words from winker: jim winkler speaks of obama and hope

Hope survived
By Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society
I was present at the meeting of the Council of Bishops on Nov. 4. There was great enthusiasm and delight at the news Barack Obama has been elected president. All present are aware we are witnesses to history.

In days immediately following the election, thousands of people lined up at the offices of newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times to seek copies of the editions announcing Obama’s election. People will remember where they were on election day just as they remember other historic moments such as Sept. 11, 2001, and Nov. 22, 1963.

His election raises my hopes we can see progress towards peace and social and economic justice.

What more is there to say? Countless columns have been written already by people attempting to ascertain the significance of Obama’s election. I’ll simply add that his election raises my hopes we can see progress towards peace and social and economic justice during the Obama administration.

President-elect Obama is not the savior, nor does he claim to be. In fact, some of his proposed policies are at odds with stances expressed this past spring by our denomination’s highest policy-making body, the General Conference.

There does at least appear to be room for discussion with the new administration, though. Quite frankly, this was almost wholly absent these past eight years during the administration of a president who happened to be United Methodist.

There will be plenty of time in the future to discuss policy issues, though. Now is a time to celebrate a remarkable accomplishment. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said he envisioned a black man as the President of the United States by 1988. While the wheels of change move ever so slowly and Dr. King’s vision wasn’t realized until 2008, nonetheless a significant milestone has been achieved.

It is difficult, if not impossible, for many of us to comprehend the hope this milestone represents for a people whose roots in the “land of the free” began in slavery. This moment demands reverent reflection. Change was the mantra of this election, and that was true on many levels. Mostly, though, it was about hope, and this time, hope survived, perhaps to a magnitude that has never before been known. Thanks be to God!