Michael S. Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, a publisher of Christian books, offered a free copy of the subject book to the first 100 bloggers who promised to write a 200 word review of the book. I jumped at it since I don’t know anything about Barack Obama. I emailed Mr. Hyatt’s assistant the book arrived promptly. I wasn’t so prompt in reading the book and writing the review. But I’m finally done and below is my review.

The Faith of Barack Obama, by Stephen Mansfield

The Faith of Barack Obama is an interesting, sympathetic but neutral examination of Barack Obama’s life and faith. It includes a brief biography including his contact with Islam as a child that I found very fascinating. The book discusses his conversion and membership in the Trinity United Church of Christ. Also included is fascinating information on the church, the theology it backed, and its pastor, Jeremiah Wright, whose beliefs and sermons caused so much damage to Obama’s candidacy.

I found the book very helpful in learning about Obama’s beliefs, his faith and how his faith fit into his life. The book had much discussion but no conclusions about why Obama stayed at Trinity so long given Reverend Wright’s inflammatory belief’s and rhetoric. The discussion about the black church and civil religion is very instructive. I think that the idea that Obama learned how to “swallow the chicken but spit out the bone” probably described the situation accurately. I don’t think that anybody, but Obama, knows for sure about the matter.

The book is an important addition to my understanding of Mr. Obama. It was great to read something about a candidate that did not have a hidden agenda.