THE ELECTION OF 2008 HAS ENDED WITH THE BIPARTISAN RELIEF THAT IT IS FINALLY OVER

By John K Lunsford, November 6, 2008

The election of 2008 has ended with the bipartisan relief that it is finally over. Whatever we might think of the outcome, all of us are thankful that the campaigning has ended. While journalists and talking heads may wonder what to do next, the rest of us are ready to move on.
But there are questions and issues that remain even for us common folk. As we consider the events of the last weeks, we inevitably must ask ourselves, “What just happened?”
The quick answer is, “Nothing just happened. It has been happening for years and just caught up with us.”
A few decades ago (in 1968 to be exact), I began to suspect that something was happening. What I suspected then, and believe even more now, is that change, paradigmatic shift, had accelerated to such an extent that society was no longer able to absorb it. The rate of change we could accept had been exceeded by societal pressures for change. Remember, we were in an era of increasing demands for civil rights for African-American, for equality for women in the workplace, for gay rights, for the rights of the disabled, even for animal rights, inter alia. Many of these causes were still in their infancy but they seemed to come together in or around 1968 and they couldn’t all be sustained.
What happened then was that the demands for change, the demand for paradigm shifts, the demand for increased rights for these subsets of our larger society began to collapse back on themselves. It was like trying to climb an ever-steeper incline until one reached a point where it was impossible to climb higher. The very ground beneath one’s feet began to crumble and fall away until the incline became more stable. At that point, one could advance a few more feet until the incline once again became too steep. The rate at which one could ascend the slope was dependant upon maintaining the steepness of the incline below the critical angle from which it would naturally fall away.
In the real world that translated to a two-steps-forward, one-step-backward history for these causes. The progress of civil rights, of equality for women, of gay rights has been marked as much by set-backs as they have by successes. The cause of equal pay for women took a recent hit when the Supreme Court ruled that a woman who was clearly denied equal pay for equal work for years could not recover because she had not known about the disparity in time to sue within the period set forth in the statute of limitations. One of the arguments against the woman was that if she were allowed to sue, that fact would encourage other women to sue for past injustices which would clog the courts and, perhaps, bankrupt some businesses. In the most recent election, three states (Arizona, Florida and, most noteworthy, California) enacted state constitutional amendments prohibiting same sex marriages. In California, this came in response to and for the purpose of over-ruling a court decision finding that the denial of same sex marriages was a denial of equal protection for gays and lesbians. In other words, the referendum in California was the first time in history that a state restricted the rights that had been granted to some of its citizens by its own constitution.
Example after example can be cited for cause after cause where changes or proposed changes have been met with resistance raised for no other reason than that we inherently don’t want things to change, we don’t want the discomfort of having to reorder our priorities or our values.
The election, indeed, the whole campaign process, forced us to confront change. That, after all, was the theme that both parties eventually tried to force us to accept. But the real change was not about the issues that most of us think neither party nor candidate could fix. Rather it was about the broader, long term pressures that had been building for decades. Civil rights. Equality for women. Gay rights. Animal rights. Abortion. Evolution versus creationism. Immigration. Torture versus security. The lists will go on and on. The pressure for change will go on also.
It might be hoped that this election was a final victory for civil rights. Don’t count on it. We have taken two steps forward but there certainly lurk traps that will send us sliding back, if we are not careful.
There are those that saw the candidacy and defeat of Sen. Clinton (and Gov. Pallin) as two steps forward and one step back for women’s equality. Be certain that there will be further advances and further setbacks.
There are those who cannot remember life as it was before 1968. There are those who do not think of change as threatening. There are those who do not mind reordering priorities or changing societal values because they see that comfort in the midst of oppression leads to societies that cannot reach their full potentials.
When I originally started thinking about this in 1968, I could not see what the long-term solution might be. I only knew that the threat of change at rates beyond what society could absorb produced disorder, assassinations and riot. Four decades later, as I reflect on our history since 1968 – the wars we have fought, the social upheaval we have endured, the economic and social polarization we have experienced and the increased pressure for social changes I could not imagine were yet unexpressed, I cannot see what the next generation of revolutions will bring. I only know that we live in a better society than what we had in 1968 – better, in part, because of the campaign and election we have endured.
Many of the paradigms that informed the first part of my life are gone. They are being replaced by new paradigms that seem obvious now. These, too, shall fall away as false idols, someday. One paradigm will remain: Change happens. The corollary is similar: Change happens, for better and for worse. One person’s step forward is another’s step back. I did not view all of the changes of the last 40 years as steps forward. It takes time to accept a new paradigm. It takes a visionary to see the right side of history from the beginning. It takes humility to adopt a new position.
In 1968, I could not imagine a minority or woman president in my lifetime. I could not conceive of gay marriage. I could not imagine abortion. Change happens, for better and for worse. Paradigms shift. I celebrate that I have lived long enough to witness the process by which change can come to our society and I pray for humility to recognize and adopt new paradigms as they prove worthy.

(If you have any reflections or other thoughts upon what John has written please add your comments here!)

Halloween Outreach 08

This has been one of our best years yet as far as participation from our congregation and those that have come by from the neighborhood. We had at least one hundred people stop by to decorate cookies, fill their bags with goodies, and last but not least warm their bellies with some hot apply cider. We had a great time and are looking forward to next year.

Food Festival (9-6-08)

Our first community "Food Festival" was a huge success considering we were nearly rained out! We successfully brought two congregations together (College Park Church of the Nazarene & Healing Temple Church of the Nazarene) in our 1st combined outreach event. We were also able to prepare and give away 32 prepared boxes of food to people in need, and we had a lot of fun doing it! We cannot wait tell our next "Food Festival" (November 22), and hopefully some cloudless skies!

We want to celebrate with the Lourim family after their adoption was successfully complete May 16th. Yea!!!!

The limits in our community

This blog entry is really inspired by Tammy's request on the prayer chain email. She asked that church members refrain from speaking about politics in church because of the potential of hurting one another. I wholeheartedly agree that we not allow our politics to divide us. We are called to love, respect, and serve one another despite our many differences. Most of us have been in the church for many years are very aware of broad levels of diversity that we encompass. We have people from every generation, almost all continents, strong leaders in both genders, and very diverse political views. We've often said that this is something we celebrate as a church, using phrases like "this is what it will be like in heaven". Obviously Scriptures supports the claim that God loves people of all classifications equally. The goal, when we find disagreements and hurtful things is to grasp them and allow them to be windows into each other's God-inspired souls. When we agree and disagree, we can see the face of God in each other.

That said (and I hope you'll at least partially agree), the question remains about whether talking politics in church is ok. I would recommend a few ground rules: 1) Be sensitive to the differences we know exist 2) Be respectful of each other opinions 3) Never use someone's political views to 'cut them off' from fellowship/community. Maybe there are more that others can suggest.

To say a bit more, politics do greatly affect our church lives. Scripture commands us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick/imprisoned - essentially, care for the least, and seemingly insignificant people in society. Yes, we have a food table and have done lots of clothes rolling, but these are bandaids (which we should continue) to true evil systems that cripple the people who have no money to buy the right votes in Congress. Some of us are painfully aware that we might even be included in that helpless place, but it also stems to our responsibilities around the world. The hungry bellies of children, lack of healthcare for elderly, and unlive-able minimum wage for laborers will not change unless Christians use church as a safe place to be real, honestly thinking through their political decisions. There are some leaders these days who say that the continued extremes on poverty are the result of Christians who have not voted all their values for the past 30 years. I say that because I believe Christians do truly care about the most vulnerable among us but they've sheltered themselves from the range of critical issues of our faith. All said, church should be a safe place to discuss politics.

So these are my thoughts, actually, my passions. In sum, I do wholeheartedly ask that people hear the request for respectful dialogue surrounding political matters. Please comment. Don't let me be the only person with a big mouth, ok?

Celebrate with us!

This past Easter not only gave us the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also was a time to celebrate the baptism (Christening) of Demarco Everett Patterson.

What a handsome baby and beautiful family!

Good Friday

This coming Friday will be our third "Good Friday" service observed at College Park Naz., since we have attended the church. As I have been preparing for this coming service it has been ever present on my mind that many of us are unaccustomed to observing some of the Christian Calendar services. Especially, those services that fall within the Lenten season.

Growing up in a protestant home I never remember observing any of the Lenten services (Ash Wednesday...Good Friday, etc.). However, after being introduced to the Christian Calendar while attending Bible college (Olivet Naz. Univ.) it seemed like a while new world had been opened to me. A world in which I was encouraged not only to express feelings of joy and celebration during the seasons of advent and Easter, but also to share in times reflection and even sadness during the Lenten season. The Lenten season seemed to me then and still today to help bring balance into my walk with God. It is within this season, especially the "passion week," that I am encouraged not only to identify with Jesus Christ as he rose from the grave in glory and power, but also to give voice to the suffering and sadness that Christ experienced on his journey towards the cross. The awareness that we are given a place within our faith to give expression to these types of events within our own lives has been a comfort to me in my journey of faith.

I wonder if any others have experiences along these lines that they would like to share? If so I encourage you to share some of your thoughts by clicking on the "comments" link at the bottom of this post.

Joint Homeless Outreach

This past Sunday afternoon we met at the Beltsville United Methodist Church to prepare food and clothing for area persons who are homeless. This was the first of what we hope will become regular outreach activities between our two churches (College Park Naz. & Beltsville United Methodist). We are also in conversation with several other churches in the area who are interested in joining us in similar events.

If you are interested in getting involved the next time we hit the streets let us know.