August 25, AD 2010

Is Barack Obama a Christian?
Frank Allnutt

Recent opinion polls, bolstered by President Obama’s regards for the proposed Mosque at Ground Zero, has re-ignited the question of his faith: is Obama a Christian or a Muslim?

Obama professes to be a Christian, and many people, including the Rev. Franklin Graham, take Obama’s word that he is a Christian. However, according to The Pew Research Center, a growing number of people either disbelieve Obama’s profession of Christian faith or, at lease, like Pastor Dave Welch have their doubts.

Obviously, many questions remain to be asked and answered, among some of my own questions:

If Obama did break from the strong Islamic influences of his early years to become a Christian, I wonder why.

Did Obama really favor Jesus over Muhammad? Why?

Did Obama really favor Christianity over Islam? Why?

Does Obama favor the Christian Bible over the Koran? Why or why not?

So, what about it? Is Barack Obama really a Christian?

With apologies to former President Bill Clinton, that depends on what “is” is!

Is a person a Christian because they pray? Read the Bible? Go to church? Have religious advisors?

Is Obama a Christian because he says he is?

Proclaiming to be a Christian does not, in and of itself, according to the Bible, “make” a person a Christian. As you might recall, I have written about CINO’s—people who are “Christian In Name Only,” but are not truly Christian. That includes people in religious sects that are perceived by some to be Christian but are actually outside of biblical Christianity. Also included are false Christs—many antichrists that are in the world today and are possessed by the spirit of Antichrist (1 John 2:18, 4:3).

So, what is a Christian? And that takes us back to: it depends on what “is” is.

The Bible's six perspectives of a Christian
Through my years of Bible study, I have discovered that the Bible views natural man and the Christian from six perspectives. In the following, I’ll focus on the Christian from those six perspectives.

Who we are—our identity as “Christian”—is not determined by our beliefs or behavior, but by three absolute or unchangeable realities:

1. Positionally, the Christian exists in two realms. In the spiritual realm the Christian is seated with Jesus Christ in the “heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6); in the material realm the Christian is obviously in the world, though Jesus said you are not “of the world” (John 17:16). This can be referred to as “positional identity.”

2. Relationally, the Christian has been rescued out of spiritual darkness and old spiritual relationship with Adam, Satan, sin, the world, and the law; and, by virtue of being “in Christ,” is placed into spiritual light and new spiritual relationship with God, God’s love, God’s kingdom, God’s grace, and the body of Christ, the Church. This can be referred to as “relational identity.”

3. Ontologically (state of being), the Christian has experienced death as an “old man” “in Adam” through co-crucifixion with Christ, and has been “born again” through co-resurrection with Christ into newness of life as a new-hearted, new creature or “new man” “in Christ.” This can be referred to as “ontological identity.”

Those positional, relational, and ontological realities have this in common: They are absolute—unchangeable and everlasting; they are three interconnected aspects of a whole that constitute what a Christian is.

Do they apply to Obama? There is no way any of us can know for certain. And if Obama is a Christian, he might not know those realities about himself. How many Christians do?

Now, let’s turn our attention to the other three biblical perspectives of man—those which are variable: the conditional, functional, and behavioral. None of these is conclusive proof whether a person is a Christian.

4. Conditionally, the Christian has either a divided heart or a united heart. I frequently refer to the Christian with a divided heart as a “half-hearted” Christian because this believer’s soul chamber-part is not synchronized with the spirit chamber-part. The Bible refers to the Christian with a united heart as one with a “whole heart” because the soul, spirit and indwelling Spirit of Christ are in unison and function as a whole.

In many ways, the half-hearted condition of a Christian can resemble the condition of the unregenerate heart of the non-believer.

5. Functionally, the Christian either is “soulical” or “spiritual,” which means this person functions primarily out of his soul (mind, emotion, and will) or out of his united soul and spirit, and in harmony with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The half-hearted or flesh-like functionality of a Christian can resemble the fleshly functionality of the non-believer.

6. Behaviorally, the Christian either “walks” or lives according to the divided-heart ways of the “flesh” (flesh-like soul, which functions independently of the spirit and Holy Spirit) or in the ways of the united heart and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The half-hearted or flesh-like behavior of a Christian can resemble the fleshly behavior of the non-believer.

So, Obama either is an authentic Christian or a false Christian—a CINO (Christian In Name Only). If he is an authentic Christian, we would expect him to express beliefs and behave in ways more consistent with biblical doctrine, though that might not be necessarily evident in an immature or Half-Hearted Christian. If, on the other hand, Obama is masquerading as a Christian—is a CINO, we would expect a man of his apparent intellect and political savvy to do a better job of pretending.

In his own words
Since we cannot know for certain whether Obama is a Christian, we are left to assess his behavior and his own words—his writings and comments in interviews. But what is so confusing and even disconcerting to some is that Obama answers to “Are you a Christian?” with a direct “yes,” but also indirectly answers with many “no’s.” That is to say his own words and behavior seem to contradict his claim to be a Christian—by biblical definition—because he rejects certain essential truths of Scripture.

If you will search for “Is Obama a Christian?” on the internet, you’ll find an abundance of sites and blogs to consult, many of which quote Obama in his own words.

You may not find anything conclusive; however, the research will help you stay abreast of the ongoing debate. And it might help you better understand Obama, his policies and behavior.

For further reading on this site:

The Christian's New Heart

The Ways of the Heart

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©Copyright AD2010 Frank Allnutt. All rights reserved. Content herein may be quoted, subject to the "fair use" doctrine of U.S. Copyright Law.

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