The next leader of our country was just selected by the people, rather than a judge, a mob, or a military group. Because we live here we assume this is normal. It is not, and never has been. It is our right only because we enjoy the blessing and privilege of living in the USA. I celebrate that today.
A person of color has just ascended to our nation's highest office, and two women have played prominent roles in the election. The presidency was, until now, perhaps our most symbolic racial and gender barrier, with every preceding president having been a white man. I don't think white males like me can understand the significance of this election to Americans of other races, and particularly African Americans. Nonetheless, I'm thankful that in a very significant way, millions of Americans believe they have options and opportunities in this country that they did not believe they had yesterday. They may have wanted to believe that anything was possible for them, but today it's a proven reality.
Christ-followers who disagree with President-elect Obama's policies may be tempted to disregard his claim of faith in Jesus Christ. There are no legitimate grounds for doing so. All followers of Christ should be encouraged that the man occupying the White House for the next four years says that he has an active, personal faith in Christ, and pray that God will guide him and give him wisdom. The challenges that face our nation over the next four years are as great as any in our lifetime.
Most election cycles, and this one perhaps more than others, can be very polarizing in our nation and community. We're red states and blue states, red and blue people. (Brad says he's purple; welcome the new leader of the Barney party). Exit poll results suggest that we tended to vote differently depending on our skin color, our age, or the part of the country we live in. I'm frankly tired of seeing us divided into demographic-based voting blocks. Yes, we are all Americans, and can rally around that. But more importantly, we were never called by Christ to see the world around us in these terms. If we succumb to the pull of political gravity and begin to see each other as either allies or adversaries based on our politics, we will certainly fail in our greater mission. Can we simultaneously alienate people who don't share our politics and draw them to Christ? Can we afford to imply that political alignment is a required prerequisite for Christian community?
Elections matter. Voting matters. Issues matter. When we're talking about things like national security and human rights, politics can rise to the level of life-and-death. But more than anything else, people matter -- people whose politics may differ from our own, even radically so. There is one distinction that trumps the others: we are people who have found hope and life in Christ and people who have not. And those who have not are not our adversaries, they are the prize.
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