The American president interviewed the Pulitzer-winning novelist Marilynne Robinson in a lengthy piece which has just been published by the literary magazine, taking the author of Gilead through topics from Christianity to democracy. Throughout his presidency, a vocal group of Obama critics have questioned his Christian faith. During the interview, Obama asked her about her Christian faith and indicated that he believes those who take their faith seriously are the most suspicious of others.
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Obama’s head is framed with what seems to be horns during the recent visit of Pope Francis.
Ms. Robinson replied, “I mean, when people are turning in on themselves – and God knows, arming themselves and so on – against the imagined other, they’re not taking their Christianity seriously”.
He believes America’s “nagging dissatisfaction” is simultaneously a great asset and a danger: A sense of restlessness and dissatisfaction, Obama said, fueled the westward expansion and industriousness upon which the nation is built.
During the conversation, the president brought up that in the current American political climate “Christian interpretation seems to posit an ‘us versus them, ‘” mindset. “That’s the logical conclusion if, in fact, you think that government is the enemy”.
The president added that it’s natural to be suspicious of government “as a tool of oppression” but “it can also be paralyzing when we’re trying to do big things together”. He sat for an interview with the “Vice”, the edgy media company, in a federal prison, took questions from GloZell, a green-lipped YouTube star, and spent an hour in Marc Maron’s Pasadena, Calif., garage for a chat with the comedian that aired on his “WTF ” podcast.
Obama’s reviews about religion’s position in America have also peeved his rivals. She received a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2005 and was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2012 by Obama personally during a ceremony at the White House.
The president spoke with Robinson during a September stop in Iowa created to promote his educational initiatives.
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Mr Obama is a longtime admirer of Robinson and her novel Gilead, an Iowa-based narrative that the president said he had read while visiting the state as a candidate. The book tells the tale of a reverend who is dying of cancer. Because I was campaigning at the time, and there’s a lot of downtime when you’re driving between towns and when you get home late from campaigning.
