Tribal Church

Season Two of God Complex Radio has begun, and Bruce Reyes-Chow had a wonderful conversation with Diana Butler-Bass. Join us as we talk about civility and graciousness.

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Okay… they are out there. They slip into our churches, wanting to be unnoticed. They are the mega-church refugees.

After two decades of hand clapping, arm waving, and metal chair sitting, they gave themselves a reprieve from church. But now, they want something, and they’re pretty sure they don’t want their parent’s boomer church, with the charismatic pastor and the Limbaugh-induced sermons. And so a few of them are slipping into our pews. Looking around, wearily, cautiously.

What do they look like? How can you spot them? I have a few pointers, since I was one of them.

•Even though they love the environmental aspects of the screen, they might break out into a bit of a cold sweat when they see it in the sanctuary.

•They might bring their Bibles to church. Do not be alarmed when you see the book. Try not to stare. And don’t worry. They will figure out quickly that they’re not supposed to bring it.

•Their personal Bible in their pew does give them a little comfort because they can’t immediately tell the difference between hymnal, prayer book, and Bible in the pew. They will pick up the wrong one. At least until they figure out that no one else really follows along with the readings, because they are the only ones who know how to look them up.

•If they’re particularly moved by a solo, they will clap following it. Once. Until they figure out that it’s not okay. Then they will die a little bit inside.

•They never missed a Sunday at church growing up, but they don’t know the Apostle’s Creed. They are the ones mumbling “watermelon” when the rest of the congregation is proudly articulating every word.

•They might say “Amen” after the pastor says it. It’s just a reflex. And don’t laugh at them if they use “just” in their prayers. At least they know how to pray in public.

•They are the people who would rather leave their right arm than leave their email address.

•They may not have been going to church for the last ten years, because they were afraid that they couldn’t afford it.

•If they happen into a denominational church during Stewardship Sunday, they may never come back. Only because, in their mind, asking for money is what church is about every Sunday.

•If they hear how much your church is involved with helping the homeless and poor, then they will start to breathe. And they might be able to leave something in the offering.

•If you mention that your church supports LGBTs, then the muscles in their neck will loosen. They will be utterly confused, but very relieved.

•They are confused by communion. They might not have even ever participated in communion before.

•If someone tries to hug during the passing of the peace, they will have finely-developed defense mechanisms in order to shield themselves from the Holy Spirit chest crunch.

•If the pastor learns their name after a couple of weeks, they just might faint dead away.

•If the church has a discussion about having a “contemporary” worship service in order to reach out to more people, they will assume that you’re trying to get their parents to come to your church.

And what would you add? Have you been there? Have you seen them?

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We interviewed Jeff Sharlet, the author of The Family, on God Complex Radio yesterday (as usual, you can click on the right to hear the interview). It was pretty fascinating. He was a part of Ivanwald, a home for men, who are the chosen ones. They were men from affluent households, who were being groomed, through hard work, close mentorships, and prayer meetings for leadership. Ivanwald also has a connection to C Street, a home for congressmen who are connected to the Family and have been highlighted in a number of scandals lately. The Family is a secretive, and extremely powerful fundamentalist group.

It was actually a pretty emotional experience for me, reading the book. I don’t want to over-play my relationship to the Religious Right—I left it before I turned twenty-one. But it answered a lot of questions for me.

It also reminded me of many of the differences between my Conservative roots and my Progressive present. Most of the shifts are wonderful, and I embrace them, but reading this haunting history reminded me that there are some things that we can… well… I’m groping for words here… learn from Conservatives? Things that I’m thankful for?

One of the most shocking realizations as I read this book is the lack of mentoring that happens in Progressive circles. I always hear people who lived through the 60s, decrying the fact that there are no good young leaders. We have a leadership vacuum. There is no respected, loud and clear voice, speaking out for progressive values.

It always confused me, because I’m surrounded by smart, young progressive leaders. To me, it seemed like they were speaking clearly, but no one was listening.

Yet, as I work more and more within our progressive faith tradition, I realize that there is almost an undercurrent of hostility toward the young. I feel it often. Working with generational issues, all across the country, I am always hitting on some raw wound. It often comes up when I point out sociological research that says that Generation X is the most innovative generation in our country’s history. We have more entrepreneurs, we’ve started more companies, fueled the tech boom, etc.

People often get furious.

And let me be clear. I brought up Gen X because their span still includes people in their 20s. But I’m not talking about people like me. I’m not so young any more. I’m talking about those who are younger than me. For instance, I have also been startled by attitudes toward Campus Ministry.

I have been working with college students, in one way or another, ever since I became a pastor, because it’s important. I know that we are overshadowed by the phenomenal success of Campus Crusade for Christ (which always makes me wonder… what college student wants to be a part of a “crusade”? What organization would embrace that name? The crusades were a dark and terrible blot for Christians…), Intervarsity, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Even on George Washington University’s campus, where most of the students are politically progressive, why would CCC’s ministry be so robust?

Well, I’m not sure how many full-time staff that CCC has on George Washington University campus, but I know it’s at least two. At least 80 hours a week dedicated to developing young Christian leaders. In comparison, I work ten hours a week, and I am in a constant struggle for funding to hold on to the ten hours.

Most of our Campus Ministers, in Mainline Denominations across the country, spend most of their time trying to justify their jobs, and trying to fundraise in the midst of denominations who question our existence. Denominational funding has been slashed, governing bodies don’t understand the point, the local church feels to strapped to reach out. There is always something more pressing than Campus Ministry.

There would never be a question in a conservative church. Never. If the ministry was struggling, they would fire the person and put someone effective in. Why? Because they are just much more focused on young leadership. They don’t wait for young leaders to kick down the doors, they open the doors for young leaders. And if there is no door to open, they build a door for them.

It seems that we have lost our vision in Mainline Christianity for mentoring, challenging, developing, and loving young leadership. There are exceptions (thank God) to this overarching theme. Will Willimon spoke about his frustrations on this issue quite clearly. But, it still remains as the most startling difference between the two cultures.

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I’m holding in my hand a thick manuscript. One that needs a whole lot of editing and a summary chapter, but it’s in good enough shape that I feel like I can start blogging again.

Dave Eggers says that if you’re writing a book, an important thing to do is to print out the manuscript, hold the paper in your hand, feel the weight of it. Pay to have it bound, if it’s not going to a publisher.

It’s a good exercise. I don’t like to waste the trees, so I try to do as much electronically as I possibly can, but a couple times in the process, I print it out. I’ve learned to take care of the papers, too. Treat the words with respect. It’s easy for me to let them get lost in the shuffle of school notices and church minutes, let them get dog-eared and coffee-stained, but it’s a vital practice to act as if they’re important thoughts (even when in the midst of editing, I feel like they’ll never be fit for public consumption).

For those of you who write, I’ll update you a bit on the editing process. Because it’s excruciating some days, and wonderful the next day. Right now, it’s difficult, because it all seems out of order, parts of it are bloated, while other parts feel anemic. It kind of reminds me of when I was a kid, and I would find a smelly roadkill possum on some deserted road. In the Florida heat, some of the parts would swell, and others would be all flat….

So, I’m just concentrating on the volume, the quantity, the structure, and trying to feel good about it.

Thanks for your patience, while I concentrated more on it.

There have been some other wonderful developments in our lives around here in the last month, while I was away. I’ve been to the Presbymergent coordinating group gathering (Leslie Scanlon wrote an insightful article on it). I’ve also been with the Disciples in D.C., the Methodists in New Jersey, and the Presbyterians in Pennsylvania, as well as a Fund for Theological Education event at my Alma Mater in Texas.

The most exciting thing that happened was that Michelle Obama came to serve our guests at Miriam’s Kitchen, the breakfast and social service program that’s housed in our church. She wanted to highlight Miriam’s commitment to fresh food and their healthy menu. I was impressed by her warmth and generous spirit. She kept her secret service on their toes as she greeted the homeless men and women. 

Also, Bruce Reyes-Chow–our esteemed Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)–and I are starting an Internet Radio Show, which you can read about more here. We are incredibly thankful that Landon Whitsitt will be the Program Producer and Heather Scott will be the Tech Producer and Engineer. We’ll be discussing politics, faith, and culture, beginning on May 4 (well… we might talk about those things before May 4, but on May 4 is when we’re going on air). Andrew Sherman came up with the name “The God Complex,” and now we need to think of a tagline.

Any thoughts? The Twitter feedback has been fun:

• God Complex: 2 people with 3 names talking about 1 God with many names (Camille LeBron Powell)
• The God Complex: How We Live in this Earthly Rental Community (Fritz Gutwein)
• The God Complex: WIIFM Alternative Radio (What’s In It For Me) (Zach Sasser)
• God Complex: scrutting the inscrutable (Jim Bonewald)
• God Complex: conversation as complex and inscrutable as God (Jim Bonewald)
• God Complex: it is really not that difficult (Brian Merritt)
• God Complex: We’ve Figured it Out (Brian Merritt)
• God Complex: Easy Cures (Brian Merritt)
• The God Complex: If Years of Theologians didn’t confuse you, we’ll give it a shot (Mark Smith) 
• The God Complex: We Tried The God Simple and that didn’t work (Mark Smith)
• God Complex: you wouldn’t understand. (Brian Merritt)
• The God Complex: It’s Only A Neurosis if the majority think it is (Mark Smith)
•  The God Complex: No Longer a Gated Community (Mark Smith)
• The God Complex: Catch It! (Mark Smith)
• God Complex: Does This Divinity Make Me Look Fat? (Brian Merritt)

Visit Bruce’s blog and join the discussion, and I’ll make sure I post more information when we know it. 

It’s good to be back. Life wasn’t quite the same without y’all.

photo by objecthoag

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A group of us spent the night in my office, which is located a few blocks away from the mall. We put on layer upon layer of clothing, in order to stay warm while we stood in one place for hours. We were pretty peculiar, a group of pastors, plus my daughter. And we were surrounded by an incredible array of people, white hippies wearing Grateful Dead concert souvenirs, New York liberals wrapped in fur coats, young Latinos with cell phones, older African-American women with hopeful histories. Our hearts lifted as Barack Obama was sworn in and they soared when he spoke.

Change is upon us.

Hopefully, there will be immediate policy changes—like the end of torture, health insurance for children, and an implementation of a wiser foreign policy. And there will be hard changes that will take time—like better education for all children, health care for all Americans, rebuilding of our crumbling infrastructure, and environmental stewardship for our exhausted planet.

This event also marked significant cultural changes—like a move from the greed of the individual to the care of the community. With giant corporations begging for bailouts, and huge banks collapsing, we know that we need to do things differently.

What does all of mean for our congregations? What is changing on our religious landscape? Well, there is a new passion for social justice, for living out the words of Jesus. And I cannot help but notice the Joshua Generation—the young Evangelicals who cannot swear allegiance to Christian Right, who are finding their own way.

Newsweek recently had a portrait of a man who represented so many of my friends, as well as myself. We grew up in conservative Evangelical households, but when we became adults, the political alliances that our parents made no longer made sense. The sexism, homophobia, and (sometimes) racism of the Religious Right did not seem to match the ministry of Jesus.

There are a swarm of young Evangelicals who are wandering right now. Twenty-six percent of young Evangelicals support same-sex marriage. They no longer have a spiritual home in the congregations of their youth. So, how are denominations going to respond? Can we begin to open up our doors to a new generation?

I am a Presbyterian. I have been a PC(USA) pastor for ten years and a member for fifteen. I love my denomination, but I am still uncomfortable in it. Often, when I’m around denominational types, things are said that make our denominations inhospitable for people who grew up Evangelical.

I guess I should just spell it out. Because I love my church, I need to let you know that if we want to reach out to a new generation, we will need to learn to accept Evangelicals or ex-Evangelicals. You may not agree with me, you may not have had the same experience, but still, personally people communicate to me regularly, “You’re not one of us, and you never will be.” Sometimes I don’t know exactly how it’s being said, but I’ll try to put my finger on some of the more pernicious habits of the mainline.

In my denomination, many people say, “Well, they obviously don’t know what it means to be Presbyterian.” Wake up, my friends. No one knows what it means to be Presbyterian. We are a small group that will keep getting smaller if we think that everyone needs to know the Book of Order before being able to sit in a pew.

“Christianity has not been a force in our society since the sixties.” Wrong. Mainline denominationalism has not been a force in our culture since the sixties. Evangelicals have been a strong tradition since the birth of our nation, and they grew tremendously in the ’80s. They have been creating think tanks, educational institutions, and grass-roots political movements. And they are Christians too.

“Evangelicals are dumb.” Whether we say it outright or not, this is often our message. I know. I went to Bible College. And while I have friends who went on to do social work and their degrees were seen as an asset, mine has always been seen as a hindrance in my work as a minister. I have an education that allows me to understand inside-and-out the largest religious movement in our nation, and people in my denomination regularly mock me for it.

I can tell you that there were smart people at Bible college, and not-so-smart people in seminary. So, please, can we get over ourselves? Just because we worship in a denominational church doesn’t mean that our IQ is any higher.

I could go on. But I won’t. I’ll just wrap it up by saying, things are changing. And the biggest change on the religious front is that young Evangelicals are leaving their roots. Can we put aside our elitism? Can we reach out to them? If we can, this could be a time of tremendous growth and renewal for our congregations.

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In the midst of the election season, I was asked if I would write a blog post supporting Barack Obama. I had to think about it for a few days. I believe in the separation of church and state, and I would never support one candidate from the pulpit.

But, it was a moment in the election when Sarah Palin had been picked and the Republicans were all energized, which was great. Except then I would turn on the television and listen to “Drill, Baby, Drill!”

After a couple of years living in “cancer alley” in Louisiana, I learned what drilling and processing could do to the environment and people’s health. I could just imagine the earth under the feet of those crowds crying out with a muffled, “Help me. Please.”

You know, there are not that many people qualified to do these jobs, and John McCain had, like, a hundred years of political favors to pay back. Even though I realize McCain stood up to his party, I also knew that he would inevitably be stuck hiring the same advisors who have driven our country into this big, scary ditch. Or, he could find some more beauty queens to hire. Either way, it wasn’t looking good.

I figured that I needed to do what I could, and if that meant writing a blog post, as a private citizen, then I would. So, I did.

Go ahead. You can pick that decision apart.

There is a lot to say about whether pastors should publicly support one candidate. Typically, I would not, because I would not want Christianity tied to one political party, or one candidate. We’ve had an awful lot of that in recent decades. Unlike many of my colleagues (whom I respect deeply), I am not middle-of-the-road. I’m not a moderate. I do not refuse labels. My views are not that complicated, although they are also not the same as whatever the Democrats are cookin’ up in their kitchen at this moment.

I am progressive. I want to see social justice happen in our country. I want people to be fed and sheltered. Men and women, who go to work for forty hours a week, should make a living wage. We have enough resources in our country to ensure that everyone has health care. Children should have equal opportunities, equal education. We should protect the environment. I could go on… but you get the picture, and I’ve spent enough time digressing.

The point of the post was actually not about pastors picking presidents. The point was more about presidents picking pastors. I know we’ve all read more about Rick Warren than we ever wanted to, so I won’t rehearse his views on same gender relationships again. But, the selection of who will lead the Inaugural Invocation and the fury that ensued made me realize what a strange moment in history this is.

Billy Graham, the man who was the “pastor to the presidents,” and, therefore, (some people thought) pastor to the country, is in his nineties. He’s probably not able to swim in the White House pool anymore. He needs to be replaced.

I wonder if Barack Obama realized that he was picking Billy Graham’s successor. I wonder if he should.

Maybe it’s time to go to a new model. I mean, maybe we don’t need a one-size-fits-all-presidents pastor. Maybe half of the presidents didn’t even like Billy Graham, and they just felt obligated to invite him to pray for this or that because it was the custom.

Some people say that Obama has a pastor problem, but shouldn’t presidents be able to go to whomever they want for prayer and spiritual guidance? Why should we assume that it will be the same person for the next fifty years? Can you imagine the pastor for that job? I mean, it’s hard enough to keep a small congregation happy with you, how could you keep a large country happy with you? And what about the strange positions that the pastor might be put in? Anyone remember Philip Wogaman (the man who wrote my ethics textbook) defending Bill Clinton’s sexual proclivities on CNN? Can you say, “Awkward”? Would it even be possible for a president to have a pastor nowadays without the blogosphere getting all in an uproar? 

What do you think?

The photo is of the Billy Graham Library by Carolina Tim. From what I’ve read, I think the barn has an  animatronic milk cow, named “Bessie,” that will lead you in the prayer of salvation. Anyone been there? Is it true?

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As most of us know, Barack Obama asked Rick Warren to open at the Inauguration, and there has been a bit of frustration sparking around the Internet around the choice.

Why is it? After all, Obama also invited Rev. Joseph Lowery, a great Civil Rights leader, to close in prayer, showing a balance in judgment and religious convictions.

Warren is an affable guy, who has sold a gazillion books. He has a rigid stance against abortion and same-sex unions, but he has been willing to invite Obama to Saddleback (Warren’s mega-church), and sit at the table with Obama, even with many evangelicals wanted Obama to leave.

Warren refuses to publicly endorse any candidate [12/19 edit. I was wrong. He endorsed W in 2004], which is a switch from so many religious leaders who once handed out “voting guides” to their congregants. Although Warren strongly holds to the social positions of the Religion Right, he has also pushed them to be compassionate on other issues, like AIDS.

On one hand, this move shows that Obama is willing to reach out. He’s been smart with how he extends his hand to evangelicals, realizing that they are a strong force, but also not willing to bow to their staunch convictions. He has not flinched at talking about his Christianity, and been able to capture the votes of a new generation of evangelicals. And, Warren helped him do it, so it makes sense that Obama extends the invitation.

So why is this move so distasteful to so many religious leaders?

The Post says that the furor is because of the Internet. They explain that the views of most preachers used to stay within the walls of the church, but now with YouTube, sermon posts, and iPod downloads, all of our thoughts and opinions are open for public consumption beyond the flock.

Strangely, The Post writes:

Although Warren’s views are not far from those of other clergy members who could have been asked to deliver the invocation, Obama found himself emphasizing his own record as “a fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans.”

Which made me scratch my head. “Other clergy members who could have been asked to deliver the invocation”? They must be talking about Billy Graham and Co. Are they implying that there’s a short list of pastors, comprised of leaders who are good enough, and they are all fighting against same-gender rights? If they want another list… I can think of a lot of wonderful pastors upon whom they can call.

Frankly, I don’t think there’s a sudden awareness of what evangelical preachers are saying behind the guarded walls of their sanctuaries. They have been very clear about what they believe for the last couple of decades. They don’t need YouTube. They have  their own publishing houses, radio broadcasts, and television stations. Their message has been heard regularly by millions.

I don’t agree with Rick Warren on many issues. I left the Southern Baptist church that he is a part of, but I know he’s a Christian, doing good work on most days. That said, I think the negative reaction is more from evangelical fatigue than from YouTube suddenly awakening us from our ignorance.

In the last decades, we’ve watched as our nation has become divided and our family dinner tables have become unpleasant, because the debates over abortion and homosexuality. Facebook “friends” write, “How can you call yourself a Christian and vote for Obama?” on our wall. We have listened to evangelicals whole-heartedly support President Bush, even when he has driven our nation into some horrendous ditches. The evangelicals have been calling for a culture war that has made us very, very tired. And so we shake our heads at the thought of continued evangelical influence.

As another Post article cites:

“It’s nice to see a conservative evangelical pastor play such a prominent role in such an important event,” said Tom Minnery, a senior vice president at Focus on the Family, which has fiercely criticized Obama over his support for abortion rights and other issues. “I think what it does is it underscores the importance of evangelicalism in the country.” 

So the gesture will be spinned, not as Obama reaching out to a once-powerful, but now-slightly-wounded, religious movement, in order to build bridges of understanding. Rather, it will be seen as a sign of the importance of the Religious Right. Which just makes me tired.

The photo’s by digitalpotato

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Kathleen Parker says that the GOP needs to give up on G-O-D. She says that ”shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party — and conservatism with it — eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one’s heart where it belongs.”

Her point seems to be that the Religious Right may be able deliver, but they can only deliver old white men, or white families with children. They have alienated diverse, younger voters. So her solution is that the Republican Party needs to lose their religion.

The problem with Parker’s viewpoint is that Democrats were kicking themselves a few short years ago because we couldn’t seem to come up with a candidate who could say “God” without looking like his spine had just been suddenly replaced by a Popsicle stick. The icy cold fear that seemed to grip him was out of place in a country that was… well… pretty religious.

No one expected the candidate to have a walk on the beach with Billy Graham, or to have “born-again” tattooed on his sleeve, but it would have been nice if they could relate to people of faith, a little bit, and, you know, just give them a bit of respect. The Democrats have done well–not when we have lost our religion–but with the Clintons’ church-going and Obama’s “awesome God in the blue states.”

The problem was not with God. But there was a problem. I’ll point out a couple of reasons why I grew up in a Religious Right Republican household, and now I have nothing to do with either affiliation.

First, they lost me because they were fighting for the wrong things. They were warring against abortion in the public sphere, while their daughters were making early-morning appointments at the nearest clinics. (Of course, I have no statistical proof of this. Just lots of anecdotal evidence, which I would never, ever write about. This is a fascinating article though.)

We can say statistically, that conservative Christian teenagers are more promiscuous. They become pregnant more often. Pregnant teenage girls end up trapped in a lifetime of poverty. And I will tell you that it gets very difficult to keep crying out “murder” when you’re sitting next to the formerly-pregnant protester’s daughter, watching the anguish that she is going through.

It made no sense that they were fighting for the sanctity of human life when it came to abortion, but denied it when it came to the death penalty or war. And then there was the torture….

There were things that the Bible was very clear about—relieving poverty, feeding people, taking care of creation, and loving your neighbor—that the RR seemed to be fighting against. I mean, when you’re part of a movement that claims to be faith-based and then opposes health care for poor children… then something is wrong. Clearly the “compassionate” has been far, far removed from the “conservative.” My problem with the RR and GOP was not God, it was that they appeared to be rather godless in so many of their policies.

Second, they lost me because the GOP and the RR quit listening to a new generation. The extreme technological ineptness on the GOP’s part was just the beginning. They had a hard time hearing young Christians as well. The demographics are shifting, and young evangelicals are much like the rest of their generation. They are more progressive… but there is also an influx of diverse Catholics, so that could have been very good news for the RR.

But is the RR listening to them? Are they opening up to their concerns of a new generation?

No. They are giving them a spanking. They’re using that “tough love” parenting that’s “not for cowards.” They are “daring to discipline.” James Dobson, the RR patriarch has rolled up his sleeves and taken off his belt. Just check out the Focus on the Family’s apocalyptic scare letter that was circulated right before the election:

The 2008 election was closer than anybody expected, but Barack Obama still won. Many Christians voted for Obama – younger evangelicals actually provided him with the needed margin to defeat John McCain.

What Dobson needs to realize is… we may be your sons and daughters, but we are no longer children. We think for ourselves now. We vote for ourselves too. And, frankly, we would rather not turn out like this.

This is a religious country, and we know that faith does not end in the heart, nor will it be contained by one political party. Christians have always been men and women of action, even action in the public sphere.  People of all faiths allow their beliefs to inform policy.

Our conscience, our faith, our religion should not be relegated to one party–Democrats or Republicans. The Religious Right (though still a powerful force) brushed God aside too many times to get more influence within the Republican Party. I left both the RR and the GOP, because my faith meant too much to me.

 So, what do you think? Have you switched party affiliations? Why?

photo is by madolina

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There are so many important things to write about since Barack Obama won the election. So much crowding the horizon.

Like, how about all of those young volunteers who are fired-up and organized? What will they be up to next? What will our churches look like when we begin to engage them in meaningful ways? Surely, we will watch them change the world… and I can’t wait to see it happen.

What will happen in Iraq? What is the exit strategy? I’m not completely naïve in thinking that we will pull out in January. We started this, and now we have to figure out the best way to end it.

And what about the environment? And the bailouts? Should we be giving bailout money to GM, when they have been spending the last decade manufacturing and pushing bigger and bigger cars? They were making so much profit off of them, that the money made them blind. They couldn’t see the future that was clearly at the end of their noses. Our petroleum dependence is going to have to come to an end. The rising price of oil has made us dump our SUV monstrosities and fall in love with cute Hybrids. How could they not see it happening?

Of course, I’m not with those who are outraged that autoworkers make $50,000 a year. Our workers should be protected.

And what about Sarah Palin? I was fundamentally opposed to almost every word that came out of her mouth.

Okay… maybe I’m exaggerating. It was every word that came out of her mouth. And the “Drill, Baby, Drill” chants that she loved to incite still haunt me in my worst nightmares.

But, I have to say, to listen to the ogling for the last couple of months–to hear how beautiful she was, how passionate she was, and what a wonderful cheerleader she was, and then to listen to the same people do an about-face, and call her a diva who throws temper-tantrums…. Well… I’m not sure that’s quite fair.

Sarah Palin was not chosen for her lofty intelligence or her thick resume. She wasn’t even chosen because she could tell the difference between Africa the continent and South Africa the country. She was chosen because McCain knew that she could shake up and excite the Religious Right. She could get people out to vote. She could inspire the “real America” while pointing out “those people are not like us.” She could throw all kinds of nastiness and lies at Obama while McCain’s people could shrug in innocence and say that she was “going rogue.”

Palin, in fact, did her job. A job that I find detestable. A job that backfired. A job that was ill-conceived. But she did it.

Should she have ever been chosen for the job? No. Was she ready for it? No. Were the American people right in not voting for her? Yes. But she did it. And now she’s being skewered, on grounds that sound awfully sexist.

McCain is known for his hot temper. Are people calling him a Diva? No. Are people talking about his “tantrums”? No. Is anyone talking about a wet McCain in a towel? Um… no. Thank God.

I could worry about all of these questions. I could look at the mess that’s been created, and wonder if Obama—or anyone, frankly—could possibly be up to the task at hand. I could worry about whether an impassioned, progressive, young generation will become quickly disillusioned. But I’m not. I’m still reveling from last Tuesday. The racial barriers that have been broken, the inspiration this has brought to so many. I’m still smiling from it all.

Yesterday, we went down to the mall, walked along the Vietnam Memorial, read the sad letters that sons and daughters left for their dead fathers. We visited Abe Lincoln, sitting on his grand chair, and we took our one-thousandth photo of us standing on the step, in the spot where Martin Luther King delivered his dream speech. I tried again to soak up some of his preacherly courage.

Then, we stopped and wrote down blessings for Obama on an impromptu wall that had been constructed. It was full of good wishes from all over the world to our President-elect. Beautiful words of hope.

My daughter crouched in front of the crowd, and scrawled something on the bottom of the wall. In small letters, between the good thoughts of so many, she wrote, “God is here.”

In the midst of the scribble and the mess, I think she’s right. God is here, indeed.

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I bought a cake last night, and cookies, and sparkling cider. I let my seven-year-old daughter stay up late, finish up her homework in front of the TV, and fall asleep to the prattling of giddy pundits.

These are all things that I would never let her do normally… it’s just that I wanted her to remember the evening that our first African-American president was elected. I wanted it to be etched, clearly and vividly on her mind. I wanted her to be able to tell her children, “I remember that night.”

Yet, as I watched her sleeping by the soft glow of the television screen, tears rolled down my face, and I knew that if she didn’t remember how special that night was, that would be okay too.

Getting Obama in the White House was largely due to my generation—adults under the age of forty-five who worked tirelessly, canvassing, registering, social networking, and voting. I’m not saying there were not others who voted and worked for Obama. We know that this began in the 60s, but I am saying that we worked really hard on this one, and this is a piece of Civil Rights history that we can be very proud of.

My daughter will not remember the hard work. She will be growing up with a black president in the oval office, and that will the most natural thing in the world for her. And that’s okay; in fact, that will be beautiful.

I was born in the seventies, and I often heard people who were frustrated that I didn’t fully appreciate the struggle and fight of the civil rights movement. It would happen the most in my seminary classrooms. I would listen to full-on fiery rants that young women did not have sufficient appreciation for what older women had to go through in order for me to sit in that seat. Young feminists did not fully understand. (Of course, coming from a religious background where women were not allowed to work outside of the home, I actually think I had a lot more appreciation than they realized.)

Yet, they were right in a sense. I read history books and listen to stories, but I did not live through the sixties. The protests were just about over when I came on the scene. By that time, many of the ideals that the Boomers fought for had been compromised under Reagan, and I grew up in an era of greed, when most of our energy as a nation was funneled into the economic expansion of the individual.

But I did get to sit next to my black friends in the classroom, swing with them on the playground, and swim with them in the public pool. By the time I was a teenager, I wouldn’t have thought twice about dating a black guy. I grew up in classrooms hearing—and believing—that I could be anything that I wanted to be. President even. I was able to take for granted many things that generations before me fought for, and that was a good thing.

Of course, we need to know our history, or we will be doomed to repeat it. We need to protect our freedoms, as people of color and/or as women. We need to know what happened before us. This is extremely important.

However, if there is a bit of generational amnesia on my daughter’s part, I hope that I smile, because isn’t this what we ultimately want? Aren’t we hoping, praying, fighting for a world where racism and sexism is unfathomable? Perhaps my child will grow up in a country where she cannot imagine slavery, lynching, or segregation. When my daughter reads about our country’s fearful history of racial discrimination, it will make no sense to her, and she will not comprehend how we got from there to here. If she does not fully understand the fights and the protests and the hatred that great men and women had to endure, that’s okay. Perhaps it will seem nothing less than the miraculous hand of God to her.

It seems that way to me. Because when my daughter thinks about African-Americans in our country, she will not think about any of the things that make us tremble with regret. She will think about the President.

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