When, in the throes of his presidential bid, Barack Obama cast off his controversial pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his campaign advisers began soliciting for more acceptable replacements. There was no shortage of willing applicants. In a provocative essay called “The Inner Ring,” C.S. Lewis suggested why that might be so: “I believe that in all men’s lives at certain periods . . . one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring, and the terror of being left outside.” President Obama has recruited several Christian leaders to join one of the world’s most exclusive inner rings, the presidential prayer team.
As reported over the weekend by the New York Times, Obama has carefully cultivated relationships with at least five influential ministers–all described as evangelical “centrists”–for private sessions of prayer and occasional political advice. There is nothing unusual about American presidents seeking spiritual support and counsel. For his part, President Obama has made a point of denouncing the abuse of religion for political gain. Yet given the roster of the anointed, and the Obama record on religion thus far, the temptation to manipulate faith for partisan ends is likely to prove irresistible.
