Historic Election of Barack Obama
November 5, 2008, New Delhi: The decisive victory of Senator Barack Obama to become the first African-American president of the United States of America is indeed historic. It is deservedly being celebrated around the world. We echo the congratulatory message of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: "Your extraordinary journey to the White House will inspire people not only in your country but also around the world."
It would seem as if the whole world voted. Most people around the world had an opinion. It would seem that if they had a vote each, Obama would have won by a landslide rather than 52% to John McCain’s 46% in a polarized nation. We are aware that 25% of the US electorate are evangelical Christians and that 75% of them voted for McCain. But if the whole evangelical world, now predominantly from the Two Thirds World (Asia, Africa, Latin America), were to have voted we would hazard a good guess that Obama would have won by a landslide.
Obama was conscious that “the world is watching” because in his victory speech he said: “And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.”
So, from the world’s oldest democracy to the world’s largest, what is the “inspiration” from Obama’s historic triumph? What racism is to the United States, caste-ism is to our ancient land but young republic. In the United States the shadow between legislated and actual rights and freedoms, between affirmative action programs and actual achievement, kept growing shorter till a young African-American US Senator from Illinois took up the gauntlet and triumphed against all odds. No more tokenism; his is a real electoral victory. Today is America’s new dawn. When will it be India’s?
He controls the course of world events; He removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.
Daniel 2:21 (NLT)
Rev. Dr. Richard Howell
General Secretary
Evangelical Fellowship of India
New Delhi, India
Evangelical Fellowship of India (established 1951) is a charter member of World Evangelical Alliance, an accredited NGO with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations |
