Output details

God Bless You Barack Obama 1 x 60 mins (BBC2, 2010)

This film is a visual examination of the relationship between theological thought, social and historical context and political action. The documentary aesthetic (narrative, visual and auditory) explores the social gospel and other liberation theologies that inform the fledgling Christian faith of Barack Obama, focusing on the president's formative years as a community organiser and later as a Democratic senator in Chicago (1995-2008). Central to the analysis is the president’s relationship with Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, and its former pastor, the Rev Dr Jeremiah Wright. The documentary also explores the impact of theological ideas on public policy in American through an analysis of healthcare and Christian-Muslim inter-faith dialogue. It includes the first international interview by Rev. Wright on his fractious relationship with Obama.

As a non-fiction film, the documentary deploys observational and participatory documentary film techniques to facilitate description and critical analysis. The film also employs a reflexive documentary modality including the use of historical archives, interviews and engagement with institutional practices. As visual ethnography, the researcher utilises participant-observation techniques (partial and full participant) to observe events, identify obscured factors and arrive at assertions that are corroborated with textual sources on the faith formation of Barack Obama.

Key questions:

1. What personal, cultural and religious factors inform the faith of Barack Obama?

2. Has the American media misrepresented the sermons of Rev Dr Jeremiah Wright?

3. Is there a relationship between faith and politics in first term of the Obama administration?

The programme was broadcast on BBC2 in January 2010 (initial audience 800,000 viewers) and subsequently made available on BBC iPlayer.