A Church's 'Hope' Campaign Borrows From Barack Obama's

By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country 

A church in Concord, N.H., is advertising Easter services with signs that borrow heavily from Barack Obama's campaign: 

The website NowHampshire.com explains:

Grace Capitol Church in Concord is promoting its Easter service with posters of Jesus' face above the work "HOPE." The image of Jesus is made to look like the now iconic Obama image created by Shepard Fairey.

According to Pastor Peter Bananno from Grace Capitol, the image represents a modern day parable, not a political statement. "Jesus used images that were familiar," Bananno told NowHampshire.com. "When He told the parable of the shepherd leaving the flock of ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep, the culture knew exactly what He was talking about. In a way, this little sign is a parable."

Bananno said the image is intended to be neither a slight nor a tribute to the president.

"We're not saying Obama is not bringing hope. We're simply saying that ultimately there is no hope other than the hope Jesus delivers. And if there is ever a time for hope it's Easter." he said. 

Politicians have always employed religious language—Obama's inaugural call to "set aside childish things" was plucked from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians—but religion borrowing from politics is a rarer phenomenon. Can you think of other examples?

Picture courtesy of the MondayMorningClacker blog.

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