“What Then?” by Diane Faires

Diane Faires

Seven days from now we will finally rest from this very contentious campaign season that has been going on for so long. And what then? Will we be able to sit back in a peaceful sabbatical, enjoy the absence of political ads, and let the newly elected president get to work on fulfilling his promises to the American people?

One of the many reasons I strongly support Barack Obama is that he knows the answer to that question is a resounding NO. It is not up to the president – regardless of party – to solve the problems our country faces. We all have a role to play, we all must find ways to contribute to improving our communities and “be the change we want to see in the world” (to quote another inspiring organizer, Mahatma Gandhi). Obama’s background in community organizing has led him to understand that a good leader is not one who does all the work himself or herself, but one who can mobilize others to make a difference. Even Jesus didn’t work alone – he mobilized fishermen, tax collectors, women, and many others to help in his mission.

At the top of his campaign website, Obama issues the challenge, “I’m asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington…I’m asking you to believe in yours.” One person, no matter how talented, cannot know the deepest needs of every city and town in the U.S., or the most effective and creative approach to every issue, but I feel confident that Obama knows how to listen to those who do know, to empower them to get to work, to inspire them to take action. Look at all of the young voters he has energized – including high school and college students, who many assume to be apathetic and uninterested in politics. They have been registering other voters, going door to door, and engaging in the political process in record numbers. This is just the beginning of our work as citizens, if we elect the candidate who knows what it means to organize people, to collaborate with them, to listen to THEIR call for change. It’s stated simply in his best-known slogan, “yes WE can.” I support Obama because it’s not just about him – it’s about all of us.

It’s also about our rights – the right to health care for everyone, regardless of income; the right to wages that allow full-time workers to feed their families; the right to freedom of speech, even when that means questioning your country’s policies and treatment of minorities. These are rights that Barack Obama supports. These are all rights which will allow the U.S. to be safer, stronger, and healthier. These are the rights which my faith teaches me are important. Jesus was a healer, who had great concern for the sick, the suffering, the dying, the poor and the powerless. Jesus not only fed and physically healed those who came to him for help, he encouraged people to care for one another. How are we, as Americans, responding to both the physical needs and social isolation of those who are shut out from access to the resources they need to live healthy lives? If we truly love our neighbors, we will see their health, well-being, and inclusion as a fundamental right.

It goes beyond politics, beyond this election. I’m going to vote for Barack Obama this week. Then, I’m going to get back to work in my community — advocating for a living wage, praying for healing and peace, harvesting at the community garden – I can’t wait for the next president to join me and my neighbors in creating a more hopeful future.

Diane Faires
Seminary Student
Nashville, TN

Diplomats for Obama

Check it out. Another group of leaders on WordPress supporting the Obama campaign.

“Your People Shall Be My People” by Mark Anderson

Mark Anderson

“We belong to one another.” It was a simple statement, and through a day of worship, interest groups, and a youth mission project, this phrase stuck with me. It came from a native African who presided over the communion table. His dialect and gentleness on how he approached God’s table took me back to my visit to Africa a few years ago. Nowhere have I felt that sentiment more profoundly than our group’s visit to South Africa, Angola and Kenya. We belong together not out of jealousy and obsession, but out of experiencing each person as a child of God, and understanding that God has called us to care for those created in God’s image.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth states, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. “(Ruth 1:16)

I believe this with all my soul. God’s people are my people. It is the faith that I grew up with and the faith I hope to live out in my life. My mom and father were always welcoming the stranger – the refugee family from Vietnam that was settling in a strange and foreign land – Peoria, IL. My sister, along with her own children to raise, provided shelter, care and love for two teenagers who would have otherwise been lost to the world. In my own life I try to live out this same sense of belonging to one another. Returning home from Africa I knew I needed to engage in intentional ministry with youth/children. My role as a youth sponsor or children’s worship leader is not to lead them but to allow the opportunities to go where they will go on their faith journeys. My work in the HIV/AIDS community and now at Ronald McDonald House Charities has always been bigger than just putting a roof over someone’s head. It is about accompanying folks along their journey – going where they will go, and allowing their people to be my people. It is what God is calling me to do, and what I believe God is calling us all to do.

You might ask, “What does this have to do with the presidential election this year?” If I set aside all my liberal leanings (there are many), and focused on this one thought, “we belong to one another”, I cannot help but to see this outlook overflowing with Barack Obama. Obama understands – “WE BELONG TO ONE ANOTHER”. There may be times when we may need to be mavericks, but at our very soul we need one another. We belong to one another because God has made it so.
You can name any issue our country and world is struggling with, and I believe that Obama provides the leadership that comes from a core belief that we belong to one another. I long for a leader who will not only lead our nation and the world to great things, but also one that will believe, “your people shall be my people”. I am so excited for my president to care for all of God’s creation. I’m voting early and then helping out on election day. I will go where my people will go – the polling booths – because after all, we belong to one another.

Mark Anderson
Kansas City, MO

“The Greatest Commandment” by Rev. Amy Starr Redwine

Rev. Amy Starr Redwine

Today, Michelle Obama will be at a rally just six miles from my house in Akron, Ohio. As much as I would love to go, the timing of the rally is right smack in the middle of nap time for my three year-old daughter and one year-old son. And because I found out yesterday that I’ll be officiating a funeral tomorrow morning, I need to work during nap time today (even though it’s not a work day) to plan the funeral.
I am a mother, a pastor, a wife (of a pastor), and an American. I am also a supporter of Barack Obama. I have eagerly followed his career since his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I fervently hope and pray that in just a couple more weeks he will be the president-elect and that in just a few months he will begin to implement an entirely new vision for America.
This week I am preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, for which the gospel reading is Matthew 22:34-46, when the Pharisees ask Jesus what is the greatest commandment. Of the 613 commandments found in the Torah, Jesus picks two: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4) and love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).
It has been helpful for me to remember as I prepare this sermon that loving your neighbor as yourself is not a command to love yourself better or increase your self-esteem so that you have more to give others. The original meaning which may not quite come across to our 21st century ears was to love others as you would love your own “flesh and blood” – your own kin.
Since I became a mother three years and three months ago, I have discovered a whole new level of motivation to care for and protect my own flesh and blood. Watching my children grow from dependent infants to exploring toddlers to fiercely independent preschoolers has ignited in me the desire to give them every good thing in life.
But before I am a mother looking out for the interests of my own children, before I am a pastor concerned with the welfare of my congregation, before I am a wife giving and receiving in my marriage, and before I am an American citizen enjoying my constitutional rights and freedom, I am a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, who has called me to put my love for God before everything else in my life. That means that God has to be at the forefront of every decision I make, about how I spend my time, my money, how I use the gifts God has given, and how I treat those around me.
When I put God first, I discover a fierce love for my neighbor, even for strangers I have not met, even for those whose political views are anathema to me. Although “spreading the wealth” has lately been spoken of as if it is a crime, it seems to me it is the only logical response to the greatest commandments. My love for God calls me to care for my neighbors – throughout this country and world – as I would care for my own children, fighting for their well-being, for their good health, for their security. For me, the way to do this most effectively as an American citizen is to cast my vote for Barack Obama.

Rev. Amy Starr Redwine
Akron, Ohio

News from West Virginia

Here in West Virginia a group of clergy are coming together to place a full page ad in papers around the state on Nov 2 with a statement of support for Obama and call to cease spreading lies about his faith and character. As of yesterday there were about 40 willing clergy signing on. If you know a member of the clergy who resides in WV, please pass this information on to them and ask them to contact me (amyswparker@juno.com) or Rev. Jim Lewis (ejchas@aol.com) by Wed. 10/29. Thank you.

                                                                                               –Amy Wallace Parker

Progressive Christians Back Obama, Ask GOP to Stop Racist Tactics

Check out the press release here.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” by Ryan Kemp-Pappan

Ryan Kemp-Pappan

When I was a little boy I loved to watch “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” with my brothers and sisters. We would gather around the TV and sing along with Mr. Rogers as he sweetly crooned, “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor…Would you be mine, could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor?” We would sing with passion and fervor as we sought to be the loudest.

Little did we know that Mr. Rogers was equipping us with a desire for Christ’s grand call to neighborly love. With little more than a creative spirit and a desire to love the little ones, Fred Rogers shaped and molded a generation with the teachings of Jesus—without any of us knowing what he was doing.

Mr. Rogers did not trick us, nor did he infiltrate our hearts and minds with deceptive ways in order for us to eagerly listen to him. Mr. Rogers shaped us with love—a deep, profound love that allowed us to approach him as “equals” and offered us an interpretation of the “Good News” that placed us squarely in the middle of community, relationships, and a vibrant world.

In his neighborhood, Mr. Rogers fed us with lessons and stories rooted in morality, theology, and transformation. I (and countless others) have been transformed by his most simple and profound question: “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

I look to the Presidential election that surrounds us. I wonder what Mr. Rogers would say to Barack Obama and John McCain. I imagine Mr. Rogers pondering his message of neighborly love and extending a hand of fellowship to both Barack and John.

I ponder the question, Won’t you be my neighbor? I think to myself, “Which candidate would draw this nation into the depths of neighborly love?” I would have to say Barack Obama.

I have been many things and have been involved in many movements in my life. I have supported as many candidates for public office. A few I even believed in. Never have I looked to a public official with the same admiration and hope that I hold for Barack Obama.

I first saw Obama at a rally in Austin, Texas while in seminary in 2007. I was struck by the humility and passion that rose from his voice. He held our collective heart and soul with every word.

He offered to me hope and compassion for those that reside in the margins of society. I am supporting Barack Obama because he is a person that seeks justice, loves kindness, and humbly walks with the divine. Barack Obama extends the neighborly hand and seeks to be a neighbor.

In the past I supported President Bush. I voted for him twice. I held hope that he would carry prosperity to the masses. I now see the world in a different light. I have a deep regard for those in the margins. The youth of this nation that are mired with fleeting opportunity to grow beyond the oppressive circumstance of a failing economy deserve a piece of the “American Dream.”

I look to the Gospel accounts that inspired Mr. Rogers’ message of neighborly love—Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12: 28-34, and Luke 10: 25-28—and I am filled with awe and humility at the way Mr. Rogers taught us. He never shared that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. Mr. Rogers never used fear to propel us towards a redeeming relationship with God. Mr. Rogers loved us. Mr. Rogers loved us where we were and for who we were. Mr. Rogers loved us and this compelled us to search for answers in his neighborly manner when the neighborhood got a little rough.

Mr. Rogers taught with compassion as he invested in the future, realized today. He recognized the beauty and blessing of all that crossed his path. There were no bad days, no persons too far-gone to be loved. To Mr. Rogers, redemption was already there, only his response of love remained to be fulfilled.

Barak Obama also walks with compassion as he offers this nation hope. He does not use fear, terror, or mystery to compel this nation to action. The vision Barack Obama offers is a place where the millions of folks stranded in the high seas of insurance premiums have the same access to those more fortunate. In a speech Barack Obama says, “I’m in this race for the same reason that I fought for jobs for the jobless and hope for the hopeless on the streets of Chicago; for the same reason I fought for justice and equality as a civil rights lawyer; for the same reason that I fought for Illinois families for over a decade… That’s why I’m running… to keep the American Dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity, who still thirst for equality.”

As a religious leader in America seeking to lead people towards transformation and compassion for those in the margins, I cannot support none other than Barack Obama for President of the United States. We are entering a new age in this nation. We must return to the question, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” as it offers peace.

We were once promised a beautiful utopia of tomorrow with free markets and a global economy that provided and sustained the global population as it regulated itself. I now weep at the reality that surrounds us.

Millions of Americans live in poverty, bound to a system that exploits them and sees them as producers and consumers. Our humanity has seemingly disappeared. Many of our oldest citizens face a future full of uncertainty as they can no longer afford medical expenses, housing and even foods as they work well into their golden years.

The world teeters upon war over natural resources. Our environment threats to collapse as we seek to consume more and rely on technology to bail us out. We face a terrifying tomorrow, a place that offers little to many of our children.

I cannot stand by and say nothing. It is my conviction that I must speak up and work to love kindness, do justice, and walk humbly in service to those that are ushered to the margins. We must love and welcome our neighbor. If we do not stand now against the tyranny of an exploitive system, who shall speak for us when we are ushered to the margins?

I support Barack Obama because he speaks for those that have no voice. I support Barack Obama because he upholds the rights of the individual to form communities based on forged relationships. I support Barak Obama because he seeks to include , affirm , and inspire with hope a nation.

I support Barack Obama because he does not seek to exploit; rather, he endeavors to open the doors to sustainable life to all Americans. With Barack Obama there is no checklist to fulfill for entrance into the hope, the transformation, and the work to which we all are called.

We, the supporters of Barack Obama, are like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. We have a mission, a purpose. We seek to be a community that openly affirms all that are in need, all that live in the margins. We seek to be a nation where all have access to the essentials of life absent of exploitative systems. We seek to be like Mr. Rogers and extend the call to neighborly practice. We seek to be transformed as we work to transform our communities.

I believe the Gospel to be transformative when we encounter the wonder working rebel rouser, Jesus. When we witness the beauty and are “neighborly” to others, we are truly transformed. It is my hope that this election returns to us President Barack Obama and that we will be known for our neighborly habits of love, justice, and service to the global community.

May we be a blessing to our neighbors as we wrestle with whom our neighbors are and how we may respond in love to them. It is indeed a “…beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor…Would you be mine, could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor?”

It is my hope that America will renew its commitment to this world and receive the tired, the poor, the homeless, the displaced. I pray that Barack Obama enters in to the White House and opens the golden door. I pray we let our light shine. This is why I support Barack Obama.

Minister of Christian Education
Douglass Blvd Christian Church
Louisville, KY
www.thefetteredheart.com

“We Are All Neighbors” by Rev. Andy Campbell

A couple of weeks ago I did something I had never done before in my life. I voted for the Democrat in the race for President of the United States. While my reasons for doing so are based primarily on issues of health care, I was also one of those rare people who was not voting against the other guy. I feel that John McCain would also make a fine president.
But in the small town where I live, people do not understand why I have made this decision. There are glares when I wear the Obama shirt I ordered. I have been asked to explain myself when I am wearing the button supporting Obama.
Tonight, I came home from a meeting to see that the yard sign I finally received lasted less than 12 hours in my yard before it was destroyed. I hope that all of the supporters of both candidates would try and understand that fear does have an effect on people, but it will usually serve to incite reaction. Be kind to those who support the other guy. Remember we are all neighbors, regardless of our politics.

Rev. Andy Campbell
Georgia

“An Exceptional Leader at an Exceptional Time” by Rev. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock

Rev. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock

Dear Friends,

I am supporting Barack Obama for president because I believe he is the finest candidate for president in our nation’s history in what is the most important election in our history. Senator Obama offers us a new paradigm for American life in this new century. Soon, we will have no racial majority in the U.S., and friendly global relationships will be crucial for securing lasting justice and peace and reversing threats to our environment.

Senator Obama is exceptional, not just because of his individual talent, temperament, life experience, skill, and training, but also because generations of religious people have struggled to deliver the promises of democracy to the majority of Americans left out: women, people of color, and those denied education, a liveable income, and a decent life.  While the founding power elite espoused the ideals of democracy, they defined its privileges for those like themselves, enshrining racial purity and gender as measures of citizenship. Now, we can imagine electing a mixed-race man, with a multi-religious heritage, raised by a single mother and his grandparents, both on and off U.S. soil, and educated because of those who opened access to elite education to those long denied it.

Senator Obama’s election, at a time when so much is at stake, will help us all work more effectively not just for the future of our democracy and global justice, but for the ecosystem sustaining human life on our planet.

Thanks for all you are doing to assure God’s blessings for all,
Rev. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock
Director
Faith Voices for the Common Good

“All of the Above” by Marie Siroky

Marie Siroky

If a stadium’s seating was portioned off by labels, how many of us would immediately choose one over the other? Tough choice…do I sit in the women or ordained section? Over 40 crowd or gay section? Christian or Spirit led? As a child of God I am wonderfully made, with many gifts and graces knit together. I do not cotton to labels. I could sit in all of the above sections.

As a nation we are diverse and complex. When I preach or write I do not speak for all ordained, or lesbians, etc. I do speak in response to those who try to offer the only God/Christian view. I write as one called by God, to remind myself and others that especially now, we need to follow our God’s commandment to bring love and respect for all life into our country and into our world.
Barack Obama has proven he is such a leader. As a Christian, he tries to live into God’s message in his words, his actions, and his plans for our country. He also recognizes that God is still speaking in many ways, through many faiths. Barack, more than many others, has shown a willingness to respect other cultures in our world, and bring our country into dialog and mutual respect without compromising our lives. He recognizes the diversity in our world and our country. He has shown time and again that he can and will sit down and break bread with any and all of us…world leaders to shift workers. He has shown a respect for many paths, without compromising his own.

Barack’s beliefs about what constitutes a marriage is different from mine, yet he also believes it is up to individual denominations. I am not asking him to bless my union, it is blessed by God. As one who is living in a 16 year committed relationship with another woman, I firmly believe he does respect and value my union and would actively seek to protect our rights in our country. I feel as a nation we are fortunate to have such a leader stand for the rights of all citizens. Barack has chosen not to defend against slanderous accusations by retaliating in kind. Instead he stands as a man of faith, secure in his God, committed to the words of the prophet Micah, to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.

Marie Siroky
Seminarian
Indianapolis, IN