Tuesday night was, has already been said everywhere, a historic night for our country. An African-American is the presumptive nominee of his party for President of the United States. Those of you who are younger know that this is historical but exactly how much so will elude you. I say that not because I think you don't understand the significance of the moment but you cannot feel the moment the way those of us who lived through the turmoil of the Civil Rights era feel it.
I was 8 years old in August, 1965, when the Watts Riots occurred in Los Angeles. My parents had good friends, Ben & Pearl, who lived in Watts at the time. A couple of days after the riots my parents & I went to Watts to help them clean up. I still remember how angry Ben was that his own people burned their neighborhood down. I also remember how sad he was that his ethnic group was still having to fight for their basic rights as Americans and how that rage had turned to self-destruction of a community. Seeing the still-smoking ruins of a neighborhood was shocking to me, but I had wonderful parents who explained how God loves everyone and how we can't hate people because of the color of their skin. And, most importantly, they walked the talk! Even though I was young, they didn't try to shield me from the realities of poverty, discrimination and hatred. (And I am grateful for those lessons learned early not only in Watts but on Navajo reservations and tiny villages in Mexico.)
I have also know older African-Americans who lived in the South and were not allowed to vote without literally risking their lives. I've listened to their stories and admired their bravery and wondered if I would have been as bold. So I was glad to see on Tuesday that our country has come so far in such a relatively short amount of time.
All that being said, The Constructive Curmudgeon has a great post on presidential politics and Obama in particular which I encourage you to read. It sums up a lot of what I think. While I applaud the nomination of an African-American, I cannot applaud the man's politics or some of his moral judgements. (I will also say I'm not super-crazy about McCain but his views are more closely aligned to what I feel is important.)
We do have a responsibility as Christians to vote for the candidates who are most closely aligned to the moral absolutes God has given us. There may even be candidates who are not Christian in belief but whose ethics and morals line up with the Bible. And, as I feel the case is now, it's really almost picking the lesser of two evils.
I encourage you to pray for Obama & his family's safety during this time, and for him to draw closer to God. As much as I want change in this country, as much as I'm ready for something new and fresh, for me it unfortunately isn't going to come from the Congressman from Illinois.
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