That was amazing.

It would be nice if Adventists could progress to the point that younger Adventists will assume “The Great Disappointment” is a reference to racism in the church, rather than 1844.

That’s an interesting thought!

Remember William Foy? The black near-prophet of Adventism? I wonder what would’ve happened if he had been the messenger of God, instead of EGW.

There’s a novella to be written right there!

Very balanced and honest speech. Sen. Obama made no attempt to gloss over the racial divide, recognized the validity of opposing positions, yet offered hope for a brighter future. I’m impressed!

Yeah, but will he balance the budget? Criticism about Obama should be about policy suggestions.

It won’t matter if even Michelle Obama decided to run for president if the economy continues to tank. Atlantic Monthly (a few years ago) commented on a study that asserted that racial tensions increase dramatically during economic downturns. Perhaps the most effective way to bring races together by a thriving economy.

As much as Christians “denigrate” money (except for tithes and offerings), there won’t be social justice without it.

This speech had a Freudian effect on me in that it brought back to mind things that I hadn’t thought about in nearly 16 years.

I was an eleven year old boy in SoCal at the time of the L.A. race riots. Within a week of the end of the riots, I received a death threat from a black boy who said that he was going to kill me like those white cops tried to do to Rodney King.

For whatever it might be worth, I created a video response to Obama’s speech on YouTube in which I recount some of the story.

See it here, if you’re interested.

Our nation is obsessed with racial group identities of us and them. This is the heart of racism.

Government as an institution is particularly ill-suited to combat bigotry. Bigotry at its essence is a problem of the heart, and we cannot change people’s hearts by passing more laws and regulations. It is the federal government that most divides us by race, class, religion, and gender. Through its taxes, restrictive regulations, corporate subsidies, racial set-asides, and welfare programs, government plays far too large a role in determining who succeeds and who fails. Its excessive and inappropriate responsibility is actually irresponsibility. Sometimes to do less is to be more responsible. Government “benevolence” crowds out genuine goodwill by institutionalizing group thinking, thus making each group suspicious that others are receiving more of the government loot than they are. This leads to resentment and hostility among us. Incidentally, this principle is also applicable to foreign policy.

Racism is simply an ugly form of collectivism. Simply, the mindset that throws people into stereotypical groups rather than viewing each person as a unique individual. Racists believe that all people who share superficial physical characteristics are alike. As collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. To echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they judge people by the color of their skin, rather than by the content of their characters. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so-called “diversity” actually perpetuate racism. To separate is to discriminate.

The true cure for the plague of racism is freedom. Freedom means having a limited, constitutional government devoted to the protection of individual rights rather than group claims. Freedom means free-market capitalism, which rewards individual achievement and competence - not skin color, gender, or ethnicity.

In a free society, every citizen gains a sense of himself as an individual, rather than developing a group or victim mentality. This leads to a sense of individual responsibility and personal pride, making skin color irrelevant. Racism will endure until we stop thinking in terms of groups and begin thinking in terms of individual freedom. The corrective lenses of freedom and responsibility make us color blind.

David, how can you be color blind when everything on earth has a color? I can only suspect you are not driving around in this car because you couldn’t car less about its color.

The argument for color blindness does not cut it…

GOBAMA ‘08

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.” John 7:24

I have never heard a politician, including Barak Obama, who offers anything less than a positive hope for the future of their nation. You could not get financial backing on a lesser platform. Imagine a politician with a Biblical view of history! Who would pay a $1,000 a plate to eat with a man who believed we should prepare for the end of the world?

A good friend of mine, born dirt poor in Kentucky, who once taught sociology in an American university, said he would sometimes recount the fall of the Roman empire and various other civilizations to his new students and then say in his deadpan, matter-of-fact way, “Though every other government known to man has failed, that will never happen to America”. Sadly, he reported, the majority would always agree.

I would not suggest we should despise good leadership, should such a thing be found, but I would temper the fervor with some ‘kingdom’ realism: There is no political solution to our spiritual problems. Had that been the case Jesus would have done what his disciples and others expected; he would have established the kingdom of David on earth at his first coming.

I have to disagree with those who mistakenly believe racism will ever end, along with any other form of human evil. Far from it. The Biblical view reveals an increase, not an end, before the coming of Christ. As Jesus said, “the love of many will wax cold”. He wondered allowed to his disciples, “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

What is about to break out on the earth is unlike anything ever seen in the history of man. My hope during this time is in Christ alone.

Seriously, how can you not support this man?

Not anyone here specifically… I should have written instead->

Seriously, how can anyone not support this man?