Excuse me while I catch my breath. … Whew! It was just Monday that Michelle Obama praised people like, “Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters, and sons, can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher.”
Well, how many cracks does it take to bring that glass ceiling crashing down? Maybe 18 million and one. And if that is indeed the case, that last crack has a face and a name – Sarah Palin.
It was only Wednesday that I was musing about how the world changed that day with the official nomination of Barack Obama. I don’t want to say I told you so, but you will remember that I said Barack Obama is the future, win or lose and putting aside political views and opinions. Likewise, putting aside politics, Sarah Palin is the future.
Watching John McCain this morning it was hard to know if the expression on his face was satisfaction, admiration, panic or fear as Alaska Governor Palin addressed the faithful in Ohio. I totally get the political realities that resulted in this surprise choice. Give the McCain folks credit for keeping a secret and orchestrating great drama today while stealing the spotlight from Obama and Biden. I suspect that McCain is just about as surprised as most everyone else that Sarah Palin is his running mate. Remember, this is the lady who gained an 80% approval rating in Alaska by taking on and beating back corruption – not among the Democrats, but her own Republican party! Whoops! Sarah busted the Good Ol’ Boys Club and left them bruised and wounded in the street. Wasn’t that what the Republican Party was supposed to be about? Greedy old men in suits huddled in board rooms and holding on to their power and money?
Sarah Palin is not only against abortion, she lives her conviction choosing to give birth this year to her fifth child even though she knew ahead of time that he would be born with Downs Syndrome. She believes in global warming, yet wants to drill for oil in Alaska while we develop all types of alternative energy. She is articulate and fearless. As I learned about her resume today, my reaction was to think that she is so perfect she must be computer-generated. This is the point – it had to happen. A young, smart, attractive woman is now a candidate for Vice President of the United States, only the second female candidate for this office after Geraldine Ferraro’s candidacy in 1984.
Whatever happens, by the second Tuesday in November we will have either the first non-white President or the first woman Vice President. This is the change I am talking about, and it had to happen. I repeatedly remind you that I don’t do political commentary or opinion; I am an observer of cultural change and how that affects our strategy to carry out the Great Commission.
For many in our younger generations (and others, too), this is not as much about political parties and views as it is social change. Many young people are conservative, and many are predominately liberal in their views. Most, however, are a conglomeration of both. This emerging generation refuses to be pushed into our existing categories and angrily repeat our catch phrases. They understand that people can honestly have differing viewpoints and they are fine with that. They are just tired of having only two options and a refusal to be able to even talk reasonably to come to a compromise or agreement. Many see in Barack Obama the hope of something a bit different. Some might find that in Sarah Palin, too. In the end they will be watching for authenticity more than specific policies and promises. Are we listening, church?
Sadly, I fear many are not listening, don’t get it, don’t want to get it. A friend of ours in Denver works for a major corporation that sponsored the recent convention. This friend had the grand experience of getting to work in a hospitality room and witness some of this historic drama. Coming in the other day, she went by a group of Christian protesters brandishing signs and placards proclaiming that “God hates Democrats,” “Christians don’t let Christians vote Democratic” and other such Christ-honoring slogans. Knowing our church and our desire to be a church for all peoples, her comment on this scene was “Apparently these people have a faith for all peoples, just not a faith for both parties.”
Here’s the application. As the church of Jesus Christ are we open to all people regardless of their ethnicity, language, skin color or gender? Really? It’s easy to say but hard to live. It’s not about making sure that all our racial quotas are met, that everyone has equal time, or even about having women pastors. I think what many today are wanting is simply to treat others with the respect and dignity they deserve. Funny. I thought Jesus made that clear two thousand years ago. We must be slow learners.
So, here I am as a mature white male and just arriving at the age when I thought I might find out how to get into that Good Ol’ Boys Club. Suddenly, I discover that I am a member of the most discredited minority group in this country – white, middle age men. Now, if we could only do something to help another seemingly invisible group – African-American females.
Glass Ceiling Shattered?
Excuse me while I catch my breath. … Whew! It was just Monday that Michelle Obama praised people like, “Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters, and sons, can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher.”
Well, how many cracks does it take to bring that glass ceiling crashing down? Maybe 18 million and one. And if that is indeed the case, that last crack has a face and a name – Sarah Palin.
It was only Wednesday that I was musing about how the world changed that day with the official nomination of Barack Obama. I don’t want to say I told you so, but you will remember that I said Barack Obama is the future, win or lose and putting aside political views and opinions. Likewise, putting aside politics, Sarah Palin is the future.
Sarah Palin is not only against abortion, she lives her conviction choosing to give birth this year to her fifth child even though she knew ahead of time that he would be born with Downs Syndrome. She believes in global warming, yet wants to drill for oil in Alaska while we develop all types of alternative energy. She is articulate and fearless. As I learned about her resume today, my reaction was to think that she is so perfect she must be computer-generated. This is the point – it had to happen. A young, smart, attractive woman is now a candidate for Vice President of the United States, only the second female candidate for this office after Geraldine Ferraro’s candidacy in 1984.
Whatever happens, by the second Tuesday in November we will have either the first non-white President or the first woman Vice President. This is the change I am talking about, and it had to happen. I repeatedly remind you that I don’t do political commentary or opinion; I am an observer of cultural change and how that affects our strategy to carry out the Great Commission.
For many in our younger generations (and others, too), this is not as much about political parties and views as it is social change. Many young people are conservative, and many are predominately liberal in their views. Most, however, are a conglomeration of both. This emerging generation refuses to be pushed into our existing categories and angrily repeat our catch phrases. They understand that people can honestly have differing viewpoints and they are fine with that. They are just tired of having only two options and a refusal to be able to even talk reasonably to come to a compromise or agreement. Many see in Barack Obama the hope of something a bit different. Some might find that in Sarah Palin, too. In the end they will be watching for authenticity more than specific policies and promises. Are we listening, church?
Sadly, I fear many are not listening, don’t get it, don’t want to get it. A friend of ours in Denver works for a major corporation that sponsored the recent convention. This friend had the grand experience of getting to work in a hospitality room and witness some of this historic drama. Coming in the other day, she went by a group of Christian protesters brandishing signs and placards proclaiming that “God hates Democrats,” “Christians don’t let Christians vote Democratic” and other such Christ-honoring slogans. Knowing our church and our desire to be a church for all peoples, her comment on this scene was “Apparently these people have a faith for all peoples, just not a faith for both parties.”
Here’s the application. As the church of Jesus Christ are we open to all people regardless of their ethnicity, language, skin color or gender? Really? It’s easy to say but hard to live. It’s not about making sure that all our racial quotas are met, that everyone has equal time, or even about having women pastors. I think what many today are wanting is simply to treat others with the respect and dignity they deserve. Funny. I thought Jesus made that clear two thousand years ago. We must be slow learners.
So, here I am as a mature white male and just arriving at the age when I thought I might find out how to get into that Good Ol’ Boys Club. Suddenly, I discover that I am a member of the most discredited minority group in this country – white, middle age men. Now, if we could only do something to help another seemingly invisible group – African-American females.