Barack Obama
Graphic of the Week | The State of the Union: Divided
By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux — February 8, 2013
Less than a week before President Obama addresses Congress in his fourth State of the Union speech, our weekly graphic shows a divided nation on many of the issues that Obama is likely to address.
DuBois leaving White House faith-based post
By Lauren Markoe — February 7, 2013
(RNS) President Obama opened the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday (Feb. 7) with the news that Joshua DuBois, head of the White House office focused on the intersection of religion and public policy, will step down this week.
READ: Obama’s remarks at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast
By Daniel Burke — February 7, 2013
(RNS) President Obama addressed the National Prayer Breakfast this morning in Washington.
The GOP’s Conservative Conundrum
By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux — February 6, 2013
PRRI Research Director Daniel Cox explores the role that the GOP's close association with the Christian Right may have played among American Jews in the 2012 election:
Obama fails to win over religious conservatives on contraception mandate
By Jonathan Merritt — February 5, 2013
When the Obama administration announced mandatory coverage of contraceptives in January of last year as part of sweeping healthcare reform, religious conservatives were incensed. Roman Catholics were angry because the church prohibits use of birth control, even though most congregants ignore the teaching. Evangelicals were upset because religious non-profits were not exempt from the mandate, which […]
Will Bipartisan Senate Proposal Find Support in the House?
By Juhem Navarro-Rivera — February 1, 2013
How will the Republican-controlled House of Representatives tackle immigration reform, given the sharp partisan divides on the issue?
Preachers pray for unity at National Cathedral inaugural service
By Adelle M. Banks — January 22, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama started his second term with a traditional worship service and a challenge to work towards healing the nation’s divides.
Why Obama is not the fulfillment of Martin’s Dream
By Omid Safi — January 21, 2013
No, Brother Obama, that talented, charismatic, and eloquent speaker, is not yet the fulfillment of Brother Martin’s dream.
Obama extols a biblical vision of equality for all in second inaugural
By David Gibson — January 21, 2013
(RNS) A presidential inauguration is by tradition the grandest ritual of America’s civil religion, but President Obama took the oath of office on Monday (Jan. 21) in a ceremony that was explicit in joining theology to the nation’s destiny and setting out a biblical vision of equality that includes race, gender, class, and, most controversially, sexual orientation.
‘So help me God’ isn’t in official presidential oath
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — January 18, 2013
(RNS) When President Obama rests his hand on two historic Bibles to take his second-term oath of office Monday, he'll add a phrase not mentioned in the Constitution: "So help me God." But the Almighty's role on the Capitol steps is a controversial one. By Cathy Lynn Grossman.
RNS EXCLUSIVE: Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton to preach at inaugural National Prayer Service
By Daniel Burke — January 18, 2013
(RNS) The Rev. Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor from Kansas known for his centrist views, will deliver the sermon at the National Prayer Service Tuesday at Washington National Cathedral, which concludes President Obama's inaugural ceremonies. By Daniel Burke.
Mr. President, leave your Bibles at home
By A. James Rudin — January 17, 2013
(RNS) It's the constitutionally mandated oath of office, not the pair of historic Bibles, that is both necessary and sufficient for President Obama to begin his second term. Linking that oath to any religious text does not add to its efficacy. By A. James Rudin.
Obama’s use of Scripture echoes Lincoln, King
By Daniel Burke — January 16, 2013
(RNS) President Obama will take oath of office on Bibles that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Obama's own use of Scripture echoes his two heroes. By Daniel Burke.
Obama’s Religious Freedom Day Proclamation
By Daniel Burke — January 16, 2013
(RNS) President Obama's official proclamation for Religious Freedom Day.
Fewer Americans view homosexuality as a sin
By David Gibson — January 10, 2013
(RNS) Americans' acceptance of gays and lesbians is continuing to grow, with a new poll showing that just over a third of Americans view homosexuality as a sin, down from 44 percent a year earlier. By David Gibson.
