Obama renounces fear at final prayer breakfast

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Americans to let faith overcome fear in his final National Prayer Breakfast appearance.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind,” Obama said, quoting 2 Timothy 1:7, a verse on which he said he’s been thinking a lot.

Obama appeared at the annual event with First Lady Michelle Obama and dignitaries including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and John Boozman, R-Ark., who will co-chair next year’s breakfast. Reps. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., and Juan Vargas, D-Calif., co-chaired the 2016 event and emceed Thursday morning’s festivities at a Washington hotel.

“Prayer is at the very foundation of this nation,” Aderholt said. “The National Prayer Breakfast is an event where we can put partisanship aside and come together around Jesus.”

Obama’s address struck a hopeful, reflective tone—in contrast to last year, when he drew criticism for using the occasion to equate the Crusades with the current global scourge of radical Islamic terrorism. This year, Obama acknowledged threats such as “terrorism and eroding shorelines” but said his faith keeps him from giving in to fear.

“I’ve learned courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it,” Obama said. “[God’s] love gives us the power to resist fears and temptations. … He gives us the courage to go against the conventional wisdom and stand up for what’s right, even when it’s not popular.”

Obama’s remarks came amid a contentious presidential primary season in which GOP candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration. Obama never mentioned the proposal or the presidential race, but the implication was clear.

Obama called for Americans to respect the rights of all people to live out their faith, even as the U.S. pressures other governments to do the same. Two years after he used the prayer breakfast to publicly call for the release of imprisoned American Saeed Abedini for the first time, Obama applauded the pastor’s release from Iran last month: “Last year we prayed that he might be freed, and this year he is home safe.”

Obama also commended faith-based groups for their “extraordinary work” in the face of global crises, such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa: “As Christians, we do this compelled by the gospel of Jesus: love God and love one another.”

Filmmakers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey delivered the keynote address—the first married couple to speak at the event. The two gave mostly lighthearted remarks, but they also told several filmmaking stories. Downey said when they were recording the hit miniseries The Bible, they had a man whose job it was to remove snakes and scorpions from outdoor sets before filming. Although he would typically find two or three each day, on the morning the crew was set to film the crucifixion scene, he removed 48 snakes—which Downey attributed to spiritual warfare.

Burnett and Downey didn’t make a clear presentation of the gospel like last year’s speaker, Darrell Waltrip, but they steered clear of the political pitfalls that have ensnared some past speakers. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, who drew criticism for his political remarks in 2013, took a break from campaigning to join the audience for Thursday’s event.

Ryan came closest to presenting the gospel, affirming his belief in Jesus Christ and His divinity. The House speaker pushed back against the notion that praying isn’t doing anything, a recurring criticism from gun control advocates following December’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.

“When you are praying, you are doing something,” he said before quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18: “Pray without ceasing, and in all circumstances give thanks.”