One of the wonderful things about being a blogger is that every once in a while someone wants you to review something. Or you get opportunities you normally won’t have. I don’t blog because I want to become a rich man, although money is something you can’t without in our Western Society. If you don’t have money you can’t provide your family with the basic needs of life like eating, drinking and clothing. Let alone education and healthcare.
A couple of weeks ago I read a tweet from Michael Hyatt where he announced that the first 100 bloggers to respond would get a free copy of the new book by Stephen Mansfield on the Faith of Barack Obama. I follow Michael Hyatt on Twitter and have read his blog post about the book. I am living in Europe but American politics have had my interest for a long time. There have been times in my life I seriously wanted to move to the US. Being a husband and dad of five wonderful children makes that to sheer impossible journey. But I still have a genuine interest in the history of the US. I also follow the news on what is happening across the pond.
The 2008 election campaign is something not easy to miss. Even here in the Netherlands during the Clinton and Obama battle news has been dominated by these events. For us here it is sometimes hard to understand and grasp what all the fuss is about. So I already had this book on my To Read list. So when the tweet came by, I was online and was amongst the first 100.
The faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield has clearly helped me getting a better understanding of what is going on in the US right now. If Barack Obama will become president of the US, it will be in more than one way a big change in US history. Not only because of the color of his skin but also his outspoken religious left standpoint will be new. The problem is that not everybody will have that in mind. It was a pleasure reading the book. Stephen Mansfield has succeeded in giving a nice and comprehensive overview of a big part of the political issues that are surrounding the election this year.
It is my opinion that especially those voters that want their christian worldview to be reflected in their president should read this book. As I write this McCain is in the lead in the polls. My fair guess after reading this book is that it is still too early for Obama to be able to win this election. I personally think that in the end most American citizens will choose for McCain because the America Obama stands for is still to come.
On The faith of Barack Obama, written by Stephen Mansfield, Thomas Nelson 2008, ISBN 978-5955-5250-1.
