The Faith of Barack Obama

Following Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, on Twitter, I was excited to receive his tweet that the first 200 bloggers to respond would receive an advance copy of Stephen Mansfield's The Faith of Barack Obama. As soon as I could get to my laptop, I replied and received the book a couple of weeks later.

First of all, I was shocked that Thomas Nelson would publish this book. In my experience, they have always leaned more toward a white evangelical Republican aesthetic. Publishing this book, although it is mostly information in content, makes a statement about the shift in mindset and action amongst its key leadership. It will be interesting to see the direction of this vetted and successful publisher in the future.

Now here is my honest opinion of the book:

I enjoyed it! It was a smooth, conversational and informative read. It confirmed once again that the pursuit to become like Christ is a process rather than an event – even for our nation's political generations. I attended an event in 2004 that was hosted by Gabe Lyons, Founder of Relevate, in which he communicated many of the challenges facing the "brand" of Christianity. It was revealed that Christianity was perceived by many to be extremist, hypocritical, judgmental, too political and irrelevant. Honestly, the Religious Right over the last eight years has not done a great job at addressing these challenges, other than being more hypocritical. The book addresses these issues but does not condemn nor condone them. As I said, the book is more factual and informational, than opinionated.

Ironically, this was the same year that Obama delivered his speech that sought to inform the world that there were Christians and liberals who were Democrats. As the book captured, this was a defining moment for born again believers who had voted primarily Democrat throughout the years. We finally felt that we had an advocate of balance in the space called politics.

Obama's belief that faith should be relevant to both politics and the marketplace confirms the message I have been encouraging our leaders of faith to embrace for about a decade. It is imperative that we maintain our faith and convictions in the marketplace, yet demonstrate them in the relevance and timing of the marketplace.

These are definitely exciting times for our nation. It will be interesting to see if America makes the right and noble decision by electing Barack Obama as President of The United States.

I am thought I am.

-Rodney Sampson

E.Factor Opens Amsterdam Business Lounge, Hosts NYC Event & Launches New Website

E.Factor Business Lounge in Amsterdam

From day one, we have said that the E.Factor puts the "social back in social networking". We are just as much an offline network as we are an online network for entrepreneurs and investors. With this, I am pleased to announce the opening of our first business lounge in Amsterdam.

In addition, we are launching a new website this weekend! It's definitely has the WOW factor! Our next lounge opens in SOHO in NYC on next week at Sunshine Suites, http://www.sunshineny.com/. It's FREE if you are a First Class member of the E.Factor.

Also, I can't forget to invite you to our upcoming event in NYC on September 10th, 2008, 6PM EST. We will be networking with key leaders and entrepreneurs and discussing The New Economy: Do or Die!


The other social networks are good for collecting, but we are perfect for connecting.

Looking to Expand Your Business. Consider Amsterdam.

The City Of Amsterdam: Europe's Media & Technology Capital

Greetings. I have been asked by The City of Amsterdam/Economic Development Department to invite selected clients, friends and colleagues who might be interested in expanding their business in Europe.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: I am posting this opportunity on my blog. However the Economic Development Office has specific criteria for these meetings. In addition their time here in New York (and Atlanta) is quite limited. Therefore you MUST contact me as soon as possible to be considered for this unique opportunity to hear about one of the most interesting, dynamic and centralized cities in all of Europe.

The City of Amsterdam/New Companies in NYC.

The current economy has many companies experiencing their greatest expansion and new sales opportunities overseas. If Europe is on your list, we'd like to introduce you to Amsterdam, a leading city for technology and new media, and a hub for all of EMEA offices.

Starting next week, Mr. Marcos de Vries, Area Director of North America and EMEA for The City of Amsterdam's Foreign Investment and Economic Development Office, will be visiting the United States. This high-ranking business ambassador is connecting with companies interested in creating new sales streams and expanding their businesses into Europe over the next 18 months. The City of Amsterdam is interested in discuss your company's potential expansion in these areas.

The meetings will be held in NYC and Atlanta from the 10th -18th. Please contact me via email at rodney@intellectualcurrency.com or by phone at 404-567-4800 directly to confirm your interest in setting up a meeting. As I said, opportunities are limited so you need to contact me as soon as possible.

- Rodney