To Senator Obama, Our Next President (I Hope)

LETTERS TOTHECANDIDATES 40 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 ToSenatorObama,OurNextPresident(IHope) by Obery M. Hendricks T he Bible contains laws and gospels, prayers and proverbs, stout prophetic utterances and words and phrases so obscure that they hide as much as they reveal. All of this is there and more. That is why, if you become our next Commander-in-Chief—as I pray you will—and are blessed to solemnize your presidentialoathwithyourhandonthatsacredtext,itwillbeimportantforyoutohavesettledonthepassages upon which you will stake your presidency and the future of our nation. In fact, I believe that the Americanpeopleareevenmorelikelytochooseyouasourleaderif,duringtheselastweeksofyourcampaign,youhave clearly chosen the biblical principles that will guide your administration and express them in ways that all Americans can understand. I know that some would have you choose verses of hatred and vengeance. Others would offer texts of bloodletting and warfare, stoning and killing. Still others would proffer scriptures that seem to portray love as an abstraction , and caring as mere sentiment. Others still would turn you to self-righteous proclamations that, they will claim,sanctifytherightofAmericanstoactintheworldhoweverwewish. YetI wouldliftupother textsforyour consideration. I wouldpoint youtotheholisticconceptionofspiritualitythat willneverfailtorightlyguideyourpathofservice: YoushalllovetheLordourGodwithallyourheart,andwithallyoursoul,andwithallyourmind,andwithall yourstrength…[and]youshallloveyourneighborasyourself.(Mark12:30-31) I would offer the primary judgment the Gospels have given to people of faith to judge the fitness of our own souls— andtherighteousnessofourleaders: Then he shall say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his messengers; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prisonandyoudidnotvisitme.’Thentheywillalsoanswer,‘Lord,whenwasitthatwesawyouhungryorthirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ (Matthew 25: 41-46; 25: 31-46 in its entirety) ThenIwouldturnyoutothewordsoftheprophetIsaiahasJesusproclaimedthemwhenheannouncedtotheages thepurposeofhisministry.Ashisfollower,thismustbethepurposeofyourpresidencyaswell: ThespiritoftheLordisuponme,becausehehasanointedmetobringgoodnewstothepoor.Hehassentmeto proclaimreleasetothecaptivesandrecoveryofsighttotheblind,tolettheoppressedgofree,toproclaimtheyear oftheLord’sfavor.(Luke4:18-19;Isaiah61:1-2) Iftheseorlikepassagesarethetextsthatyouchoose—andIhaveeveryhopethattheywillbe—Iwillrejoice,forIbelievetheywillbringtruthstoyourremembrancethatwillguideyourpresidency —shoulditcometopass—downajust andlovingpath.Ofwhatwilltheseremembrancesconsist? YouwillrememberwhattheLordrequiresofusall,butespeciallyofyou:todojustice,topracticesteadfastlove,and towalkhumblywithGodandeverylivingsoul. You will remember Paul’s call for humility: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” (Philippians2:3-8). You will remember the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln—“The almighty has his own purposes”—and never presume your judgment to be the judgment of God. You will forget the selfish ways of self-righteousness and every moment remembertheselflesswaysoffaith . Youwillrememberthatthewelfareofchildrenalreadylivingisasworthyofconcernasthoseyettobeborn. Youwillrememberthatatruefaithdemandsthatothernationsandotherpeoplesmustneverbedemonized,never castasincarnationsofevilorchildrenofalesserGod. You will remember to stake all that you say and do upon hope and never upon fear, for hope makes room for love, Politics_3.qxd:Politics 8/10/08 1:39 PM Page 40 S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 W W W. T I K K U N . O R G T I K K U N 41 whilefearisthespawninggroundofhate. You will remember that as the holder of our nation’s hopes, the rule of law and the precepts of the Constitution will applytoyouespecially—andbeforeallothers. Youwillrememberthatiftherearecertaintruthsthatcannotyetbespoken,youmustkeepaholysilence.Youmight beforgivenforutteringbeneficentlies,butyouwillhaveforfeitedthepeople’sfullesttrust. You will remember to say to every American official—volunteer, appointed and elected; corporate, political and religious—what Franklin Roosevelt saidtothoseinhisday:“Ishalldeemitafavorifyouwillwritetomeaboutthe conditions in your community. Tell me where you feel our government can betterserveyourpeople.” Youwillrememberthattruepatriotismisnotdefinedbythequalityofour hatred for others. It is defined by the spirit of striving to make our nation healthy, whole, and secure, by conducting itself at home and abroad accordingtoitsbestandmostrighteousself . You will remember to ferret out every vestige of the unholy elitist spirit thatlovestheneedsofsomeanddespisestheneedsofothers—thesameloveless spirit that caused shepherds to abandon the most vulnerable sheep of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to unconscionable suffering and much needlessdeath. YouwillrememberthewordsofWoodrowWilson—“Withoutthewatchfulinterference ,theresoluteinterferenceofthegovernment,therecanbeno fair...