Barack Obama continues to elicit responses of profound passion and enthusiasm from many Americans. He evokes hope and inspires people to act. In this sense, whether or not we agree with his particular policies is irrelevant, because surely we must recognize that his person and candidacy represent much larger phenomenon in American society.
Millions of Americans who have heard Obama speak – in person or on their TV screens – feel a visceral connection with something greater: CHANGE and the hope for a government that can restore the luster of the American Dream.
While only time will tell, Obama seems to truly represent a prophetic voice, perhaps in the vein of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., or John F. Kennedy. Historically, all religious prophets transformed the status quo just at the moment when that status quo no longer represented a healthy or just society. Moses brought the Israelites out of the depths of slavery and misery in Egypt. Jesus awakened an occupied society to radical understandings of love and mercy. Muhammad turned an unjust and religiously negligent Arabian society on its head by setting forth rules for human welfare. Furthermore, each of these prophets inspired hope and aroused people to take action to realize desperately-needed change.
Of course, I’m not saying Barack Obama is a prophet! But he does represent a prophetic voice – uniting people across religion, gender, ethnicity, age, even ideology – calling us back to the American “religion” of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for ALL Americans.
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