Christian leaders meet privately with Obama

[TitanTiger 20,511]

CHICAGO - Barack Obama discussed Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and other issues Tuesday with Christian leaders, including conservatives who have been criticized for praising the Democratic presidential candidate.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, a prominent black clergyman who heads a Dallas megachurch, said Obama took questions, listened to participants and discussed his "personal journey of faith."

The discussion "went absolutely everywhere," Jakes told The Associated Press, and "just about every Christian stripe was represented in that room."

Jakes, who does not endorse candidates and said he also hopes to meet with Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said some participants clearly have political differences with Obama. The senator's support for abortion rights and gay rights, among other issues, draws opposition from religious conservatives. Some conservatives have criticized Jakes for praising Obama.

Jakes said the meeting, at a law firm's offices, seemed designed to prompt a wide discussion rather than to result in commitments from either Obama or those attending. Others familiar with the meeting said some participants agreed to attend only because it would be private.

Rich Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella organization for evangelical churches and ministries, said Obama asked participants to share "anything that's on your mind that is of concern to you."

"I think it's important to point out this isn't a group of people who are endorsing Obama," Cizik said in an interview. "People were asked for their insider wisdom and understanding of the religious community."

Joshua Dubois, the Obama campaign's director of faith outreach, said the meeting included "prominent evangelicals and other faith leaders" who "discussed policy issues and came together in conversation and prayer." Similar sessions will occur "in the months to come," he said.

About 30 people attended, the campaign said, but it released only three names: the Rev. Stephen Thurston, head of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., a historically black denomination; the Rev. T. Dewitt Smith, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., which was home to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders; and Bishop Phillip Robert Cousin Sr., an A.M.E. clergyman and former NAACP board member.

Two sources familiar with the meeting, but who spoke on background because the session was private, said others attending included conservative Catholic constitutional lawyer Doug Kmiec; evangelical author Max Lucado of San Antonio; Cameron Strang, founder of Relevant Media, which is aimed at young Christians; the Rev. Luis Cortes of Esperanza USA; and Paul Corts, president of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities.

Kmiec, an abortion opponent who worked for the Reagan administration's Justice Department, was denied Communion in April at a Mass for Catholic business people because he had endorsed Obama. Church leaders later apologized, according to syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne.

Cizik said the issues discussed Tuesday included "protecting the traditional family, same-sex marriage, gay rights, religious freedom, genocide, poverty and hunger in America, and how we might even improve America's standing in the world."

He said he told Obama: "Religious Americans want to know why is it you love this country and what it stands for and how we can make it better."

Cizik said participants agreed not to give specifics of Obama's responses to their questions, but that "there was nothing softball about this meeting and that's the way he said he wanted it."

Jakes said there was only a brief mention of Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, who became the focus of a political flare-up earlier in the year after videos of his sermons showed him cursing the government and accusing it of conspiring against blacks. Obama eventually broke with Wright and resigned from Trinity United Church of Christ.

In a recent posting on his Web site, Jakes said he was surprised by the criticism he received after he wrote about the pride he and his son felt in Obama becoming the first black presidential nominee of a major political party.

"I would have thought that my statement, which said and I quote: 'I hope that we can somehow merge the best ideas of our differences and emerge with a president who epitomizes our highest and best ideals' would have been enough to make clear that I had not endorsed anyone," Jakes wrote. "Evidently it wasn't completely clear and for that I apologize."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080611/ap_on_...bama_religion_3

I hope that what he heard from these guys challenged him and perhaps will be reflected in some of his views. Regardless, I think this took some guts. He knew walking it it wasn't going to be a crowd receptive to him for a variety of reasons. He told them to say whatever was on their minds and concerned them and didn't want it to be a softball question session. And while I'd love to eventually know what was said, I understand it being private. I imagine the discussion was a lot more frank and honest that way.

Good for him. I can't remember or even imagine a Democratic candidate on the national level demonstrating that they give a flip what Christians think about their views.

[TexasTiger 13,028]

A good move on his part. This is consistent with his approach of being able to respectively dialogue with folks of varying views.

CHICAGO - Barack Obama discussed Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and other issues Tuesday with Christian leaders, including conservatives who have been criticized for praising the Democratic presidential candidate.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, a prominent black clergyman who heads a Dallas megachurch, said Obama took questions, listened to participants and discussed his "personal journey of faith."

The discussion "went absolutely everywhere," Jakes told The Associated Press, and "just about every Christian stripe was represented in that room."

Jakes, who does not endorse candidates and said he also hopes to meet with Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said some participants clearly have political differences with Obama. The senator's support for abortion rights and gay rights, among other issues, draws opposition from religious conservatives. Some conservatives have criticized Jakes for praising Obama.

Jakes said the meeting, at a law firm's offices, seemed designed to prompt a wide discussion rather than to result in commitments from either Obama or those attending. Others familiar with the meeting said some participants agreed to attend only because it would be private.

Rich Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella organization for evangelical churches and ministries, said Obama asked participants to share "anything that's on your mind that is of concern to you."

"I think it's important to point out this isn't a group of people who are endorsing Obama," Cizik said in an interview. "People were asked for their insider wisdom and understanding of the religious community."

Joshua Dubois, the Obama campaign's director of faith outreach, said the meeting included "prominent evangelicals and other faith leaders" who "discussed policy issues and came together in conversation and prayer." Similar sessions will occur "in the months to come," he said.

About 30 people attended, the campaign said, but it released only three names: the Rev. Stephen Thurston, head of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., a historically black denomination; the Rev. T. Dewitt Smith, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., which was home to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders; and Bishop Phillip Robert Cousin Sr., an A.M.E. clergyman and former NAACP board member.

Two sources familiar with the meeting, but who spoke on background because the session was private, said others attending included conservative Catholic constitutional lawyer Doug Kmiec; evangelical author Max Lucado of San Antonio; Cameron Strang, founder of Relevant Media, which is aimed at young Christians; the Rev. Luis Cortes of Esperanza USA; and Paul Corts, president of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities.

Kmiec, an abortion opponent who worked for the Reagan administration's Justice Department, was denied Communion in April at a Mass for Catholic business people because he had endorsed Obama. Church leaders later apologized, according to syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne.

Cizik said the issues discussed Tuesday included "protecting the traditional family, same-sex marriage, gay rights, religious freedom, genocide, poverty and hunger in America, and how we might even improve America's standing in the world."

He said he told Obama: "Religious Americans want to know why is it you love this country and what it stands for and how we can make it better."

Cizik said participants agreed not to give specifics of Obama's responses to their questions, but that "there was nothing softball about this meeting and that's the way he said he wanted it."

Jakes said there was only a brief mention of Jeremiah Wright, Obama's former pastor, who became the focus of a political flare-up earlier in the year after videos of his sermons showed him cursing the government and accusing it of conspiring against blacks. Obama eventually broke with Wright and resigned from Trinity United Church of Christ.

In a recent posting on his Web site, Jakes said he was surprised by the criticism he received after he wrote about the pride he and his son felt in Obama becoming the first black presidential nominee of a major political party.

"I would have thought that my statement, which said and I quote: 'I hope that we can somehow merge the best ideas of our differences and emerge with a president who epitomizes our highest and best ideals' would have been enough to make clear that I had not endorsed anyone," Jakes wrote. "Evidently it wasn't completely clear and for that I apologize."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080611/ap_on_...bama_religion_3

I hope that what he heard from these guys challenged him and perhaps will be reflected in some of his views. Regardless, I think this took some guts. He knew walking it it wasn't going to be a crowd receptive to him for a variety of reasons. He told them to say whatever was on their minds and concerned them and didn't want it to be a softball question session. And while I'd love to eventually know what was said, I understand it being private. I imagine the discussion was a lot more frank and honest that way.

Good for him. I can't remember or even imagine a Democratic candidate on the national level demonstrating that they give a flip what Christians think about their views.

[RunInRed 16,492]

Obama has always had religious connections, talked about faith, and directly invited, listened to and has been open to people of faiths concerns. A lot of his campaign win here in Alabama was based on church organizations and their ability to help him get out the vote. When I saw him at Bartow Arena after Super Tuesday, you would not believe the church organizations that were there.

Ironically, some of his religious outreach and ties have come back to hurt him. Still, and even though I am a huge advocate for separation of church and state, I think this was another great move by the Senator.

[Tigermike 3,055]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I think this was another great move by the Senator.

Just so we will know the next time it comes up, what move could Obama make that you would not consider great?