We came across this interesting post by Australian activist Jarrod McKenna over at the God’s Politics blog, which is produced by our good friends at Sojourners. In light of all that’s happening in Washington this week, especially with President Obama’s health-care summit today, we thought we’d post it here in slightly edited form for your reflection.
It’s interesting to see Professor Cornel West, a well-known Obama supporter, offer this strong of a critique (in some ways, it’s an admonishment) of the President and his performance thus far.
Easy Hate, Hard Love, Cornel West, and Barack Obama
By Jarrod McKenna
Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “Hatred paralyses life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” Yet the reality of our daily work of turning over to God our raw responses to the pain of our world is bloody hard. Rene Descartes put it succinctly (without the Australian gruffness): “It is easy to hate and difficult to love.” On the right and the left there is no shortage of people who take the “easy” option — no shortage of those who don’t resist the current that would sweep us down the broad road that does not lead out into transformation. Our call as Christian believers committed to justice is to speak “the truth in love.” More than that, our call is to “let our life speak” the truth in love (as John Woolman would insist). That is why Princeton scholar, author, and civil rights activist Cornel West is so exceptional. For those who haven’t seen his recent interview note to Obama, please do.
Brother West calls us not just to take a stand, but to ask critical questions about how we stand. In this clip I think he does it very well. Our witness to the Crucified lacks authenticity if we don’t make a stand for justice, a stand for those forgotten by the system, a stand with those considered “the least of these.” But our witness only becomes prophetic [in embodying God’s new world] if we can rise above the scapegoating and name calling to speak the “truth in love.” Because as Christians, with all our definitions being redefined in the nonviolent life of Christ, if it is not true, it’s not loving. And if it’s not loving, it’s not true.
I love Cornel West–his mind and his brilliance. He’s right too; President Obama is in a tough spot. It’s hard to believe that some people are ready to give up on him after one year. He’s got a heavy agenda and NO ONE could have turned it around in a year’s time. But he must be careful about the issues he chooses to focus on. It’s a delicate dance and I do not envy him. If anything, he needs our prayers.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Amen! Let’s pray for our President and hope that he’s able to get around the gridlocked politics of Washington right now and get things done for all Americans, especially the poor, unemployed, and working folks who are literally living paycheck to paycheck. There comes a time when you have to say I gave the bipartisan approach my best shot but now I need to do what’s best for the nation, whether it means Democrats (including him) get re-elected or not.