Breakfast with obama

By Terry Wynn

On February 4th, as on the first Thursday of that month since 1953, Washington held one of its big political gatherings, the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB).

Only the palatial ballroom of the Washington Hilton can house the 3,800 guests from 180 countries, mostly Christian but with representatives of all faiths. In fact when Senator Ron Wyden read from the Old Testament he spoke of reading from the second book of the Torah, which was something of a giveaway to his faith.

It’s a great occasion and one that I have attended a couple of times in the past. Last year, along with it being the President’s first public engagement, the main speaker was Tony Blair. This year it was Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

The first time that I went it killed a lot of myths about faith and politics in the USA. The main one being that it isn’t all right wing. Barack Obama and his election team knew this and successfully tapped into the faith communities to gain the majority vote without espousing attacks on the usual suspects.

Whilst Hilary was the main speaker, the President also spoke and he really is as good you imagine. Here is a Christian who “does do God”, without ramming it down anyone’s throat. Who speaks with the reasoned voice that many Christians want to hear, instead of the condemnatory, judgemental bile that they have been used to from many leading figures.

Can you imagine any British politician saying “I'm privileged to join you once again, as my predecessors have for over half a century. Like them, I come here to speak about the ways my faith informs who I am -- as a President, and as a person. But I'm also here for the same reason that all of you are, for we all share a recognition -- one as old as time -- that a willingness to believe, an openness to grace, a commitment to prayer can bring sustenance to our lives.”

He came to faith during his time in Chicago through Black Liberation Theology, which he touches on in his book, “The Audacity of Hope” and which a BBC documentary recently expanded on. It’s a living faith, one that is active and one that has no reason to be hidden.

What would the British media make of a PM or MP who said “There is, of course, a need for prayer even in times of joy and peace and prosperity. Perhaps especially in such times prayer is needed -- to guard against pride and to guard against complacency. But rightly or wrongly, most of us are inclined to seek out the divine not in the moment when the Lord makes His face shine upon us, but in moments when God's grace can seem farthest away.”

When speaking of the broken politics that is now engulfing the US, he touched on the need for reconciliation. I particularly liked, “We may disagree about the best way to reform our health care system, but surely we can agree that no one ought to go broke when they get sick in the richest nation on Earth. We can take different approaches to ending inequality, but surely we can agree on the need to lift our children out of ignorance; to lift our neighbors from poverty. We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are -- whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.”

Friends were telling me of his most recent engagement, when he had attended the Republican Caucas meeting, held in Baltimore. This is like Gordon Brown speaking to the Tory Parliamentry Group. He wanted to have a genuine Question Time event where the opposition could ask him what they wanted. I’m imformed that he was so good that it is unlikely that the GOP will ever want to do it again.

They really don’t like him and have to find different ways to attack him, especially on issues like abortion. But he is indeed resolute.

Which makes me wonder how he would perform in British politics, would he be able to overcome the slings and arrows of a sceptical, arrogant media when he says,”… progress doesn't come when we demonize opponents. It's not born in righteous spite. Progress comes when we open our hearts, when we extend our hands, when we recognize our common humanity. Progress comes when we look into the eyes of another and see the face of God. That we might do so -- that we will do so all the time, not just some of the time -- is my fervent prayer for our nation and the world.”
He’s a Christian Socialist, of that there is no doubt. Although you wouldn’t want to say that when trying to gain support for him.

The NPB states in its invitation that it is about crossing boundaries of race, nationality and political party to unite global leaders in efforts to embrace and enhance the moral and spiritual fabric of our lives. With the hope that it can bring spitual sustenance throughout the coming year. It certainly lifted me.

As does the European Prayer Breakfast, which is held in the European Parliament normally in December. It has steadily grown over the past decade and numbers its attendees in hundreds rather than the thousands they have in Washington.

Now here’s a question. Should it be the task of CSM to plant the seeds of something similar to enable us to enhance the moral and spiritual fabric of people’s lives in the UK? How can we help build on the Westminster Prayer Breakfast?

As Paul said in his first letter to Timothy (ch2:1-2) “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Terry Wynn, 24/03/2010