Obama and Racial Reconciliation

On Tuesday the United States elected their first African-American president, Barack Obama. We turned on the television at 10:30 to watch the networks track the status of the election. Obama was in the lead, which was no surprise since he had been winning in the polls. But at 11:00pm the screen suddenly read “Barack Obama – 44th President of the United States.” I didn’t believe that it was true at first. I actually wondered if they had jumped the gun. But after it remained on the screen it started to hit me that he truly was our new president.
When his presidency was announced I saw on the TV screen hundreds and thousands of African-Americans celebrating the results. I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind that “This is America. This is really America. These are the people who represent America.” This is a profound paradigm shift for Americans, and a humbling one for many. The prototypical American is no longer white. Having Obama as president is a jump (even a disorienting one since it seems like such a complete turnaround) toward a multiethnic America. It was a beautiful picture to see people whose ancestors were enslaved – enslaved! – and who did not even have voting rights 40 years ago, representing the United States. There is doubtlessly more to a president than race, but considering America’s past, this cannot go overlooked as a historic moment.
Still, this begs the question, “Does electing a black president really break down racial hierarchy in the Church?” No, it doesn’t. In fact, if we think it does, then having a black president is a detriment to the Church’s pursuit of racial reconciliation. We will think that we’ve arrived when really we have a long way to go on the journey. This is the mistake that was made after the civil rights movement. The Church, however, should be very humbled by what has happened. The United States, a country that cares very little about Jesus Christ, has elected a black president, while most of our churches are devastatingly segregated. Once again, the world is showing the Church how to be the Church. This should make Christians repulsed with themselves. At the same time, hopefully it can be a call for repentance and the start of a journey toward reconciliation. Hopefully more Christians, both white and black, will be inspired to take part in that journey.