like so many others, i witnessed history today - on tv. i sat on the couch downstairs with around 7 or 8 of my sorority sisters, folding my clean laundry and watching the 44th president take office this morning. it was remarkable - to say the least. however, it wasn't until this afternoon that i realized how deep the emotional impact of Obama's inauguration is felt by people in minority groups in this country.
my first and only Tuesday class, Teaching in a Multicultural Society, met at a reception for the 2009 Commerce Bank President’s Commission on Multicultural Affairs Reception. a student and a professor were being honored for their achievements in education and support for minority students. i heard several speakers at the reception who reflected on the significance of today's events, tying in the awards with the inauguration of America's first black president and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. the vocal group United Black Voices sang two gospel hymns; the first repeated a chorus over and over again - "Lord, i know i'm saved" - and the second was "amazing grace."
guess who teared up when that song was sung.
when the last speaker closed the reception - she's a professor in the dept. of continuing education, i think - and i watched as she got a little choked up when speaking about Obama - i realized how freely i had heard these people speak about God and Jesus and use other terms to designate a spiritual significance during the reception. these elements of the speeches and remarks were relatively vague, but there was definitely an indivisible connection between an acknowledgement of God and the celebration of minority accomplishments.
i find this incredibly interesting.
we are taught some in school about the plight of slaves in America prior to the Civil War. we learn about the secret songs featuring Biblical characters and places, sung by weary workers in the fields desperate to light a flame of hope within their burdened hearts. we learn about a woman who led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North, whose nickname was Moses, and another woman who spoke up boldly for slaves and women, who called herself Sojourner Truth. from then to now, there has been a clear connection drawn by blacks between the unforgettable story of Exodus and the story written in American history concerning years of suffering, a great war, an emancipation, and a widespread call to civil disobedience. throughout this story, we see several professed Christians take the stand and invoke God and Christians boldly to reevaluate their values and ways of living as they affect others.
essentially, today i have been thinking about how tightly Christian spirituality is woven into the expectations and emotions of many minorities as they applaud our new president. i am wondering, not necessarily about the merit of this spirituality, but about its place within Christianity as a potential sort of sub-set faith.
the question left for me is: how much does God really champion the advancements of people groups?
when i look at biblegateway.com through their online version of Nave's Topical Bible, using the term "election," this is what comes up concerning the nation of Israel, which we all know as a pivotal character(s) in the OT:
"for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession." deut. 7:6
"for the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, i summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me." is. 45:4
so obviously, God had to choose a people group to specifically reveal Himself through. but why Israel? did something make them stand out more to God than the others? the second verse seems to nullify that argument - Israel was definitely not holier than the other peoples. Isaiah goes on to speak the LORD's words in 49:6...
"he says, ' it is not enough for you to be My servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. i will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth."
i guess you could also use the entire book of Joshua, and events concerning foreign nations through the Chronicles and Kings, to point out how God led Israel to victory over the nations that did not call him God. so he definitely was fully behind their advancement, quite literally in many cases. and we know that He is still behind them today - even those who still wait in vain for the Messiah that came among them 2,000+ years ago.
but what about other peoples besides Israel?
what does God think on a day like today, when a member of an oppressed and often underprivileged people group rises to a position of power over a mixed multitude? how much does God advance the particular needs and wishes of people groups - aside from basic human survival and belonging needs? is it right to invoke Him in all situations relating to human agendas?
our God is a lover of people, and one who desires for them to love Him back. when that happens - when people love God first and most - that love pours down from heaven and washes in a horizontal direction over others. as Christians, we are called to be Christ - and to be Christ means to come alongside those who are suffering, who are losing their grip, who feel weak and helpless. To be Christ often means turning to social justice issues. To be Christ often means asking Him to be behind all that we do.
after today, though, i'm thinking about what it means to truly seek God's will concerning equality among human beings, and what it means to assume He is behind my - or any - particular people groups' advancement. today was an incredible day for black Americans - for minority Americans - for all Americans in general, whether they admit it or not. while God has ordained this day, this presidential term, having worked it out long ago, i don't know how comfortable i feel with this deep intertwining of a Christian spirituality and racial advancement.
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