The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
Imagine Lincoln's Second Inaugural without its reference to "the judgments of the Lord." Or King's "I Have a Dream" speech without its reference to "all of God's children." Or President Kennedy's Inaugural without the words, "here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own." At each of these junctures, by summoning a higher truth and embracing a universal faith, our leaders inspired ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. From Willow Creek to the 'emerging church,' from the Southern Baptist Convention to the National Association of Evangelicals, folks are realizing that the four walls of the church are too small for a big God.God is still speaking. And they are a part of America, this country that I love. Not even close. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. But all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century, and in too many Muslim communities there remains underinvestment in these areas.
Last time we took up immigration reform, it failed. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.
It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs. Now, some of you may have heard me talk about the Joshua generation. The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments; community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.
The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam.
I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world - tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. This is a difficult responsibility to embrace. But we can only achieve it together.
Thank you very much everybody.