In recognition of the recent Pew Research Center poll which indicated that 20% of Americans believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim, I decided to repost the following from May of last year.  Sorry for the rehash; just felt it was timely. 

On a recent drive from Texas to Broken Arrow, I made a “necessity stop” at a fast food restaurant in a small town in southeastern Oklahoma.  On the inside of the restroom door I noticed some graffiti.  It read, “Obama is a secret Muslim.”  My first reaction was one of being pleasantly surprised that the Sharpie-wielder did not inscribe any profanity, phone numbers, or inflammatory comments about the menu or service at the eating establishment.  I was further impressed by the lavatory tagger’s political consciousness, although he chose an extremely limited and remote forum in which to sound his alarm about Islamic subterfuge in our nation’s highest office.

Rumors and urban legends have abounded about President Barack Obama ever since he announced his candidacy back in February of 2007.  Earlier today, I Googled the phrase “Obama is a secret…”  As I was typing, a couple of prompts appeared with suggested endings.  One ending was “Muslim”; the other was “Jew.”  Wow!  A secret Muslim and a secret Jew!  Now, there’s a conspiracy for you!

But, let’s consider the allegation at face value, that a U.S. President who claims to be a Christian is actually a Muslim in disguise.  From what I have noticed about devotees of Islam, there is not a lot of stealth or subtlety in the practice of their faith: dietary and cleanliness regulations, five times of prayer each day, fasting during Ramadan, distinctive dress, Friday services at the mosque, etc.  It seems to me that a Muslim who hasn’t “outed” himself would not be much of a Muslim at all.

So, I’m not worried about President Obama being a secret Muslim.  But I do wonder how many “closet Christians” might be roaming the halls of government in Washington, our state legislatures, city halls, courthouses, shopping malls, and sports facilities.  You know who I am talking about: people who deep down make a claim to faith in Jesus Christ as the Divine Son of God and the only way of salvation but who never really reveal any evidence of those convictions through their speech, attitudes, and behavior.  I remember a question that my father asked during a sermon when I was a boy, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Am I afraid of “secret Muslims?”  Not really.  Am I extremely concerned about “secret Christians?”  You bet!