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OK, I am not an Obama fan, and looked closely at what was publicly available about his profession of faith. Until now I have not believed that we shared the fellowship of those who profess belief in Jesus of Nazareth, the risen Christ. Having read and watched the remarks, I now believe otherwise.

1) He calls himself particularly blessed to welcome Christians as brothers and sisters (distinguishing the visits from non-Messianic Jews and Muslims).

2) He calls Jesus Lord and Savior. He calls Him the risen Savior.

3) He acknowledges that the promise of the Resurrection is a call to action.

4) He calls the day of celebrating His Resurrection a holy day.

5) He speaks of Jesus’ sacrifice as a historical fact, following the narrative of the Gospels.

6) He specifically mentions the Word of God speaking to him.

7) He confesses the sins of selfishness and pride.

8) He professes the redeeming power of hope in the Resurrection.

9) He quotes the prophet Micah, who, of course prophesied that Jesus would be born in Nazareth.

Could he have said more? Sure, but many Christians would have been uncomfortable saying even what he said.

Could he have been lying? Sure, but that is between him and God.

Are we to hold him accountable? Yes, as brothers and sisters, of course. But encourage him as well - not in the things he does wrong, but in the things he does right.

But I will no longer say he does not profess the risen Christ.

Read for yourself:

“One of my hopes upon taking this office was to make the White House a place where all people would feel welcome. To that end, we held a Seder here to mark the first Passover. We held an Iftar here with Muslim Americans to break the daily fast during Ramadan. And today, I’m particularly blessed to welcome you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for this Easter breakfast.

With us are Christian leaders from all across America, men and women who lead small-town churches and big-city congregations, and major organizations in service of others; folks whose sermons are heard and whose examples are followed by millions all across the country. So I wanted to join you for a brief moment today to continue the Easter celebration of our risen Savior, and to reflect on the work to which His promise calls all of us.

I can’t tell any of you anything about Easter that you don’t already know. I can’t shed light on centuries of scriptural interpretation or bring any new understandings to those of you who reflect on Easter’s meaning each and every year and each and every day. But what I can do is tell you what draws me to this holy day and what lesson I take from Christ’s sacrifice and what inspires me about the story of the resurrection.

For even after the passage of 2,000 years, we can still picture the moment in our mind’s eye. The young man from Nazareth marched through Jerusalem; object of scorn and derision and abuse and torture by an empire. The agony of crucifixion amid the cries of thieves. The discovery, just three days later, that would forever alter our world — that the Son of Man was not to be found in His tomb and that Jesus Christ had risen.

We are awed by the grace He showed even to those who would have killed Him. We are thankful for the sacrifice He gave for the sins of humanity. And we glory in the promise of redemption in the resurrection.

And such a promise is one of life’s great blessings, because, as I am continually learning, we are, each of us, imperfect. Each of us errs — by accident or by design. Each of us falls short of how we ought to live. And selfishness and pride are vices that afflict us all.

It’s not easy to purge these afflictions, to achieve redemption. But as Christians, we believe that redemption can be delivered — by faith in Jesus Christ. And the possibility of redemption can make straight the crookedness of a character; make whole the incompleteness of a soul. Redemption makes life, however fleeting here on Earth, resound with eternal hope.

Of all the stories passed down through the gospels, this one in particular speaks to me during this season. And I think of hanging — watching Christ hang from the cross, enduring the final seconds of His passion. He summoned what remained of His strength to utter a few last words before He breathed His last breath.

“Father,” He said, “into your hands I commit my spirit.” Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. These words were spoken by our Lord and Savior, but they can just as truly be spoken by every one of us here today. Their meaning can just as truly be lived out by all of God’s children.

So, on this day, let us commit our spirit to the pursuit of a life that is true, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord. And when we falter, as we will, let redemption — through commitment and through perseverance and through faith — be our abiding hope and fervent prayer.”