Christians in general exhibit a disturbing dissonance between biblical principle and personal behavior. 4/5 of Americans consider themselves to be Christian, but I can’t really see the situation as 4/5 of America being the immaculate ideal of the City on a Hill, and then it’s just the other 1/5 that’s dragging us down. The sex industry (including Hollywood) could not endure as it has with 80% of people being holding to Christian ideals. Obviously 8% of our GDP does not voluntarily go to helping the poor and supporting the church. My own experience is that the person we would indisputably consider a “real” Christian is a quite rare sight, even among those who subscribe to pretexts of church and charity. (there are plenty of selfish, non-spiritual reasons even just to be nice or to go to church...)
Undoubtedly, Obama has played up his faith as a political expedient, and I believe I remember reading that he had stopped going to church and was instead ‘working out’ now that he has been elected, which I think clearly indicates either that he was not constantly praying about and did not attribute his election victory to God, or else is just very ungrateful. Typically, religious people exhibit spikes of devotion after being delivered into something great for which they had been petitioning.
But as for the actual absolute determination of whether Obama is a Christian, that is utterly between him and God. We could guess but never know, and who are we ‘to judge another’s servant’?
I think it is appropriate to (constructively) point out where Obama deviates from Christian principle, and where his faith could use more strength, but not simply to assert that he is not a’real Christian’, as long as his own words indicate that he believes Christ to be the messiah.
And, in so much as we do (constructively) point out these failings, I hope we are ourselves setting an appropriate standard, which includes being generous, kind, and loving at every opportunity. Because, really, the worst thing Christianity has going for it right now is when people set these standards for a ‘real Christian’ implying rights to the label, then go out lie, gossip, say malicious things, sleep around, are stingy with charity or even tips, etc., and water down the value of the label.
and which Christ would that be?