Within the Christian arena - mostly Evangelical sector, this election was a pretty tough one. Now when I say that - many evangelical Christians will say to me "it wasn't tough on my part!" Here at the church I minister and pastor in I found our diversity amazing. We are a middle of Texas-Southern Baptist roots-mostly white family of faith and yet though the majority of those that call this their church family were obviously McCain-Palin supporters (I add Palin because she was/is loved by many) the number of those that would come up to me and express their appreciation of my defense of Obama's Christian Faith - was significant.
I never came out, publicly in support or against either of our candidates. I believe this to be a personal and private decision on my part and though ridiculed by several for this position I stand by it and say, "you just need to get past this."
Where I find myself now is in an analytical mode especially when it comes to the post election of Obama. Though I never and I mean never heard the "race" issue come up among friends those inside and outside our church, I am concerned about this now. There have been several articles written about the large gains within the young evangelical community supporting Obama and the appreciation they had for our new president and what attributes and perspectives he brings to the office. We tend to be allowing a bit of smugness and irritation to manifest itself in the way of racism. Not racism of the "burning cross" or segregated bathrooms, water fountains, etc...... But, racism of the jokes-lifestyles-choices. I hear people quoting conservative commentaries on President-elect Obama and how they are enraged to be challenged on a comment they made and its perceived racism.
I will not go into the scriptures that speak to the encouragement of human equality and the role that plays in the Christian's life. I'll let you head over to Crosswalk.com and do a little study. You can easily tell that I am not a "hot-button issue" guy that believes the defining attribute of a "true" Christian is their stance on abortion and homosexuality. There is a big picture to the life of Jesus Christ and what the Bible is communicating from God to us on this earth that needs to be discerned and observed. I would pray that our emotions and "upbringing" do not rule our spirit and desire to be a Christ-follower.
I still have a great deal to learn.
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2 comments:
Excellent post. Thought-provoking, and I identify with you not being a "hot-button issue" guy.
I live in Alabama, and I suppose there are only a handful of people who would admit to racism, but it's rampant. I'm an "insider." That is, I'm white, so people don't automatically think they have to be on their guard. For instance, I was told a few weeks ago by a guy, in a hushed tone, that he had "n----- rigged" something. I was honestly shocked. I had no idea what to say back; my eyebrows raised up about a mile. In retrospect I could kick myself for not chastizing him for it. I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't.
I think people have no idea about how racist they are.
Did I miss the point of your post?
No Dean, you did not miss the point of this post. Thanks for the comments.
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