2006-06-28 Call to Renewal Keynote Address

2006-06-28 Barack Obama Barack Obama \Call to Renewal\Barack Obama/writings\Barack Obama/religion http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/ 'Call to Renewal' Keynote Address Call to Renewal Keynote Address Indeed, Mr. Keyes announced towards the end of the campaign that, "Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama. Christ would not vote for Barack Obama because Barack Obama has behaved in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved."

Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama.

Now, I was urged by some of my liberal supporters not to take this statement seriously, to essentially ignore it. To them, Mr. Keyes was an extremist, and his arguments not worth entertaining. And since at the time, I was up 40 points in the polls, it probably wasn't a bad piece of strategic advice.

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But Mr. Keyes's implicit accusation that I was not a true Christian nagged at me, and I was also aware that my answer did not adequately address the role my faith has in guiding my own values and my own beliefs.

Barack Obama reflects on the statement by former opponent Alan Keys that "Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama", which his liberal supporters urged him not to take seriously.   