In a January 2008 interview with Christianity Today, Obama said, “I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful…. Accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and my values and my ideals.”

 

Whitehead notes Obama took over the Oval Office “proclaiming hope and change and a personal adherence to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who preached a message of peace, love and nonviolence.” But instead of discarding the militaristic foreign policy of George W. Bush, Obama has continued to march American soldiers around the world.

 

Under Obama, the government has the largest war budget since World War II, claims Whitehead, who says the combined cost of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars have now surpassed the $1 trillion mark.

 

“Obama’s war machine is wreaking havoc far and wide on communities and families devastated by mounting military and civilian casualties, on the already faltering economy, and on America’s once-noble standing in the world,” he writes.

 

Whitehead adds: “Halfway through his four-year term in office, it is increasingly clear that Obama’s presidential priorities are being dictated by war hawks rather than the principles of Jesus.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Obama and War: What Would Jesus Do? (by John W. Whitehead, Rutherford Institute)