The Audacity of Faith: Christian Leaders Reflect on the Election of Barack Obama

by Marvin A. McMickle

Overview

A rich and passionate compilation of sermons and essays from religious leaders across the Christian landscape, all reflecting on the 2008 historic election of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth president of the United States of America. Features dynamic preachers Tony Campolo, Carolyn Ann Knight, and Gardner C. Taylor; respected scholars Dwight Hopkins, Anthony Pinn, and Emilie Townes; respected pastors Brad Braxton, Otis Moss II, and Gina Stewart; and popular authors Marvin McMickle, William Willimon, and Philip Yancey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780817015800
Publisher:	Judson Press
Publication date:	10/15/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	369 KB

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction xi

Part I My Soul Looks Back and Wonders How We Got Over

1 At Last! Leslie D. Callahan 1

2 God's Invisible Hand J. Alfred Smith Sr. 7

3 The Hopeology of Barack Obama: Biblical Reflections and Personal Musings Mitzi Smith 11

4 Barack Obama and the Unfinished Business of America Chris Rice 17

5 Dreaming Like a Fool Robin L. Smith 20

6 On the Border of the Impossible Gardner C. Taylor 25

7 This Inauguration: An Impossible Possibility Joseph R. Kutter 27

8 A Giant Step Forward for America Ken Fong 32

Part II Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr.

9 No Longer a Dream Deferred: Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, and the Search for the Beloved Community Carolyn Ann Knight 35

10 When the Walls Came Tumbling Down Marvin A. McMickle 41

11 Almost but Not Quite Gina M. Stewart 46

12 Working from the Bottom Up Philip Yancey 52

13 Of Dreams and Their Dreamers: A Sermonic Reflection on the Significance of the Obama Presidency Wil Gafney 55

14 A Lifting of the Burden Curtiss Paul DeYoung 60

15 Dreams from Our Fathers Raphael Warnock 64

16 Can We Believe in America? Luis Cortés Jr. 70

Part III Prophetic Rumblings for President Barack Obama

17 No Days Off Emilie M. Townes 74

18 Preacher-Prophet Obama William H. Willimon 81

19 A Hope That Does Not Disappoint: An Obama Presidency and Romans 5:5 William H. Myers 87

20 Hope Has Its Reasons Tony Campolo 93

21 The Hope That the Present Has Brought Us James Henry Harris 99

Part IV Barack Obama and a Postracial America

22 Barack Obama and the American Civil Religion Valerie Elverton Dixon 105

23 Obama's Race and America's Race RelationsDwight N. Hopkins 111

24 Postrace America A. Roy Medley 116

25 Bodies-American Made: The 2008 Presidential Election and the Possibility of a New Politics of Race Anthony B. Pinn 118

26 This Is Our Work Valerie Bridgeman 123

27 Barack Obama and the New American Civil Religion-Official Version Leonard Sweet 127

Part V Biblical and Theological Perspectives

28 Hope in 3-D Brad R. Braxton 136

29 A Sentence Begun Melvin Bray 142

30 What Mean These Stones? The Election of Barack Obama in Retrospect and Prospect Harold Dean Trulear 148

31 The Obama Presidency and America's Unfinished Business Otis Moss Jr. 154

32 Where Do We Go from Here? Otis Moss III 159

33 For Such a Time as This Derrick Harkins 164

About the Contributors 169

Editorial Reviews

Edited by McMickle (pastor, Antioch Baptist Church, Cleveland), this anthology considers the religious impact of President Obama's election. Contributors include such varied voices as Leslie Callahan, Tony Campolo, Gardner C. Taylor, Emilie Townes, and William Willimon, with essays generally addressing four questions: Is Obama's election a fulfillment of the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr.? Has the United States entered a post-racial era? What biblical concepts can be used when considering the election? Is there a danger in believing that this administration can fulfill what scripture suggests only God can do? While each contributor answers one or more of these questions uniquely, there is a common note of optimism throughout. Additionally, it is evident that to many this election represents a reward of faith and providence in racial reconciliation. However, several essays temper this optimism with cautious ambivalence, suspecting the possibility of unrealistic expectations. VERDICT Overall, this compendium shows the scope of positive Christian reactions to Barack Obama's election. Recommended as a contemporary voice on the intersections of politics and religion.—Dann Wigner, Wayland Baptist Univ. Lib., Plainview, TX

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