Is Obama What Evangelicals Are Looking For?

Evangelicals are struggling this election season. Their last great hope for a candidate with rigid immutable ideology rooted in biblical theology faded with Huckabee’s campaign. Or did it? Barack Obama is allegedly (if the hype is to be believed) a student of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., a bible thumper if ever there was a bible thumped . Wright is a firebrand, a follower of Black Liberation Theology, he has a biased view of the world, and is convinced the bible speaks uniquely to his people. He divides the world theologically into us vs. them. There is good, there is evil, and he and his followers are on the side of good.

This should be music to the evangelicals’ ears. This is their tune, and on the one hand you might expect them to be dancing (non suggestively at a respectful distance of course). They can’t seem to get behind McCain, so why aren’t they flocking to Obama. After all, Obama was in need of some religious street cred to abate the rumors of his being a secret Muslim. What could be more advantageous than allegations that he is a devout follower of a pulpit pounding fire and brimstone guy like Rev. Wright?

But obviously the Evangelical crowd has yet to embrace their new candidate, and is pretty clearly unlikely to do so. Why? Well, the tune may be the same, but the words are all different. Black Liberation Theology speaks to unenlightened and disenfranchised Blacks. While the Evangelical right wing speaks to unenlightened and disenfranchised Whites. Two very different audiences. Two very different messages. Ironically (as if this travesty needs more irony), they are wielding the same bibles each somewhat indirectly condemning the other.

Yup… good thing that whole racism thing is over.