Talking the talk.

• Author: Rogers, Harold E., Jr.
• Position: American Thought - Barack Obama

DURING RECENT months, we have been treated to a flood of oratory emanating from the mouths of participants in the national political marathon known as the presidential primaries. Many would agree that the political oratory of Sen. Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) is some of the finest in years.

Our history books tell of the great debates of 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas--for an Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate. Douglas ultimately won the election--which dealt primarily with the presence and future of slavery in the U.S. However, these debates provided a stage for Lincoln to show off his skills to the national electorate. They also provided a real test for stumping--a tree stump substituting for a stage--across the country, even though, in reality, the seven debates all took place within Illinois.

Another great debater was William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic Party nominee for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908--he supported the Midwest farmer in his famous "Cross of Gold" speech--and, although he lost all of those elections, his oratory paved the way for his eventual appointment by Pres. Woodrow Wilson as Secretary of State.

The U.S. has a history of oratory made essential by its democratic republic traditions and the necessity that political candidates vet or test themselves before the electorate that will be the final judge of whether they win or lose the contest and take office with the required legitimacy. Great speakers in America were developed not only in politics but by the church through evangelism. Jesus admonished his disciples to go forth and spread the gospel. For years, Billy Graham packed football stadiums with eager audiences. He even was a success in the Soviet Union toward the end of the Cold War.

Recently, Pope Benedict XVI visited the U.S. with his own set of messages, seeking the attention of the American and world citizen. The purpose of his trip was to continue spreading the gospel, as had his predecessor Pope John Paul II, who, along with his emersion in the Church as a boy, was raised in the theater in his native Poland and possessed inherent skill at motivating people of all persuasions to embrace the faith. Benedict, meanwhile, was the theoretician of the Church, relied upon by John Paul to articulate and justify the faith. He, however, is not the consummate salesman that John Paul was and thus must have embarked on his journey to this country with some trepidation. Benedict grew up in Germany and had...