Current Conditions
62°F - P/SUNNY
Nor is the pastor of Bright Side Baptist Church reluctant to offer answers as to what local churches should be doing in light of speedy changes coming to the government and the economy.
Butcher was the keynote speaker at Sunday's annual meeting of the Lancaster Interchurch Peace Witness, a group of Lancaster County Christian clergy, church members, congregations and organizations dedicated to peacemaking and nonviolence.
Butcher, speaking from the pulpit at Lancaster Church of the Brethren, cited the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech in Memphis, Tenn., in which King spoke of "seeing the promised land" the night before he was assassinated.
King had a knowledge that he himself would not get to the promised land with the people in his audience, Butcher said, but that we as a people would.
"Last week — I would say to you and submit to you — that we as a people may have gotten to a promised land," Butcher said.
The meaning of "the promised land" can be disputed, Butcher said, but he pointed to Obama's inauguration as a point of arrival for the nation that could not have been imagined 25 years ago or even a decade ago.
Butcher said even more significant than Obama as an individual being elected was that a candidate of color could be elected in a nation that still has a white majority, creating a new paradigm of race relations in the country.
Whatever success Obama obtains will happen because of his politics and his ability to energize the nation, Butcher said, and will have nothing to do with his race."If (Obama) can put beef behind the hype, I believe we're in for a fun ride," Butcher said.
Picking Evangelical pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inaugural ceremony was a bold move by Obama, Butcher said, showing that the president is not afraid to back down from controversy and is able to reach to people with opposing viewpoints to reach some sort of consensus.
Picking Warren angered some of Obama's liberal constituents who did not like the pastor's conservative views on abortion and homosexuality, and some of Warren's followers were not happy to be associated with Obama's liberal social ideals.
Butcher said young people have been excited about Obama's candidacy, especially black youth. He said the key now is to find ways to harness the excitement and get young people engaged in positive activities through community partnerships and breaking down barriers.
"Now they see that with hard work and determination, there are fewer limits in this nation," Butcher said.
Tom Hassler, an LIPW board member, said there is a need to build on the foundation of trust across cultures and avoid fear of the unknown.
Hassler said he believes the Obama presidency gives the opportunity to build trust, but it will not be easy and he will constantly need to be reminded of his promises because "the powers of the status quo are very strong."
"We should not be focusing on what is the least harm we can do," Hassler said. "We should be focusing on what is the greatest good we can do."
E-mail: myoder@lnpnews.com
