Christian Charity to Send Bible to President Obama after Scripture-less Second Swearing In

Dan Wooding : Jan 27, 2009
ASSIST News Service

"We are sending him a copy of the Bible in case he is ever Biblically caught short again."

(London, UK)—The Evangelical Alliance UK is sending President Barack Obama a new Bible after reports that one was mysteriously absent from his second swearing in.

Dr Krish Kandiah, Director of Churches in Mission for the Evangelical Alliance, will post a copy of an edition of the Bible that highlights issues of poverty and justice to the new President to make sure he has one on hand for any future need.

"President Obama's commitment to the Scripture was obvious during his inaugural address, when he quoted Paul's letter to the Corinthians—so when we heard he didn't swear on a Bible the second time, we could only assume it was because he couldn't find one," said Dr Kandiah.

"We are sending him a copy of the Bible in case he is ever Biblically caught short again. We are delighted that President Obama takes justice and the alleviation of poverty very seriously, so we will send him a Bible that focuses on these issues that are so close to his, and God's, heart." (Photo: PovertyandJusticebible.org)

President Obama said in his inaugural address: "We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things."

The Evangelical Alliance will send President Obama a copy of The Poverty and Justice Bible, published by Bible Society, which is the first to highlight more than 2,000 passages that speak of God's attitude to poverty and justice. Challenging the notion that the Bible is a dusty, outdated rulebook, it shows that, on the biggest issues of our day, God got there first—and He has something to say.

Recently British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was presented with The Poverty and Justice Bible at Downing Street. And in July last year, hundreds of Bishops carried The Poverty and Justice Bible as they marched across Westminster in a campaign against world poverty.

Peter Meadows, Associate Executive Director at Bible Society, said: "The Bible has a place in public life and government, which is why it was part of President Obama's inauguration. But it is more than symbolic. It's more than a good idea. The Bible is a reminder that true hope and real change has its root in Scripture."

When asked by ANS if this was actually a joke, Charis Gibson, Senior Press Officer for the Evangelical Alliance UK said, "This was indeed a genuine release and not a joke, although we were using humor in the release to make a serious point—something we have found is particularly effective in stirring up debate and getting people to think about the issues we are raising. So we wanted it to link the Bible to the biggest news story of the year to show how relevant God is to politics, particularly as the President has said poverty and justice are so important to him.

"Evangelicals can sometimes present a negative image as being frequently judgmental, and we hope that the occasional use of humor can be used to show us in a more positive light.

"We know we both share a common interest to see the Gospel have an impact on public life, and although our methods may have differed this time, we trust that this is not a regular occurrence and hope we will be in better agreement on many other issues in future."