readers and is designed to help give objectivity and perspective on the debated issues. Election 2008 turned out to be a watershed contest, looking to crucial decisions of policy change on the war in Iraq, the international economy, global warming, social security and immigration.
Historically religion, as both a positive and negative force, has influenced economics, international statecraft, and individual and social ethics. I seek to go beyond the rhetoric and polemics of current politics by appealing to history. George Washington himself at the outset of the presidency was explicit that religion was required to support civic morality. It is crucial to the interpretation of this book that its narrative periodicizes. It includes the symbol models and convictions of early presidents, Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, along with the thought of leading twentieth century figures. Religious models—Enlightenment, Revivalist, Social Gospel, the fundamentalist Right, for example—have been in dynamic process throughout the nation's history!
