Where the controversy arises is from the fact that Obama’s narrative (his racial and cultural background, his Christian faith, his intellect, his conciliatory manner) are foreign to most white Americans, especially when it comes to presidential candidates. His story requires white Americans to deviate from the standard script too much. With President Bush, it was enough for us to know that he was a reformed alcoholic who had a Christian conversion late in life. We knew that he came from a wealthy family, and that he is a sporadic churchgoer. We didn’t need to probe too deeply into the specifics of his personal beliefs or obtain transcripts of his pastor’s sermons. What more was there to know? His personal narrative was familiar and safe…
From Edward Gilbreath’s Reconciliation Blog