Obama

Hopeful things happening across the pond with the arrival of Barack Obama on the scene. The cynic in me says he doesn't have the cash to see this early enthusiasm through to the end, but you never know - perhaps the US is ready for him? I'll be watching his campaign with interest. Genevieve sent me this quote from his book, The Audacity of Hope, which I think I'll be reading sometime soon.

"I was drawn to the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change. [...] In the history of these struggles, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world. [...] It was because of these newfound understandings–that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved–that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized. It came about as a choice and not an epiphany; the questions I had did not magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth."

Shame I don't get a vote...