In this final installment of my review series, I wanted to briefly examine the final two chapters, "Four Faces of Faith" and "A Time to Heal," and then try to sum up what I learned from the book, about Barack Obama and about the difficulties of discussing topics like "faith."

The penultimate chapter delves beyond the book's title and offers a brief caricature of the faiths of three of the other key players in the current political arena: John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush.

McCain is portrayed as the poster child of the faith of a bygone era, a faith uncomfortable speaking of itself, a faith, molded by its unique locus in American history, that "came to understand religion as the power behind character, as the fuel of right behavior." Hillary's faith, according to Mansfield, is the product of a number of intersecting factors: Her Methodist upbringing, the influence of an ultra-liberal youth minister, and her infamous marital experiences, culminating in the spiritual journey she underwent in order to survive.

The most unflattering picture, though, is reserved for George W. It is the picture of a man who had very little indication of a genuine faith for the better part of his life, a man fighting the demons associated with trying to live up to his namesake. It is the picture of a man who's "discipleship" began with an Osteen-esque invitation to "say a little prayer and accept Jesus into your heart." It is the picture of a man whose mommy had to call over the most renowned evangelist in the world (Billy Graham) to the house in hopes that he might help little Georgy find his way, a visit where our president "was humbled to learn that God sent His Son to die for a sinner like me." A few years later, after God had led him to a position as owner of the Texas Rangers, George felt like God was calling him to a higher duty: "I feel like God wants me to run for president."

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Mansfield concludes the book by talking about "healing," and by discussing a society yearning for it. This from the final chapter of a book about Barack Obama. It's a fitting culmination of what I noticed early on to be a messianic undercurrent to the narrative as a whole. Mansfield does not expressly say that Obama is the one who will bring about that healing. No. He is more subtle: "Obama is more significant for who he is than for what he does politically. Whether or not he wins his party's nomination and the presidency, Obama is meaningful to our time for what he represents."

I couldn't agree more.

So what did I learn from this book?

About Barack Obama and his faith, truth be told, it's tough to say. His views on hot-button issues are already quite public. I actually learned more about the faith of Jeremiah Wright than I did of Barack Obama. But here's the thing. The book will not give you merely an instant Polaroid of Obama's faith, and I think that's where its true value lies. Mansfield is painting a picture, one that is framed by an accurate encapsulation of faith and politics in America today. It is within that frame that the picture of Obama and his faith is drawn. And it is that lovely compatibility of frame and portrait that I found so appealing about the book.

About trying to describe a man's faith, even a man as public and open as Obama, I learned (or rather, I reinforced my belief that) such a task is like trying to describe how or why you love your wife, or your kids, or God. Yes, one can point to facts, clues, influences, evidences and testimonies. But at the end of the day, as I said in the introduction to this series, "No one knows the faith in a person's heart except that person and God, and often times, not even the former."

But this man is different. This man claims he wants to lead us, and to lead us in a very particular direction. To that extent, we should seek to discover, by facts, clues, influences, etc., all that we can about the faith of Barack Obama. And Mansfield does about as good a job in helping us do so as can be expected.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi


**Previous Posts in this Series:

The Faith of Barack Obama: An Introduction to a Book Review Series

The Faith of Barack Obama: A Review Series (Day 1) -- A Double Prologue

The Faith of Barack Obama: A Review Series (Day 2) -- A Balanced Look at Trinity United?

The Faith of Barack Obama: A Review Series (Day 3) -- A Public, Postmodern God?