Obama, Lincoln & Niebuhr

There are numerous defenders of President Obama’s prayer breakfast appeal for Christians to not “get on our high horse” about criticizing Islamic violence and to recall the Crusades, Inquisition and American racial segregation. These defenders seem not to understand that most critics of the speech are not disputing wickedness by Christians but are concerned about the context, timing, and implications of such comments, especially in the present conflict with ISIS.

Some defenders have likened Obama’s speech to appeals by Abraham Lincoln and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr for national modesty, especially in time of war, without fully considering their different context, timing and tone.

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