Obama’s Matthew Moment « The Washington Independent
Jul 31, 2020160.2K Shares2.1M Views
"Looking over your life," pastor Rick Warren asked Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday, "what would be [...] the greatest moral failure in your life, and what would be the greatest moral failure of America?"
Warren poses tough questions, and with a "purpose-driven" following topping 400,000 people, both presidential candidates felt the pressure to give responsive answers. The likely Democratic nominee responded by discussing a young "phase" of selfishness in his own life, and then quoted the book of Matthew to outline America’s moral failing (25:40). Religious political discourse can often be trying, but Obama’s answers seemed thoughtful and heartfelt. "We still don’t abide by that basic precept in Matthew," Obama said, "that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." This comment brought two interruptions. First, Warren interjected to complete Obama’s thought by adding his own "you do for me"; then the crowd burst into applause. Obama went on to cite the biblical maxim as a guide for (presumably progressive) approaches to poverty, racism, sexism and building better "ladders of opportunity" for Americans to enter the middle class. The answer seemed to please Warren and his audience.
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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