Doug King of Witherspoon on the Election

Doug King, webweaver at Witherspoon wrote a thoughtful piece, "After the election...What is our calling?"

Last night, just after CNN projected Barack Obama as the winner of the election, the apartment next to ours erupted in whoops and shouts and general delight as the African American family there celebrated. It was good to hear. And to see people like Colin Powell and Jesse Jackson weep with joy, even as millions of the rest of us have too, tells me something really big has happened.

No big surprise there, I know. But then the question is – as Obama reminded the joyous crowd last night – what do we do now? The American people, with the brilliant help of one of our own sons, have opened the door into a new future. Hopes that many of us have held for decades now begin to look like possibilities.

Early in his election-night speech, Obama expressed thanks to his campaign staff, then added: “... above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.”

Doug goes on to say:

Those who yearn for justice and for peace must now shift gears from the easy satisfaction of resenting injustice and war. We need to put our nice ideas into proposals and programs and practices that will move us from yearnings to actions.

Obama offered one step toward that process of transforming our society, when he did what he has done since his campaign began: using “we” language instead of “I” language. Some may see that as nothing but a nice rhetorical device, and it may amount to nothing more unless millions of Americans begin to make it a reality. And certainly our faith, and the way of life taught by Jesus, should help us to do just that.

Thanks Doug. Do read his entire post.