Shirt picture courtesy of ObamaArtReport.com

I was intrigued by Anthony Bradley’s recent post “The Obama/McCain Messiah Complex.” A couple of things jumped out at me.  First, as with any broad-brush characterization, there’s clearly a mix of truth and generalities; the generalities wouldn’t stick without the hint of truth beneath them.  I’m thinking of how the late-night comedy hosts have had a good bit of fun with the “Messiah complex” that other people seem to have about Barack Obama, and it has indeed been funny.  Some of his followers (oops, I mean “supporters”) really do sound like they think he’s the Second Coming, and a little perspective is definitely in order.

But is there that much evidence that the candidates themselves have swallowed their own PR?  In my estimation, neither one appears to me to be a man who thinks that being the President of the United States is going to be an easy job, especially given the mess of things that has been made over the last eight years.  I look at Obama’s website, where he has detailed policy proposals, or listen to him in the debate the other night, and I think he shows little evidence of having a Messiah Complex himself. He frequently offers specifics about what can and can’t be done by the whoever is in charge of the next administration, which doesn’t fit with the waving-a-magic-wand mentality that Bradley’s post pinned on both the candidates.  John McCain, to my mind, has been a little vaguer, which can lead to the kind of “I know how to fix it” generalities we’ve seen from him recently–not very reassuring.  But still, I think for both of them it’s all more about sound bites and political showmanship than a Messiah Complex.

The biggest “aha” moment on this topic happened several weeks ago, after the Saddleback Forum.  Barack Obama responded to a question about when life begins by saying that answering that question with certain was “above his pay grade.” Even though he followed up that answer with a thoughtful bit of analysis concerning the “moral difficulties and gravity of the abortion issue” (his words), he was widely ridiculed and lambasted (including, at least by inference, by one of the contributors to this blog).  Showing humility, and some moral nuance, was seen as a sign of intolerable weakness and lack of leadership.  Perhaps there was a similar dynamic at work last week, when John McCain was booed at his own rallies for saying that Obama was a decent man.  Again, being humble, honest, and moderate gets you nowhere in this political climate.

All that being said, I’m really taken by Professor Bradley’s main point about “candidate worship.”  People of faith, which means most Americans, should know better than to put all their hope and trust in any person, let alone a politician.  For Christians specifically, our hope is in Jesus Christ.  Period.  As much as I think the world has the potential to be a better place if “my” candidate wins, I have to remember that, no matter what the outcome of the election, the sun will still rise on November 5.  And my responsibility to be God’s hands and feet in the world and to spread the Good News will be unchanged.  It’s fine to care deeply about what happens, and to take appropriate political action (in other words: VOTE!).  But it is a mistake to treat any worldly leader as an idol.  Thanks to Professor Bradley for the timely reminder.