Political Punch

Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

« Previous | Main | Next »

Obama Hears Church Sermon About Humility

August 24, 2008 1:41 PM

This morning at the First Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wis., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., heard a sermon about humility.

Pastor John Kerr sermonized for the congregation -- Obama sitting on the aisle in the fourth row -- about Romans 12:1-8 and the importance of being humble.

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather, think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you," reads the text. "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

In his 13-minute sermon, Kerr said it was important not to become "cocky" because one is a good singer or public speaker. The apostle urges his readers, Kerr said, "not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think."

- jpt

August 24, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (90)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Humility is not a word in the great Obama's vocabulary! He is so full of himself and runs his campaign like a dictator! I hope he loses big time in November for all of the people he insulted and put down this past year. But even losing wouldn't deflate that giant ego of his!

Posted by: Mary Anne | Aug 25, 2008 3:32:48 PM

Obama hears sermon about humility and John McCain hear a sermon about the McCains affair. I'm sure that McCain was uncomfortable.. He and the mistress that he married sitting in church listening and watching John McCain answer to Rick Warren question about his moral failure. .. McCain marriage didn't fail..McCain having an illicit with Cindy caused his marriage to fail.

Posted by: joe | Aug 25, 2008 1:18:59 PM

Good advice on sober judgment ... after he needs it badly ...more than humility.

BHO = 47%
JSC = 47%

Looks like dead heat to me !

Posted by: Honey, I shrunk the lead | Aug 25, 2008 11:44:31 AM

America's Moral Issue.

There is no "whites only" sign at door of the Whitehouse, or is there?

As I read the vile that comes from the hearts and mouths of some of the commenters on this blog as it speaks against a good man with the right judgment for president, who just happens to be of color, it makes me realize that America's moral standing has a long way to go. Years ago, it was the police batons, savage dogs, angry lynch mobs, fire hoses, beat downs with whips and chains, that stood in the way for the pursuit of happiness. All this was being played out during the Cold War, from Moscow, to Paris, to Beijing, all noting the America's hypocrisy.

As I see the treatment of O, and the thoughts by many racist Americans of his presidency, I see hate has come full circle. And once again, we are may be at a New Cold War, thanks to failed Republican foreign policy. And once again, Moscow, Paris, Beijing, and the rest of the world watches at a sign of America's hypocrisy, or hopefully, America's moral high road.

What will we do?

What will America's legacy be?


"This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!" MLK

Posted by: Pray together Stay together | Aug 25, 2008 11:30:27 AM

Uh, I have it on good authority that the pastor was talking to the press pool.

Posted by: dave s | Aug 25, 2008 11:16:21 AM

I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR OBAMA THE ARROGANT!

DEM FOR MCCAIN


Posted by: Alex | Aug 25, 2008 9:25:24 AM

"Twelve minutes is the standard sermon length (even for Baptists who have ordinary traditional churches, instead of drive-ins, skating rinks, or whatever)."

Well... I've been in about 5,000 churches around the country as I've worked in Christian radio from coast to coast for decades and I can say that I've not seen a Baptist preacher go under 45 minutes yet. And don't even get me started on the Pentecostals. :-)

Posted by: Rick Schwartz | Aug 25, 2008 8:42:07 AM

After the Sermon, quote,

"sure as hell".
--0bama in Eau Claire, WI, Sunday.

Posted by: fact check | Aug 25, 2008 8:37:45 AM

Al from NJ -

Bravo on your post and right on target! Good job.

Posted by: Peach | Aug 25, 2008 6:28:43 AM

Read about:
Black Liberation Theology, Marxism, Farrakhan, Wright and Pflaeger.

Obama should step down.

Posted by: Al from NJ | Aug 25, 2008 5:41:50 AM

Obama is more embarrassing than John Edwards.

He is risky, inexperienced and a Chicago Politician.

Posted by: Al from NJ | Aug 25, 2008 5:40:13 AM

Being the vengeful, passive aggressive person that he is, how do you think Obama will get even with this pastor?

Posted by: OxyCon | Aug 25, 2008 3:11:09 AM

Emm, I haven't noticed the humility in Obama's eyes, but in his words. If he were following the preferences of others, he would have gone along with Pelosi's recommendation for Chet Edwards or for that matter, Hillary Clinton, who has actually exerted a lot of influence over the DNC, contrary to the tales of anti-Hillary fat cats there.

Posted by: kat | Aug 25, 2008 2:20:16 AM

LOL, kat.

The Oh Nobama didn't pick squat. The DNC told him to pick Biden because Biden's foreign policy experience makes up for Obama's zero experience. It's not humility you notice in Obama's eyes, it's realizing he's just a puppet.

Posted by: Emm | Aug 25, 2008 1:47:47 AM

DOES NOT MATTER THAT HE SAT IN A LUTHERAN CHURCH THIS MORNING FOR ONE SERMON.........HE SAT FOR 20 YEARS IN A HATEFUL BLACK LIBERATION THEOLOGY CHURCH WITH HIS MENTOR REV. WRIGHT

Posted by: Debra | Aug 25, 2008 1:28:05 AM

I'm sure he sat through the subject of humility comfortably. Last week at Rick Warren's mega church, which some may think could use humility, Obama stated that an attribute for a wise man is telling him when he's wrong. He'll find that in Biden, his choice of VP. He's shown humility in choosing a former opponent who speaks his mind, when he could have had someone more deferring. Contrary to the image painted by the McCain surrogates and ads, Obama is well grounded in humility and far from a jet setting celebrity.

Posted by: kat | Aug 25, 2008 1:27:41 AM

I don't think Obama will join that church. He likes to hear things the he wants to hear them, not how they really are!

Posted by: rofl | Aug 24, 2008 11:55:46 PM

All these last few weeks show that Obama just hasn't grown into the president he wants to be. shallow on foreign affairs, "giving in" to others rather than compromising and setting forth his own ideas.

I don't think he's fit to be president. Yet.

Posted by: hmm | Aug 24, 2008 11:53:46 PM

Mary, Obama's connection to Ayers goes back further than 1998. Below is a post about Obama's involvement in the failed 160 million dollar project to improve schools in Chicago, "the Chicago Annenberg Challenge ("CAC"), the education reform project founded by Bill Ayers and which he led with Barack Obama from 1995 until 2001."


The more you know about Obama the less you like him much less think he is qualified to be President. Wonder when the main stream media will catch on and start reporting some of this?

Posted by: terry | Aug 24, 2008 11:03:20 PM

"an F in R.O.T.C."
-----
So ... the guy who's supposed to give The CHANGEling some cred with the military was deferred from Viet Nam and vot an F in ROTC.

If people weren't starving in the streets, it'd be funny.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Aug 24, 2008 10:45:01 PM

Post a comment





 

POLITICAL VIDEOS