The Election of Barack Obama was one month ago on
Thursday.What a difference a
month makes.We remember
when we saw the words flash across the screen - President Elect, Barack
Obama- and the ecstasy that
followed.Yet much has been
said about the demeanor of our next president when he took the stage in Chicago
on Nov 4.There was gravity in his
demeanor - his smile bright but his words serious and humble.In his speech he spent less time
running the victory lap and more time reminding us that climbing out of the
hole of the last eight years and the economic crisis was going to be hard work.
Obama has begun that work largely through his appointments
to his cabinet.He showed his
priority and determination by starting with his economic team and then moving
to international.Some have
complained that there are too many people left over from the Clinton years resurfacing
in Obama's administration, or that Obama has tacked towards the center in his
appointments.But overall there is
a sense that these men and women, including Senator Clinton, represent the
strongest candidates available to bring our country together again and to put
America on a strong footing - domestically and internationally.
These appointments do not come as a surprise.Obama always spoke of himself as a
social justice realist when it came to politics, citing Reinhold Niebuhr as a
philosophical guide.In this time
of crisis we need to rebuild upon the most solid of foundation.Even keeping Robert Gates as secretary
of defense provides a sense of continuity that feels right when viewed from the
global perspectives.When asked in his interview with Barbara
Walters where the change comes from when he has appointed so many known
entities Obama replied: "It will come from me."
I believe that. For change to come we need people with experience positioned in areas where
they can make Obama's vision for America a reality.But while Obama
will be a leader that many of us can believe in, the real work for change will
have to come from each of us.It
will be hard work and it will require sacrifice. But it is specifically the call for work and sacrifice from
all Americans that, one month after the election, gives me what Obama promised
during those many months of campaigning - Hope.
O God, you have searched me and known me. You know when I have to lie down and rest; you know when I rise up with strength and courage; you discern my thoughts when I far away and dreaming of another life. You search out my path; you know where I am, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. You are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O God, you know me so well that you know exactly what I will say. You are behind me and in front of me; you hold me on every side. You lay your hand upon me and from you I draw strength. Your presence is so wonderful for me. Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? When I slip into denial, you are there; if I shout and sing at the wonder of life, you do it with me. If I take the wings of the morning and fly as far as I can go, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. As I get my test results, you are with me in the clinic. When I hold my lover's hand, you are there. You count each pill, each day, each blessing with me. You hold me as I sleep, and sit with me when I lay awake at night in worry. For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. You intricately wove my body, creating all its parts; you made my bones, my cells, my heart, my blood, all of me. You have known every moment of my existence: you know all that has happened in my life and all that will. I try to think like you do, knowing each detail yet aware of the larger picture of life. It is more than I can comprehend. I wake up-- I am still with you. O that you would kill that which saps my health, O God, that all disease would depart from me and that HIV and AIDS would be gone. Do I not fight for the sacred life you have created in me, O God? Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. We come before you this day, O Loving God, mindful of your promise of abundant life, yet aware that there is HIV and AIDS in your family. We pray this day that You will awaken within us the awareness that abundant life is not just about wholeness of bodies, financial resources or having our needs met, but that the life abundant comes from celebrating the life within us, no matter what comes our way in this life. Help us to celebrate the gift of life itself. help us to band together in action, in prayer, in support and in care for our brothers and sisters who live with HIV and AIDS. Help us to make the radical statement of love, and to build bridges of support and care, this day and always. Amen.
Look at this young kid's face. This is a photograph taken of one of the terrorists by Sebastian D'Souza. He is so young and was so twisted. It reminds me of my friend Eboo Patel and his book "Acts of Faith" that I reviewed for Beliefnet. This is an excerpt of my review:
Nothing is more chilling than Patel's fictional recounting of how easy it might have been to have been seduced by radical ideology when he was young and alienated as so many young people currently are--and not only young people in Islam, but in Christian separatist movements such as the one that influenced Eric Rudolf as well as Jewish and Hindu extremists. In a chapter titled "Youth Programs" Patel describes the history and evolution of extremists in his own faith and how persuasive these groups can be. In speaking about Osama Bin Laden, Patel makes the particularly salient point that Bin Laden is, if nothing else, a brilliant youth organizer.
How can we stop this violence and reach our young people before it is too late? I am haunted by this boy's calm killing face...
Terrorist attacks on Mumbai have provoked Meenakshi Ravi to write this on Huffingtonpost:
Four years ago, the Hindu-dominated, right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was dismissed from government by an Indian electorate that saw through its glossy 'India Shining' campaign propaganda. The BJP's loss was the compound effect of many of its failings, but the most glaring offense was its alleged involvement in the violent Hindu-Muslim clashes that erupted in the western state of Gujarat. For over four months, the state burned and people were killed on the grounds of their religious faith. In official records you would find that 1,044 people died as a result of the communal violence. Read the reports compiled by NGOs and human rights groups and you'd find that the figure was closer to 2,000.
The Mumbai attacks heighten the threat to the Indian secular state which is already battling internal threats to minority groups. It is easy to sell situations like this to the man on the street as an attack that threatens his community. The terror in Mumbai has struck during a year in which six Indian states are going to the polls. These are crucial elections for both main parties in India since the one that makes a stronger showing is likely to be on firm footing to make gains in the General Elections scheduled for May 2009. The BJP will probably leverage this climate of fear and uncertainty to make electoral gains. For the ruling Indian National Congress, the communal card will come in handy as a tool to paper over serious lapses in intelligence and national security during its watch.
The BJP has managed to maintain a strong anti-terror image with its constituency by riding on religious rhetoric and convincing its supporters that the party will protect their interests and ensure their safety. This, despite its lamentable record of not just the horrors of Gujarat in 2002, but other incidents that go further back, such as the mishandling of the 1999 Kandahar hijacking incident, and most infamously, the BJP-led demolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992.
The Congress never had a hope of making light work of these state elections. A nervous economy and terror-struck populace was going to need serious convincing if some states were to be retained/won. The Mumbai terror attacks have made the Congress' work many times more difficult as it has struck fear in the hearts of the people and has reminded them of the indefensible performance by the party and the government it leads in the task of protecting Indians from terrorism.
With our thoughts, we can build a system of spiritual quarantine for terrorists and would-be terrorists.We don't have to know who they are. The Creator does. Just do this.For a minimum of five minutes every day, meditate in the following way:Pray that anyone...
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;For the wide sky and the blessed sun,For the salt sea and the running water,For the everlasting hillsAnd the never-resting winds,For trees and the common grass underfoot.We thank you for our...
Rick Warren, the most prominent Evangelical pastor of our day, has established a highly successful program arranging teams from his church to help specific villages in Africa. Given the effectiveness of his organizational skills and the extensive direct involvement that...
The Progressive Revival bloggers come from different religious traditions and often differ in perspectives, but all are dedicated to the revival of religious progressivism and its influence in American politics.