Barack Obama talks a lot about hope. He claims that hope is audacious enough to believe, embrace, and realize the impossible. Such hope may be seen as hope against hope, but, from Obama's perspective, it is nonetheless, hope. I call this "Obamian" hope because of the person from whom it has emanated. It is my considered opinion that this is consistent with biblical hope. Although Obama does not make reference to the Bible in his verbal emissions on hope, both perspectives seem to converge to the extent that one may conclude that Obama is skilfully weaving biblical hope into the tapestry of American politics. This is phenomenal.
Obamian hope moves beyond the of the past and seeks to pro-actively conceptualize and create the future. It does not just wait for the future to come; it contributes to its shaping and coming. It pulls the future to itself and pushes itself towards the future. Biblical hope is similar. Like Obamian hope it speaks to the matter of the future being pulled into the present in the Kingdom of God. In a real sense, the Kingdom of God respects but moves beyond the past and, in the present, it realizes the future, in a preliminary sense. Biblical hope also, in a sense, propels the one in whom it is found toward the future consummation of this Kingdom. Like Obamian hope, biblical hope knows that the present is just a platform on which the future is being built and experienced. This is powerful.
In addition, Obamian hope rises above the fray of the mundane, the dehumanizing, the frivolous, and the conventional. It shifts from the periphery to the center of human history. It is a hope that escapes attempts at suppression and obliteration by "unhope" and the forces thereof. Biblical hope also moves people from the sidelines of so-called secular history and secular society and places them in the center of salvation history or God's history. Biblical hope, like Obamian hope, eschews dehumanization, conventionalism and mundaneness. It upholds the humanity of all persons, the significance of the embrace of newness, and the centrality of the extraordinary. Both "hopes" may be criticized for being metaphysical, abstract, and philosophical. However, they both are inspirational.
Finally, Obamian hope transcends racial, social, class, sex, religious, and national barriers and considerations. Obamian hope, as I see it, does not hide its "head" in the proverbial sand of human reality and existence; neither does it turn a blind eye to the structures and strictures that perpetuate racism, classism, sexism, denominationalism, and nationalism. It faces them squarely and influences them to travel down the path of self-destruction. Like Obamian hope, biblical hope rejects, neutralizes, and obliterates all such obstacles and hurdles. Moreover, biblical hope sees these negatives of human life and draws people of all races, classes, sexes, religions, and nationalities to itself and its Originator.
Fundamentally, the similarities between Obamian hope and biblical hope are extraordinary, striking, and intriguing. Like biblical hope Obamian hope inspires the Unites States of America and the world. Biblical hope finds its fullest expression in and by the person who is referred to by Christians as the Messiah. Obamian hope, as the phrase suggests, finds its fullest expression in and by Barack Obama, who is messiah-like. In a sense, Obama may just be the messiah of American politics who brings a kind of hope that is reflective of the hope that the Messiah brought to the world. Just as the hope that the Messiah introduced to the world was needed then, it is needed now. May these two "hopes" suffuse the human race.
Your E-Pastor
Earlmont Williams
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Obama Phenomenon
BARACK OBAMA! Wow! That is a bombastic name. Who is the man behind the name? Whither Barack Obama? The meteoric rise of Obama to national prominence and stardom in the USA is the story of the first decade of the new millennium. It is unbelievable! Who would have thought that a man by that name would rise to prominence in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Not even the greatest optimist would have been able to predict this anomaly.
Well, believe it or not, Barack Obama is here to stay. Before he addressed the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2004, he was a relative unknown entity. The speech he presented at that convention catapulted him to a place of national prominence. Nothing and no one could have stalled or stopped his speedy movement towards the higher echelons of the democratic party and national leadership. What a fantastic story Barack Obama's is! Simply phenomenal!
Back to the major question under consideration. Who really is Barack Hussein Obama? Yes, his middle name is Hussein! According to Wikipedia, Barack Hussein Obama "was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawai to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (born in Nyanza Province, Kenya of Luo ethnicity) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas)
Many people claim that his mixed background, having been born to a white American mother and a black Kenyan father makes him an interesting person. I'm not sure he is fully accepted in any of the two historically segregated communities- the white and black communities. However, he brings with him perspectives from both. He understands the white way of life and the black way of life. He identifies with both worlds. This makes him eminently qualified to serve as president of the United States of America because he is close to the two most prominent communities in the country.
Barack Obama does not have the kind of years of experience in positions of national leadership that John McCain and, to a lesser extent, Hilary Clinton do have. However, he brings a fresh message; a new style of politics; an unconventional approach to governance. He brings a message of change and hope that resonates with Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Hope cuts across all ethnic, racial, sex, and class barriers, especially in a world that seems destined for self-destruction and nothingness. Barack now serves as a kind of black-white "messiah"- one who could make a significant difference in and change America and the world. Is America and the world ready for Barack Obama and what he stands for? YES, THEY ARE.
Eirene!
Your E-Pastor
Earlmont Williams
Well, believe it or not, Barack Obama is here to stay. Before he addressed the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2004, he was a relative unknown entity. The speech he presented at that convention catapulted him to a place of national prominence. Nothing and no one could have stalled or stopped his speedy movement towards the higher echelons of the democratic party and national leadership. What a fantastic story Barack Obama's is! Simply phenomenal!
Back to the major question under consideration. Who really is Barack Hussein Obama? Yes, his middle name is Hussein! According to Wikipedia, Barack Hussein Obama "was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawai to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (born in Nyanza Province, Kenya of Luo ethnicity) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas)
Many people claim that his mixed background, having been born to a white American mother and a black Kenyan father makes him an interesting person. I'm not sure he is fully accepted in any of the two historically segregated communities- the white and black communities. However, he brings with him perspectives from both. He understands the white way of life and the black way of life. He identifies with both worlds. This makes him eminently qualified to serve as president of the United States of America because he is close to the two most prominent communities in the country.
Barack Obama does not have the kind of years of experience in positions of national leadership that John McCain and, to a lesser extent, Hilary Clinton do have. However, he brings a fresh message; a new style of politics; an unconventional approach to governance. He brings a message of change and hope that resonates with Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Hope cuts across all ethnic, racial, sex, and class barriers, especially in a world that seems destined for self-destruction and nothingness. Barack now serves as a kind of black-white "messiah"- one who could make a significant difference in and change America and the world. Is America and the world ready for Barack Obama and what he stands for? YES, THEY ARE.
Eirene!
Your E-Pastor
Earlmont Williams
Michelle Obama's "Mistake"
Did Michelle Obama make a mistake in a recent speech when she stated that she was proud of her country for the first time? Many people think so. A related question that is probably more significant is, Has her utterance hurt her husband's chances? Some are of that view.
Well, from my perspective, I do not think her utterance was a mistake. As a lecturer in Communication Studies, I am aware of the importance of context in the interpretation of what people say and write. Therefore, one should consider the context in which she said it. I am referring to the immediate context of the sentence, which is under consideration. The sentences before and after this one are critical. No one says anything in isolation. There is always a context. Whenever you move a statement from its context, you distort its meaning. That is what has happened to Mrs. Obama. It's obvious from the context that she meant that she was "prouder" because of the large scale embrace of change in America as it was embodied in her husband Barack Obama.
Whether her utterance has hurt Barack's campaign is left to be seen. However, I do not think that it would hurt it much, if at all. I think though that she should have been more careful with respect to such potentially controversial statements. More seasoned politicians would not have made such a statement. Well, Michelle Obama is not really a politician. I think she has learned from this experience as she moves full speed ahead in the direction of the White (Black?) House.
Eirene!
Your E-Pastor,
Earlmont Williams
Well, from my perspective, I do not think her utterance was a mistake. As a lecturer in Communication Studies, I am aware of the importance of context in the interpretation of what people say and write. Therefore, one should consider the context in which she said it. I am referring to the immediate context of the sentence, which is under consideration. The sentences before and after this one are critical. No one says anything in isolation. There is always a context. Whenever you move a statement from its context, you distort its meaning. That is what has happened to Mrs. Obama. It's obvious from the context that she meant that she was "prouder" because of the large scale embrace of change in America as it was embodied in her husband Barack Obama.
Whether her utterance has hurt Barack's campaign is left to be seen. However, I do not think that it would hurt it much, if at all. I think though that she should have been more careful with respect to such potentially controversial statements. More seasoned politicians would not have made such a statement. Well, Michelle Obama is not really a politician. I think she has learned from this experience as she moves full speed ahead in the direction of the White (Black?) House.
Eirene!
Your E-Pastor,
Earlmont Williams
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