Transformation: From exclusion to inclusion
By Elwanda Cornelius
More than ever the world has looked to our nation as it is being transformed from being exclusive to becoming inclusive. This dream is becoming more of a reality with the election of our 44th president of the United States, who happens to be African-American.
There were tears of joy. People were caught up emotionally. There was dancing in the streets and celebrations in small villages of far away nations. There were estimates of two million people in attendance at this inaugural ceremony.
I must confess that throughout the electoral process, I was filled with apprehension, fear and uneasiness as I began to chart uncharted waters. Questions began to come to mind. Could this one be reminiscent of a great prophet or leader of old? Who was this charismatic one, speaking eloquently of his dreams and change and winning the hearts of those within earshot? It did not seem to matter whether they were young or old or had skin color representative of every color of the rainbow.
My milestones: I came from the civil rights era of the late '50s and '60s. I was able to witness the civil rights marches, desegregation of food counters (sit-ins) and school integrations. I heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful speeches. I was able to recall President Lyndon B. Johnsons' signing of the Civil Rights Bill and the involvement of the Kennedys (Robert and John). I attended the separate but equal schools. As a young child I recall my days of being a part of a sharecropper family working the cotton fields of Texas.
Reflecting during the latter days of the election process, I discovered that I had erected walls and placed limitations on my dreams and aspirations. Despite having served overseas in missions (Nigeria) and desiring to go anywhere God placed me, I was content to return home to my comfort zone. I did opt for a service role serving quietly rather than being politically active.
Looking today, I remain mindful that the world is watching this nation. We seem to have lost our way for a brief moment. We seem to have forgotten that we are a nation created under God with freedom and justice for all. The result of the election is an expression of the desires of the American people in the democratic process. Shall this be a time of recommitment, rededication, reconciliation and restoration?
As Christians we are encouraged to remain vigilant and mindful that the race has not been won yet regarding equality and justice. We are not naïve to think that all of our brothers share our joy, values and ideals. We are reminded that Matthew 10:16 (NRSV) admonishes us, “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
As the world waits, we must realize that it will not be easy. We should not be guilty of taking our places under the juniper tree outside city walls and waiting for our country to fall into greater decay and chaos. With this newfound hope and motivation, may the words from 2 Chronicles 7:14 ring out: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
To our nation, may we remain faithful in carrying out the principles of our founding fathers. May we be one nation under God and may God bless America.
Elwanda Cornelius, a counselor, is a member of Huguenot Road Baptist Church in Richmond.
Defining moment: A new wave of healthy and loving self-esteem
By Henry Holland
I am a native Virginian whose ancestors go back to Jamestown and some of my ancestors owned slaves, fought and died for the Confederacy and defended this country in the World Wars, and two of them were Baptist ministers. I was educated in racially-segregated public schools in Richmond, graduated from a private all white male college and entered the Medical College of Virginia School of Medicine in 1962.
At that time I met the first African-American classmate of my educational pilgrimage. The only reason for his presence in my class was that the Commonwealth of Virginia did not offer a segregated public medical school for African Americans. I have been a member of a Virginia Baptist church since age 13. In addition I have been a Civil War buff most of my life. At age 11, I was crippled by polio and I know the sting of subtle discrimination and the pain of being the object of stares and pity.
I believe in the teachings of Jesus as I interpret them. For me Jesus' teachings are more inclusive than exclusive. He met a woman—and a Samaritan woman at that—at a public well and talked with her about new water that will quench every thirst. He cured a man with apparent schizophrenia and he welcomed children into his arms. He often was an advocate for the poor and for the least among us.
With the election of Barack Obama our country has witnessed a defining moment in our history. Our history includes human slavery, the slave trade and racial segregation. The founding of the Southern Baptist Convention was created in part as a defense of slavery. I do not know if God works in history, but often remarkable leaders have come to the Oval Office with immense challenges, and those challenges have been met, often for the benefit of those oppressed, enslaved and in poverty.
I feel that President Obama's hope and vision will translate into a new maturity for our country. In his inaugural speech, President Obama made reference to the words of Paul.
“When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.”
As a psychiatrist I am hopeful that a new wave of healthy and loving self-esteem will be experienced among our people and that those less fortunate will feel uplifted.
Henry Holland, a psychiatrist, is a member of River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond.
New day: Extending an open hand toward a clinched fist
By Wayne Faison
The election of President Barack Obama signifies a new day for America. This is a day I could have never imagined seeing in my lifetime. With my generational frame of reference entrenched in a spectrum between the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement, this day represents a day of fulfilled hopes and dreams for the “United” States of America. I've always felt that America had it within herself to usher into existence such a historic and monumental occurrence. Now, it has happened! And from here, there is no turning back.
The election of President Barack Obama signifies that our work is just beginning. Maybe now we can begin having open dialogue about race relations without the suppressive hindrances of political correctness. Maybe now we can begin building the community Martin Luther King dreamed of that is built on internal character and not external skin color. Maybe now we can set all of the captives free on both ends of the racial spectrum—my “black” brothers and sisters who seem to be carrying a sense of shame for the atrocities suffered by their forebears, although they weren't born yet and therefore should not be bearing such a heavy burden; and my “white” brothers and sisters who seem to be carrying a sense of guilt for the atrocities committed by their forebears, although they too weren't born yet and therefore had nothing to do with it.
The election of President Barack Obama signifies a significant paradigm shift not only for the nation, but also the Church. A new prophetic voice has entered into this already cluttered arena of beliefs, values and worldviews.
Through what lenses will we process what is occurring not only in America, but around the world? This dawning of this new day feels like the yesterday of the Old Testament prophets. Whose prophetic voice will be heard?
In his inauguration speech, President Barack Obama articulated many images that will stick with me forever. However, there was one image in particular that caused me to think about the prophetic voice of the Church. And, no it wasn't the reference to “acting like a child.” It was President Obama's reference to “extending an open hand towards a clinched fist.”
When he said that, the Old Testament story of the Persian king Darius and the handwriting on the wall in the book of Daniel came to mind. History has shown that the Church has never been kind to new prophetic voices. It is my prayer that the Church will embrace this particular new prophetic voice, for such a time as this, with an open hand and not a clinched fist.
Wayne Faison is team leader of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's courageous churches team.
Change: All things are possible with God
By Jim Johnson
The lovely strains of the Shaker tune “Simple Gifts” linger with me and will long after the inauguration. The Shakers were concrete thinkers who acted in concert with the words,” 'til by turning, turning we come round right.” Change. The inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama was about change.
You see, the powerful, personal presence of God in Jesus called the Spirit of Truth was not fooled when laws were passed guaranteeing persons rights regardless of race. Biblical justice is not about laws alone, but changing attitudes and behaviors. There is a moral imperative indivisible from beliefs alone, however sincerely held. James Russell Lowell admitted, “Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.” It was one thing to promise that inclusion was possible, another to prove it, and it had to be proven.
The election of Barack Obama proves that Baptist preacher, Martin Luther King Jr., was not unrealistic about the nation's willingness to change, however soon or late. When the Founding Fathers asserted, “We the people,” they may not have meant to include everyone, but this new day proclaims that this generation does mean it. And that remains so, whether one voted for the man or not, for it would have been meaningless without a contest fairly engaged. Jan. 20, we did “form a more perfect union,” an aperitif of the withness (yes, I spelled that right), of God's kingdom, for “God shows no partiality” that one time bigot named Peter declared.
It is for every person and nation to decide if this was of God. However, for my part, God's fingerprints are everywhere. The election of the son of an African immigrant was nothing short of remarkable to a fellow witness to the radical transformation of our society in our time. Yet, all things are possible with God. The irresistible prayer uttered impulsively by most presidents, “So help me God,” in whatever measure sincere, remains, all the same, testimony of this assurance. All things are possible with God.
Jim Johnson is pastor of Williamsburg Baptist Church in Williamsburg.
New dreams: Possibilities unleashed for all Americans
By Don Davidson
Although we live just a few miles from the Capitol building, we watched the inauguration on television from the warmth of our family room. We hosted a party, if not a celebration, and our guests and I hung on every word, song and prayer that was offered.
My 24-year-old son sat across from me and was as excited as I have seen him in a long time. I tried to watch the inauguration through the eyes of his demographic. The passions surfacing, the sea change in the making, a commitment to issues that he cares deeply about. I was not a supporter during the campaign, because of other issues that matter most to me, but I would not rain on his parade this day.
I also tried to imagine what my long-deceased parents would make of all this. An African-American president was unthinkable generations ago—even in my earlier years. Memories of growing up in the segregated South are still very fresh, so I understood the exuberant emotions on the faces of throngs out on the mall. And tears pooled in my eyes, too. I am so very proud of what has finally happened in our country, of the possibilities Obama's election has unleashed for all Americans.
A child of any race can now dream, like I did, that one day he or she could grow up to sit in the Oval Office. That with an education, hard work, and out of a strong family structure, no limits remain to what a person can realize.
No, I was not a supporter of Obama—but I am going to be one now. I am beginning to catch my son's excitement. And I am hopeful. I want him to succeed. We need him to succeed. Like most presidents who took the oath before him, Obama added the words, “So help me God.” Indeed—for that is what it will take in these difficult times.
When Marine One lifted off from the Capitol, carrying former President Bush to a plane, and home to Texas, the full weight of the office must have fallen heavily on our new president, there to see him off. All the responsibility, now his alone. For me it was the most sobering moment of the day.
So, “Help him, LORD,” is the prayer we lifted at my house on Tuesday when we finally cut off the TV. My Democrat son, his Reagan-era parents and other Republican-leaning guests, holding hands. “Grant him wisdom, grant him courage, that he fail not man nor thee.”
Don Davidson is pastor of First Baptist Church in Alexandria.
Unexpected fulfillment: Rejoice and be glad
By Tommy McDearis
Just over 10 years ago I spent an afternoon wth one of the most fascinating women I ever knew. Her name was Laura Austin Taylor and in 1998 she was in her eighth decade of life. Spry, jovial and charming, “Miss Laura,” as she was known, was delightful and interesting. Like Barack Obama, she was of both white and African-American descent. However, as a child of the Old South, she had no claim to her white grandmother's heritage. She was full and proudly African American.
When she joined Blacksburg Baptist Church in the early 1990s, she offered a small endowment for the purpose of reaching young black college students for membership in the church. She said, “I know from experience that faith in Christ and the family of his church are the keys to ending racial prejudice.”
Miss Laura was born in the rural coal mining community of McCoy, Va., though in those days of segregation, blacks were largely consigned to an enclave called Wake Forest. Miss Laura loved her roots, but being artcuilate and intelligent, she longed for more of America than the restrictive place of her birth. As a young woman she moved north, where she eventually became a personal seamstress for Rose Kennedy, mother of our 35th president.
Miss Laura's travels and her acquaintances exposed her to a far bigger and more daring world than the one to which she was born. Having been present when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Miss Laura called that event the single most inspiring day of her life. Yet, as time passed, she longed for home. To home she returned some 20 years later.
As we visited, I listened as Miss Laura regaled me with stories of joy and hardship. She spoke of how her faith empowered her to never give up on life or on the possibilities that lay within any person posssessed of God's love. Miss Laura told me stories of triumph. She also told me of the pain. Miss Laura lived in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Yet for much of her life, the color of her skin prevented her from fully experiencing the benefits implied by those words.
In our last visit before her death, Miss Laura marveled at how quickly the South had changed. Once a place of racial distrust and separation, it became a place of acceptance where some of her closest friends were white. More importantly, it did so in only one generation. “We've come a long way, preacher,” she said. “God can do great things when we're willing to live by his word. Why, who knows—maybe in another 50 years or so this great country might just elect a black president.”
Miss Laura had a dream, but neither of us imagined her dream wold be realized only 10 years later. And what's more, as I watched Barack Obama take the oath of office to become our nation's 44th president, I thought, “Who from Miss Laura's generation would have thought a day would come so soon when an African American would become the president with scarcely anyone caring about the color of his skin?” As the late Tim Russert often said, “What a country!”
Whether Democrat or Republican, may we Christians remember that this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad for the passing of ungodly notions and for a love that can truly make all things news.
Tommy McDearis is pastor of Blacksburg Baptist Church in Blacksburg.