Throughout the course of this thesis, I have attempted to examine Barack Obama‘s
religious views and to investigate the factors that shaped his personal theology. My initial reason
for attempting this project was my desire to understand how the relationship between Reverend
Jeremiah Wright and Obama shaped Obama‘s religious perspective. The 2008 Presidential election brought this relationship to national attention because of Wright‘s controversial statements both before and during the campaign. As a scholar of religion, I was curious if
Wright‘s theology, which is based on James Cone‘s Black Liberation Theology, has had a significant impact on Obama.
I argued that while Black Liberation Theology undoubtedly played an important part in
Obama‘s religious formation, it did not encompass his entire theological perspective. I
highlighted several areas where Cone‘s theology differed from Obama‘s. Specifically, I said that Cone‘s theology is completely focused on the concerns of a black community, which Cone believes is the center of God‘s activity in modern America. This view shapes Cone‘s thinking about everything including textual interpretation, the Gospel, and political violence.
While Cone‘s Black Liberation Theology infused Obama with a concern for the African American community in America, Obama chooses to accept a broader vision of what God is
doing in the world beyond the liberating activity of blacks. In Obama‘s thinking, God is concerned for all communities and it is the purpose of every Christian to promote a more just
existence for humanity. As Obama said in his victory speech following the Presidential election,
―there is not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America – there‘s the United States of America‖ (Obama, Audacity, 231). For Obama, these are not just
rhetorically inspiring words, they articulate a view of the world which he champions personally,
publicly, and theologically. I argued that Obama may represent a changing attitude among
younger African Americans who did not experience the same level of discrimination as did older
generations of blacks. This emerging attitude is more optimistic about the chances for racial
reconciliation and integration. Obama grew up with a healthy appreciation of the African
American struggle and fused it with his more optimistic outlook for America.
Since I began work on this project, Obama has been in office for more than a year.
During this time, he set an ambitious agenda for his administration both domestically and
internationally. For some observers, the agenda which Obama has undertaken is a surprise. But
for the more informed observer, I believe the changes Obama has called for this past year are
reflective of his theological worldview. If Obama‘s theology places an emphasis on social justice, reason, racial equality, and rule of law, as I believe it does, then much of Obama‘s agenda during his first year in office follows naturally from his religious beliefs. For example,
immediately after his inauguration, Obama set a deadline for closing the controversial detention
center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which Obama viewed as a center of human rights violations.
In addition, Obama‘s administration put together a large stimulus package which was pushed through Congress as a way to stimulate the lagging economy. Social justice advocates
celebrated the governmental program to alleviate joblessness among the working poor, because,
according to advocates of the bill, it brought much needed aid to those with the most need. He
raised funding for Pell grants to help low-income families afford the costs of college. And
probably his most ambitious task, albeit his most controversial initiative, was to promote a
comprehensive healthcare reform bill which would overhaul the entire healthcare industry. As
and oppressed within society. And since healthcare is such an essential component to living, it is
not surprising that Obama feels compelled to offer greater access and care to those individuals
not currently receiving it. Whether or not this is a financially and politically prudent move is
another discussion, but the mere fact that Obama is championing greater healthcare access is
consistent with what we‘ve seen in his theology.
As President Obama enters the second year of his presidency, it will be interesting to
watch how he continues to integrate his personal theological beliefs into public policy. The
degree to which Obama chooses to marry his personal convictions with his public
responsibilities is something which he alone fully knows. But it is my hope that this thesis has
provided some insight into what Obama‘s personal convictions are and how these convictions emerged. Up to this point in his Presidency, Barack Obama‘s religious worldview seems to be compatible with his political priorities. The next several years will demonstrate if this continues
to be true, but whatever happens, Obama‘s Presidency will provide plenty of material for further
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