The Obama Factor: How Barack Obama Elevated Human Consciousness is the first book written that inquires into the spiritual nature of Barack Obama prior to his political rise to power in the United States. The approach taken by the author to write this book is through the theological and ideological lens of "New Age" or what is presently referred to as "New Thought." The content of this book was primarily developed from Obama's autobiography Dreams from my Father and other recent biographies. For it was in his memoirs that were first published in 1995 that Obama's unguarded ideas of himself and the world were freely discussed. This book is a very creative and imaginative extrapolation of his memoirs. One that unveils and decodes Obama's true nature and sheds light on the religious and political philosophy that continues to shape his thinking.The author systematically explores the nature of religion and spirituality, and how it shaped Obama's perspectives on life from his early days in Indonesia where he was exposed to Roman Catholicism and Islam; to the epiphany and vision he had at his father's grave-site in Kenya; to his time in Chicago spent with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. It was in Chicago under the tutelage of Reverend Wright, where he fully embraced African American culture, its historical vision, and the spirituality of the Black Church in general. In particular, it was Obama's experience with Reverend Wright that allowed him to develop a clear portrait of himself as a black man in the United States. Only after his experiences in Chicago was he then able to reflect on his life and finally begin to find meaning out of the world he was so desperately trying to understand.In his book Dreams from my Father, Obama makes numerous statements that clearly place him outside of the traditional confines of religion. Such as, his continuous search to find ways on how best to "heal a malnourished world" and seeing a "new map of the world." This book carefully explores those ideas from a spiritual or interfaith perspective and concludes that Obama's rise to power is a universal symbol or microcosm of the energy shift occurring on planet earth. It is this change in consciousness that is currently showering upon us all a heightened sense of awareness. It further encourages the reader to take in this same energy and watch the unimaginable manifest in their life, as it was able to do so with Obama.
About the Author: Douglas E. Thomas is a Professor and Ordained Interfaith Clergy. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion at Temple University Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Thomas is a graduate of Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, PA.