The Faith of Barack Obama

The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield is one of a host of books that hit the market in this election season, capitalizing on this year’s fascinating candidates. Mansfield has been a prolific writer in the last decade, writing about history, politics and faith, and particularly their overlap. Having written The Faith of George W. Bush Mansfield has direct experience with this type of writing and analysis, and that is well demonstrated. The Faith of Barack Obama is well-written and provides a solid overview of Obama’s life and faith.

The biographical element of the book focuses on Obama’s early life, until he visited Jeremiah Wright’s church as a young community organizer. If you are looking for sweet anecdotes about his wife and children, you won’t find many. This element does credibly explain why Obama is not, and was never really, a Muslim. It also provides insight into how his character was shaped by the influencial figures of his mother and grandparents while detailing his exotic childhood.

The firestorm over his controversial nature has died down now, but the character and background Rev. Jeremiah Wright is explained in this book in ways that readers unfamiliar with the black liberation theology movement will find accessible and informative. This also helps to inform some of Obama’s theology but Mansfield is careful to draw distinctions between what Wright and Obama believe. Drawing heavily on what Obama has written and said about his faith, Mansfield helps readers to navigate and understand his beliefs on central tenets of doctrine.

Overall, I found the book fair, balanced and easy to read. As a self-proclaimed religious studies nerd, I was disappointed Mansfield didn’t plunge deeper, most of the material was not new to those who have followed Obama’s meteoric rise, even from a distance. It was obvious that he was unable to speak with Obama personally, which I believe would have enhanced the book as well. The book was also short, and there was a good deal of space that talked about the faith of others who loom large in the 2008 election (George W. Bush, Hilary Clinton & John McCain.) However, for those less familiar with Obama and the traditions of faith that he has drawn from, I think it would be a worthwhile read.

**I accepted an invitation by Thomas Nelson to review The Faith of Barack Obama in exchange for a free copy. **