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Thursday 4 June 2009

I have to say Obama’s speech in Cairo was, for me, his most Niebuhrian moment. Religion in this speech became the ally of humility and reconciliation, not a barrier to them. He retained moral resolve without believing God’s purposes were his own. He even refused toturn his back on genuine progress and modernity — what Niebuhr would call the “growth” we see in history — while not being simply or naively progressive. His invocation of the Torah, the Koran, and the New Testament at the end of the speech pointed towards the enduring necessity, beauty, and relevance of prophetic religion. We all are under the judgment of the One beyond the many, and as such only partially grasp his will — all our earthly projects and ambitions are tinged with sin, marred by our pride and partiality. Recognizing this is the precondition for working together. His Niebuhrian Moment

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