The US Presidential Election of 2008 was truly a historic milestone.  Many analysts said that it couldn’t be done---because racial stereotypes and prejudices are still strong---but for the first time in history, a person whose ancestry can be directly traced to the Negro subset of the human race---a black man---was chosen in a free election to the highest office in the land.  Yes, Mr. Barak Hussein Obama became the duly elected President of the United States of America.

          Many said that it couldn’t happen---and that includes many black leaders---but the people spoke.  Mr. Obama stated that the overwhelming majority of Americans agreed with his policies.  On THAT, I strongly disagree.  I’m convinced that the majority agreed with SOME OF his policies---and that the majority of Americans were eager to put the racial ugliness behind us. 

In short, I am convinced that Mr. Obama was elected BECAUSE of his black ancestry. I can tell you for sure that I wanted to vote for him, for exactly that reason. I was also very pleased with his strong message about parental responsibility, and his efforts to lead more black men to assume their proper role in family life. Unfortunately, I was not able to vote for him, because I believed that he meant what he said about the changes which he wants to bring, and I strongly disagree with him on several of them--- issues which are important enough that I couldn’t in clear conscience participate in electing him.

I have good friends “of color” who voted for Mr. Obama, even though they disagreed with him on those same key issues, but they felt that the need to put our heritage of dysfunctional racial relations behind us trumped the other issues. Although I disagree with them about the sequencing of top priorities, I still love and respect them thoroughly.

Yes, if you have any doubt about it, I AM one of those dreaded Evangelical Christian Right Wing Extremists!  Please don’t quit on me just yet, though, because I’d really like for you to know that we are not all quite so extreme or so radical as you may have been led to believe.  I realize that it seems almost incredible, but I think we may actually be able to agree on key issues, and find ways to work together for the common good.

Oh, by the way---not ALL right wing Christians are WASPs (white Anglo Saxon Protestants).  Devout Christians of all races and even (gasp!) some who are members of the Roman Catholic Church are coming to the same conclusions.  If you actually believe that there is a God, and if you believe that HE cares about the issues, then it makes sense that individuals who are serious about their worship of / devotion to Him should include seriously seeking to know HIS will* (*what He wants), and  should seriously obey when His will is known.

Now, I have opened a very LARGE topic, which is not the subject of this article, so I will endeavor to close it quickly.  I believe that it IS possible to know His will---but that is a topic for another day.  Just to close the issue, though, if it actually IS possible to know His will, it logically follows that His view does not vary according to which follower he is leading!  If you will observe with an open mind, you will find an amazing level of agreement among Christians of all “flavors” who truly seek to know “the Will of God”.  This is true without regard to race, social class, or national origin. 

I have a friend, for example, who grew up in Nigeria, is quite black---and is a devout Christian.  My daughter and her family are members of a mission team in Haiti.  That mission focuses, not on directly preaching “to the heathen”, but rather on supporting, encouraging, and training local church leaders.  I believe that she would also tell you, race and national origin are not big issues with true Christians.  Oh, incidentally, she and her husband have adopted two Haitian kids, and they are treated exactly as the three blonds and one brunette who are genetically their own.  Yes those kids are among our grandchildren (total of fourteen!) and we love them all equally….but I digress…

          It seems that Mr. Obama has found that some of the problems to which he thought he knew easy answers---before he was actually in office--- may be a bit more complicated than they may have appeared when he was just peering through the window of the Oval Office.  As a consequence, the solutions are not coming so quickly as many had imagined they might.

          Major problems, such as Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Economy, and Health Care, and … well, you know as well as I do that the list is quite long.  Any one of those problems is intensely important to large numbers of people.  Making the wrong decision, taking the wrong action on any one of them will cause pain, suffering, anger, and even death.  No matter WHICH decision he makes, many people will think it was the wrong one. 

          I’m sad to say that far too many “right wing extremists” seem to assume that Mr. Obama is basically evil, that he is just looking for opportunities to do wrong!  Come to think of it, many “left wing extremists” assume the same about “right wingers”. 

          Please allow me to suggest a really shocking concept:  I dare to believe that (even though I strongly disagree with some of Mr. Obama’s policies) he is actually doing what he believes is right.  And for you who are left of center, please consider that we who are right of center also are trying to do what we believe is right.  Could it be that honest, intelligent people can sometimes reach opposite conclusions---even when no evil intentions are involved?  Do you suppose that it might be possible for us to develop some semblance of respect and decency toward one another, and to build on that toward finding solutions which are acceptable to all?  Maybe even solutions which are GOOD for most of us?  By the way, we need to clearly understand that NO decision can be made which will be a source of universal joy!  The truth is that decisions made in favor of one perspective will be AGAINST another, and they will cause pain, as well as pleasure---hurt as well as healing.  Regardless of who is in charge, this is true.  Understanding this, we need to look for ways to minimize the pain and the hurt, and to remedy them quickly and compassionately when they can’t be avoided.

          One way in which I propose that we achieve mutual respect, decency, and solutions to our problems is through prayer.  Regardless of the “flavor” of your faith, try praying that Mr. Obama be guided by Divine Providence to find answers which are actually GOOD for most of us, which build our country up, and which do no violence to our faith or to our culture.  Pray that he will have the wisdom to make right choices, the courage to make them in a timely fashion, and the good judgement to know how to best present those decisions to the public.

Oh, yes---since the United States of America IS NOT a monarchy---we should probably pray for other leaders, as well. Let’s try praying for all of them, even those who are not of our preferred political party or social viewpoint. How’s THAT for a REALLY RADICAL idea?

While you are at it, pray that men and women of faith---wherever they stand on the key issues---will have enough integrity to listen to and consider the views of others, and the reasons for their views. Pray that we can learn to listen to one another, to understand one another, to care for one another.

If we were all to pray for the same ultimate ends---stop focusing on “the battle”---and instead focus on the goal---we might all be surprised at what is possible!