Editorial: I've been to the Mountain Top by MLK

Did MLK foresee this night? While would-be prophets co-opted by the neo-con right may mourn the evening of Nov. 4, 2008; after their many projections, proclamations and presumptions proved them to be false; and though we ought not expect any retractions from them, one wonders if one of America's last true prophets, Martin Luther King Jr, caught a glimpse of what was coming from afar.

While many who claim to know Christ personally cried with conviction, 'Terrorist! Muslim! Socialist!' and told us that no true Christian could vote for Obama, one wonders if he will not only redefine America, but also, to their chagrin, redefine 'Christian' in America.

What comes to mind first is the primacy of hope and reconciliation over global dominance as the true Christian mindset. While our prophetic round tables conspire their next take-over bid in empty plans to legislate morality, we may see the godly virtues of peacemaking and commonweal get a chance to breathe for a few weeks. Perhaps we'll eventually even make some headway in a consistent life-ethic across political lines (from abortion to capital punishment; from war to euthenasia) by appealing to America's alleged humanism and equality on behalf of the children instead of appealing to the Supreme Court to make us behave.

Naive? Likely. At the end of the day, the Empire has simply exchanged Emperors, freedom and security will still trump genuine peace and justice, and Obama will do what Presidents must do: call for loyalty to his flag ahead of Christ's Cross. He is no saviour of the world or prince of peace. But in the coming days, perhaps the face of America will be a little less trigger-happy and vengeful. Maybe nations who can't distinguish 'America' and 'Christian' (including the USA) will at least begin to associate 'Christian' with a more generous and clearminded head of state.

I leave you with Thomas Merton, another true American prophet, whose words shed light on the moment:

Will you end wars by asking men to trust men who evidently cannot be trusted? No. Teach them to love and trust God; then they will be able to love the men they cannot trust, and will dare to make peace with them, not trusting in them but in God. For only love - which means humility - can cast out the fear, which is the root of all war.

Comments

[Ward]

I must admit there may actually a light on the horizon of North America. Is it possible that we will see change? Real change that is at the heart level. My inner cynic is circling like a rabid dog. I am keeping him at bay for the moment as I take in one the most amazing and beautiful moments in the history of the world. Thank you Martin for your dream, your love, your sacrifice. Thank you for your faith your love was not in vain.

[josh g.]

I am trying hard to keep my politics from presuming on my faith, but it was hard last night to separate the two when something deep in my heart was ready to break through the critical analysis and cry for joy. I guess this is a burden bearer's report on what I felt while watching people on the TV last night.

A spirit of fear was broken (or at least seriously wounded) in America last night. That alone makes it a turning point worth celebrating. I don't think I can put into words how big this felt.

McCain was not a bad guy last night; I think his speech was mostly the real deal. But the dark things lingering under the surface of (some of) the crowd at McCain's speech were tragic, especially in contrast to McCain's humility. I don't know how his campaign ended up poisoned with an atmosphere of fear and lingering hatred; maybe it was the people around him, or maybe it was something deeper. It's really unfortunate, and he deserved better, but I'm glad that atmosphere wasn't given a victory.

Obama's rally was filled with hope - not just the catchphrase, but the real deal coming straight from the crowd, the stuff we find in the Bible between faith and love. For that matter, I think he brought out love as well. It may not have been given that name by pundits, but his attitude of acceptance, inclusion, and his willingness to listen to his political "enemies" struck me as the real deal. Maybe it's about time that Christians brought all three of faith, hope and love to the political table, instead of hammering faith alone over people's heads.

I know we've talked here about God not being interested in our politics, but now I'm not so sure. What I felt, what I saw in people, and what I'm pretty sure I was feeling of God's heart last night tells me I think he enjoyed it.

[Cindi Eaton]

Thanks for sharing this. I too watched last night with tears in my eyes. I remembered as a very young child traveling on vacation to Florida, seeing segregated washrooms and drinking fountains. When asked why they couldn't drink at our fountains no one could answer to my satisfaction. Last night, my husband and I watching from a Chicago suburb, seeing the new president elect share his acceptance speech in Chicago, I had to wonder if maybe God is actually touching hearts in ways that's not yet picked up by the religious right's radar. I hope He is.

[eric h janzen]

A change of Emperor is welcome, but the cynic in me fears for him. The spirit of the Empire is well entrenched and Obama's ability to bring about real change, spiritual or otherwise, will be a very difficult battle for him and his crew. He will face enemies that he can't see who work against him from within the shadows of an untamed government very used to doing what it wants to do despite who is in charge.

But let me shut my cynicism up for a moment and say that God is bigger than the System and much bigger than the Empire. May God's will for the U.S. be done and may Obama be wise and brave enough to tune in to the King's voice.

[brad]

For a good sense of what Obama is up against in terms of the powers (a la Walter Wink), we would do well to review Ginsberg's 'Howl' at http://members.tripod.com/~Sprayberry/poems/howl.txt

Note part II - the section on Moloch ... the old pagan god who demands the sacrifice of children, now manifest as the industrial-military complex (and baptized by so many of our pseudo-prophets).

But Obama's forces are formidable ... he is a master of bridling and spurring on the grassroots with an unprecidented marriage of ground-based and web-based communities. The question is, how will he now use them? It's hard to imagine simultaneously opposing the powers AND taking their throne.

As for the prophets who told us who God's man or woman was, I wish they would now repent clearly of taking the Lord's name in vain. I expect they'll probably spin it to condemn the godlessness of America or scapegoat the church for not praying / voting hard enough. Like Ralph Nader, who last night ended his own career (by asking whether Obama would be Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom), we can only wish for them to recede into obscurity. I doubt we'll be that lucky.

[Cindi Eaton]

Eric, I have some of the same fears. I don't think he's an answer to our problems. I do wonder if God is wanting to use him to open our eyes to see something of His character that we, the evangelical church in the U.S., maybe has lost sight of, or maybe never knew. To maybe get through our ungodly paradigms & world views so we can know His true heart and ways. Jesus used the story of the good Samaritan, someone looked down upon by the religious leaders of that day, to show God's heart. My prayer is that God's true character and heart would be revealed, that we would know Him, that we the church would have His heart and walk in intimacy with Him. The kind of power coming from that could turn the world upside down in a good way.

[josh g.]

I don't think fearing for Obama is entirely just your cynic talking. Today I asked God what it looked like in the spiritual at Obama's acceptance speech, standing up there on the platform with him. When I pictured being there, I was surprised to find there were two (or more?) huge evil things standing behind him, watching and waiting. My best understanding (which was fuzzy) was that they were the forces of evil bent on turning his victory of hope into something they can manipulate or destroy.

I think it's good for us to remember the temptation and opposition inherent in this kind of position of power, so that we can intercede for him to hold fast to what is good. Just don't let your cynic hijack things into hopelessness or defeatism. Sometimes even a little good can kill a lot of evil. (Mustard seeds and all that.)

[de]

Eric h Janzen-

I just wanted to say amen...
amen

[Brian]

Appreciate this post and comments. In them, I hear many questions (and more rising within myself). Will the change for one oppressed group that MLK envisioned, and which was realized in part in this election, bring about any reversals or godly progress to the American Empire? Will MLK’s dream for the poor also be real-ized? Dare we hope for true justice for all?

The opposing forces of the System itself and the religious right are formidable. Both bow their knees to Mammon, whatever the claims of being a ‘nation under God.’ Obama, by contrast, seems to understand that God cares about social justice. But in a nation obsessed with ‘the American Dream’ of gaining personal fame and fortune, can he lead the people in such a way that true godly virtues win the day? Can his dream of individuals achieving success while also caring about the broader community (and giving back) truly transform a nation? Can his faith open up the stunted views of the religious right to something far more glorious than merely preserving their ‘just-us’ ‘blessings’?

As one commentator on Larry King mentioned, the religious ‘right’ don’t want the government regulating business (or taxing wealth), but they do want the government involved in regulating people’s sexuality. (That they can’t see the mess they helped create by voting Bush in almost solely to ensure America wouldn’t endorse gay marriage indicates just how myopic their vision is—a mess so great it seems even an Obama may not be able to untangle it. And in this election, some promoted McCain/Palin solely as a means to oppose abortion—again ignoring the broader picture of God’s concern for [e]quality of life for all after birth, not just ensuring birth itself occurs.)

The Law, the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles all affirmed a godliness of transformed communities where greater equality through the care of the disadvantaged is championed. Without reverting to theocracy or monarchy, and no longer living under a dictatorship where Caesar is ‘Lord’ and ‘Saviour,’ how in a democracy are followers of Jesus—including Obama who testifies that he gave his life to Jesus Christ—to be involved?

Does God still dream of transformed nations? God’s dream to showcase one nation (ancient Israel) as a model and inspiration for other nations failed, but does that mean God has no hope for nations? Was Jesus’ call to be salt & light a new way to bring about such transformation to society? When nations are gathered to judgment and the criteria is how people treated the disadvantaged (Matthew 25), does that not tell us God still cares about social justice within nations? If so, how do we get this message across to a church that has largely lost this part of the good news so it can truly be salt & light that inspires a society toward godliness in all dimensions of life?

We applaud the efforts of Wilberforce and Lincoln in ending slavery; we’re grateful for the civil rights movements inspired by Ghandi and MLK; we thank God for the transformation of South Africa led by Mandela and Tutu. We believe they enacted God’s will. Their leadership inspired, and continues to inspire, hope. Perhaps Obama can achieve similar results.

But as Harry Belafonte told Tavis Smiley the other day, Mandela is witnessing a South Africa that once again is being taken over by those with a lust for power rather than a desire for service to the common good.

For change to become rooted, we need to be vigilant in exposing and praying against the forces of the world’s way of doing Empire, while also incarnating and praying for God’s peaceable Empire to come upon the earth, for God’s Dream to be done. How God’s Empire comes and deals with nations I do not fully understand, but Jesus said God’s Empire is also within us, and above all, we all need to allow the Spirit to transform us into caring for all of Creation the way God does. Voting for such change is only a beginning.

[eric h janzen]

Excellent post Brian.

Does God still dream of transformed nations? What a great question. Here is a brief picture of how I am coming to see this.

Jesus is the King of kings and he reigns over a realm known as the Kingdom of Heaven. His community (those who receive and follow him) are the citizens of this kingdom, this nation. It is not a nation with geography and borders, but rather a spiritual nation that transcends all borders around the globe. It is the country that exists everywhere Jesus' community exists. I don't think that Jesus intended for Christians to take control of an earthly Empire and make it 'Godland'. Rather, I think Jesus saw that his kingdom would transcend geographic borders and be a force for social justice, equality, Love, and hope everywhere.

In the US the Christian Right has made a basic mistake believing that if they could control the earthly Empire they could impose the spiritual kingdom of heaven. But the Kingdom itself would oppose this, for God does not coerce or enforce his rule through political power. He calls people out of the kingdom of darkness and into his kingdom. Here I reveal a bit of my own anti-System thinking, for I don't believe that earthly powers devoted to the values of the world can find common ground with a Kingdom where the poor are to be cared for and the least of these are to be loved; where enemies are to be forgiven and those who persecute are the recipients of prayer.

All that being said, I do believe nations can be transformed, but only where the Church returns to a commitment to the kingdom and its King and begin to love their neighbours as themselves setting aside all judgment and desire to 'rule' them. If the law of Love is not at our core then we will travel far wide of the heart of God and his Gospel.

cheers,
eric

[TED+]

I am quite late on the direct comment of the experience of Tuesday night, but I did watch the election results with a feel that I watch the Stanley Cup Finals; I did recognize the trivial nature of that emotion.

Then the crowds gathered in Grant Park and the emotion deepened, became significant - no longer the Stanley Cup-ish feelings. Another strange thing happened for me as I held the weight of the evening with in my heart, a weight that caused my chest to shudder and my eyes to run: I began to fight feelings similar to worship. I wrestled and wondered and felt. I felt God was causing me to be aware that Obama is not the Savior. Now that is an extremely obvious statement but, in an important way, God needed me to acknowledge that.

I feel excited that an oppressive and aggressive conservatism is being cautioned - deeply cautioned! A right that needs to know that the Gospel of Christ is not an oppression - it draws, it squeezes, it stuns, it corals - but it does not oppress. Oppression never leads to life!

God's deep and abiding peace as we pray and listen and speak and encourage!

TED+

[jenn patil]

Who has God appointed that is given the right to judge a nation? Do not judge a nation when you do not live among it's people.
On another note:
Obama did not once thank God at his victory/acceptance speech. I have been voting since I was 18yrs old, and this is the first time the president-elect did not thank God in any way. The beginning of a new age has been ushered in, most assuredly. Never in history has the ability to "mass deceive" been more possible.

[Bev S]

I sense people are putting a lot of their hope in Obama. Isa.22:11 Stop trusting in man...Prov. 3:5 Trust in the LORD will all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...

I'm also noting more than a bit of a superior attitude from those who supported Obama and now can "chastise" and make indignant accusations toward the "religious right" (most are probably fellow brothers and sisters whether you want to claim them/us or not) and/or whoever supported Bush or McCain in reaction to less than loving things being said to them. I don't think that's what God has in mind to love our neighbors, which does include Republicans or to forgive over and over.

I had to make a stand on praying for both candidates, as I lost a prayer partner who felt they could not pray in agreement with me since I did not specifically pray for McCain to be elected as Pres. I do fully trust in God's sovereignty, whomever He chooses, with Him giving me that message of sovereignty several times before and after the election. So I have had to go through my own "persecution" from others on this election, if you will, being accused of "how can you be a Christian and not pray that McCain becomes Pres?". Thankfully, we have reconciled, and God used the break for good.

God raised up Bush as Pres. of the US, as He has now raised up Obama (Daniel 2:21), for His purposes; some/many purposes that we might not understand. (Is 55:8-9) We are called to pray for our leaders (and our fellow believers), not to slam them. God can work through anyone!! and we might not get to understand it for a while!!

I will pray for Obama, as I did for Bush, and not slam him if I don't agree with something, but trust that God is up to something far beyond my imagination.

Unfortunately, I believe the time that should have been spent in prayer for Pres. Bush, was wasted on a lot of whining and complaining about what we thought, instead of trusting in a Sovereign LORD!

Let's get back on our faces in prayer for our leaders. (1 Tim. 2:1-4) Please pray with me, no matter what happens!

Prayer partner in Christ.

Bev S

[J]

I am still in awe of how much fear Evangelicals live with. It became apparent with the accusations hurled against Obama. They have a grim view of the future indeed. This is because it us tied to US military dominance. The US is simply a country. One of many nations since Christ with Christian inhabitants. It does not represent Christian hope. Christian hope is found in the midst of a non-
hierarchical, global collective of Christ followers. Most of these have little to do with America.
Evangelicals pay lip service to peace while supporting war with no theological reflection or foundation. Time to grow up. Obama is surprisingly making peace with evangelicals.