Many have tried to paint Barack Obama as a Muslim. While there is nothing wrong with Islam, the man is clearly a Christian.  While his opponent, Hillary Clinton, may have tried to blur the lines of reality on 60 Minutes last week about his faith, how he has run his campaign proves what a good Christian Barack Obama truly is.

In the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says:

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
—Matthew 5:38-42, NIV

A parallel version is offered in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke:

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
—Luke 6:27-31. NIV

Barack Obama has been the target of many personal attacks in his bid for the Presidency.  His religion, patriotism, ethics and self worth has been attacked by Hillary Rodham Clinton and her supporters.  Barack Obama has kept his campaign positive and on issues of policy.  He has turned the other cheek. 

 

Unlike his opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama was very gracious last night.  He congratulated Clinton on her wins.  Clinton has not congratulated Obama on any of his wins throughout his long 13 State winning streak.

Matthew 7:12 says:
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

So, Clinton has invited the media to look into all facets of her life, which they have not done.  They have not reported on the spike in her personal wealth that has occurred since she’s been a Senator, she has not released her tax returns to the public. She has not released documents of her time as first lady. She is the largest recipient of funding from the Health Insurance and Military Industrial Complex lobbies in history.  By criticizing the media and Obama, she has invited public scrutiny.

But Obama should not change the positive tone of his campaign.  He should back it up with his religious beliefs in Christianity.  He should exclaim proudly that he is running his campaign the way he is because he believes it would be un-Christian to campaign the way Clinton has. He should follow up by saying that he is not judging her, that he hopes she can find peace with God after the campaign, and that he has faith that she can walk in Christ’s path if she works on it.  “God loves you Hillary, God loves America. Yes, we can be more Christ-like.”

Not only is Obama clearly not a radical follower of Islam, but he is not a radical Christian. He seems to be a man who understands his faith and leads by it.  His pragmatic yet progressive record as a community organizer, constitutional lawyer, State Senator, Senator and Presidential campaign all back up the moral ethics religious scholars say that Christianity should embrace.

Jesus issues four ringing commands: love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who maltreat you. He then rejects a culture of violence characterized by a tit-for-tat mentality and proposes instead a strategy of breaking the cycle of evil. Again the command is repeated, love your enemy and do good. Why? The command is rooted in the very nature of God, who is “kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Whereas Matthew follows this exhortation with the statement, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” Luke writes: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful,” and only then will you be sons and daughters of God. Love of enemies is the defining characteristic of God’s family.

We know Christ’s teachings mostly from the gospels of the Bible, as supposedly by Christ’s disciples.  Mathew’s Christ gives us broad statements of ethics and moral standards. Luke’s Jesus does not proclaim ethereal ideals, but lives what he proclaims. The Lukan Jesus eats with and reaches out to those Pharisees who oppose him, and gives of himself to those who beg for healing or forgiveness. Only in Luke does Jesus, at the moment of his arrest, heal the wounded servant of the high priest, while calling for an end to any violent resistance (22:50); and the dying Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (23:34).

Obama should start using scripture to exemplify his campaign standards and contrast them to the tactics of the Clinton camp.  I think that such a method could help him combat her dirty politics, as well as the unfounded questions about his religion.

In closing, let me note that I am not certain that I myself am a Christian. I’m a student of theology who was raised by Christians. While I strive to live my life with the ethics I’ve learned from a loving interpretation of Christianity, I am flawed. Furthermore, I question the possibility of a God, believe deeply in science, and feel it would be hypocritical to say that I am of any faith, as I do not exhibit it.  I also find value in many other religions.  It is not my motive here to preach Christianity in hopes of conversion or judgment.  I only wish to offer my view of how Barack Obama has exemplified his faith, more so than his opponent, and how I believe that he could speak to people so that they realized the same.

With Clinton's slight margin of win Tuesday, there will be much to be said about the tactics of this campaign.  Many will be calling for Obama to start playing as dirty as Clinton has.  I hope that he does not.  I hope that he sticks to his moral high ground, and explains to the public why he feels it is important to do so.